Serviced Apartments in Wakefield

Discover the best activities and attractions Wakefield has to offer, and find out what makes this city a vibrant and exciting place to live or visit.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP), located at West Bretton on the outskirts of Wakefield, is one of the UK’s leading open-air galleries, set across rolling parkland and woodlands. It draws international visitors to see large-scale works by major artists (permanent and temporary installations), offers education programmes for schools and families, and stages festivals and talks. YSP is popular because of its unique combination of contemporary sculpture and landscape — you can encounter monumental pieces in natural settings year-round. Economically it boosts local tourism, supports on-site cafes/shops and nearby accommodation, and provides jobs in curating, conservation and visitor services.

The Hepworth Wakefield
The Hepworth Wakefield is a contemporary art gallery named after sculptor Barbara Hepworth and situated on the city’s riverside. It brings nationally significant exhibitions of modern and contemporary art to Wakefield, plus workshops, family activities and outreach programmes that engage local schools and community groups. The gallery is special for its architecture, riverside location and strong programme that raises Wakefield’s cultural profile. It contributes to the local economy by attracting cultural tourists, supporting creatives and hospitality businesses, and creating education and visitor roles.

Pugneys Country Park
Pugneys Country Park is a popular waterside recreation area with lakes, woodland trails, picnic lawns, a café and family-friendly play spaces. It’s known for birdwatching, walking, fishing and non-motorised watersports (e.g., paddleboarding, seasonal activity offerings), plus events such as family activity days. The park’s appeal lies in easy access to nature close to the city, safe play areas for children and year-round outdoor programming. Locally it improves quality of life, supports small businesses (cafés, activity providers), and attracts day visitors who spend with nearby retailers and restaurants.

Wakefield Cathedral and Waterfront
Wakefield Cathedral (the city’s principal church) anchors the historic city centre and sits beside the regenerated Wakefield waterfront on the River Calder. The cathedral is a focal point for heritage, concerts, and community events, while the waterfront hosts cafés, restaurants and public art, creating a lively riverside quarter. This combination draws heritage tourists and locals alike — people come for architecture, music and riverside dining. Its cultural events and hospitality cluster stimulate the evening economy, support independent traders and help position Wakefield as a compact cultural destination.

The Ridings Shopping Centre and Wakefield Market
The Ridings Shopping Centre, together with the long-established Wakefield Market (Kirkgate), forms the city’s principal retail hub. The Ridings offers national chains and indoor shopping convenience, while the market provides an ever-changing mix of independent stalls: fresh produce, street food, fashion, household goods and antiques. Shoppers value the variety — from high-street stores to local traders — and seasonal markets/special events add vibrancy. Economically these retail areas sustain local entrepreneurs, create retail and service jobs, and keep footfall flowing into the city centre, benefitting surrounding cafés and services.

Explore the diverse transport options available in Wakefield, from efficient public transportation systems to convenient road networks. Whether you're commuting to work or exploring the city, this section will give you an overall look at the available transportation systems.

Public Transit System
- Rail services (Wakefield Westgate & Wakefield Kirkgate, plus local stations such as Sandal & Agbrigg and Normanton) - Inter-city and regional rail links serve Wakefield: TransPennine Express and Grand Central provide faster services to Manchester, Leeds, York and London (via Grand Central), while Northern operates frequent local and regional services connecting surrounding towns and the wider West Yorkshire network.
- Bus network (local and regional) - A comprehensive local bus network serves the city and district, with services run by major operators (e.g., Arriva and Stagecoach among others) and coordinated under the West Yorkshire Metro brand for integrated ticketing, providing frequent connections to Leeds, Pontefract, Castleford, Dewsbury and smaller settlements.
- Coach services - Long-distance coach links (national operators) and regional coach services connect Wakefield with destinations beyond the rail network; the city’s bus/coach interchange provides access to scheduled services.
- Park-and-ride and commuter bus links - Park-and-ride options and dedicated commuter services operate on key corridors into the city and to nearby motorway junctions, helping reduce city-centre car use and providing onward connections to rail hubs.
- Taxis and private-hire services - Licensed taxis, private-hire vehicles and app-based ride services offer on-demand local and regional travel, including airport transfers and first/last-mile links from stations.
- Active travel integration with public transit - Rail and bus stations provide cycle parking and pedestrian access; walking and cycling are increasingly promoted as first/last-mile solutions integrated with public transport timetables and ticketing schemes.

Major Highways
- M1 - Major north–south motorway providing direct access to Yorkshire and the Midlands/London corridor.
- M62 - Major east–west trans-Pennine motorway linking Wakefield to Leeds, Manchester, Hull and the M60 orbital around Manchester.
- A1(M) - Accessible via short drives from Wakefield, offering a major north–south trunk route to the east of the city and onward links to the north-east and London.
- A638 - Principal A-road running through/near Wakefield offering connections toward Doncaster and local towns.
- A642 / A636 / A650 - Key A-roads serving regional traffic flows and linking Wakefield with nearby towns such as Dewsbury, Huddersfield, Pontefract and the surrounding district.

Cycling Infrastructure
- Cycle network and routes - Wakefield has a developing network of on-road cycle lanes, traffic-calmed streets in parts of the city centre, multi-use paths and canal/river towpaths that link into the National Cycle Network and local routes; key rail stations provide cycle parking to support combined bike+rail journeys.

Recent and Upcoming Improvements
- Station upgrades and accessibility improvements - Recent refurbishments and ongoing enhancements at Wakefield Westgate and Kirkgate (improved buildings, step-free access, waiting facilities and cycle/parking upgrades) have boosted passenger comfort and interchange.
- TransPennine Route Upgrade and rail capacity works - Strategic rail improvement programmes across the TransPennine corridor and West Yorkshire are delivering capacity, reliability and electrification-related works that affect services to/through Wakefield, improving journey times and resilience.
- Bus Service Improvement Plan and moves towards bus franchising - West Yorkshire’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) and the Combined Authority’s move towards franchising aim to improve frequency, reliability, integrated fares and simpler ticketing across Wakefield and the wider region.
- Active travel and local cycling/pedestrian schemes - Local authority and central government active travel funding has supported new cycle lanes, protected crossings and pedestrian improvements to encourage walking and cycling for short trips and to public-transport hubs.
- West Yorkshire Mass Transit and strategic transport planning - Ongoing feasibility, planning and investment work for a West Yorkshire mass transit network (bus-rapid-transit/light-rail-style corridors) and other strategic schemes could deliver new high-quality cross-city links that would benefit Wakefield’s connectivity in the medium to long term.
- Highway and junction upgrades - Targeted road safety, junction capacity and maintenance projects on key A-roads and motorway junction approaches around Wakefield are being delivered to reduce congestion and improve reliability for car and bus users.

In Wakefield, finding the right furnished rental apartment for short term or long term rental can be challenging - especially with affordable rates all year round in Wakefield. That is where we help companies find the right serviced apartment to stay when working away from home. Our accommodation offers you the perfect self-catering, furnished rental properties in central Wakefield and easy-access locations nearby. Whether it be one week, one month or one year, we have flexible terms to suit you.