One of England’s largest cities with a population of over 500,000 people, Sheffield became world famous in the nineteenth century for steel manufacturing. While the city is proud of its history of steel making, many of the steel plants closed in the latter half of the 20th century and the city reinvented itself as a sporting and technology city, boasting electrifying entertainment and superb attractions that you’re bound to love. Most new visitors are often surprised at what assets Sheffield has to offer. Surrounded by stunning countryside, Sheffield is officially Europe’s greenest city: it contains over 150 woodland spaces and 50 public parks, and roughly a third of Sheffield lies in the Peak District National Park. These rugged hills provide the perfect backdrop to the lively city of Sheffield. With an amazing countryside right on the doorstep, the combination of cultural and industrial heritage, seasoned with a thriving nightlife, Sheffield really does offer the best of both worlds.

accessibility

By Road
Sheffield is located at the centre of the UK, easily accessible from the M1, A1, M18 and M62.

By Rail
Sheffield Midland station has excellent links with all major UK cities. There is another major rail station at Meadowhall and four even smaller stations in the suburbs at Chapeltown, Darnall, Dore and Woodhouse.

By Air
Sheffield is easily accessible from Manchester Airport, Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport, Leeds/Bradford Airport and Nottingham East Midland Airport (45 minutes - 1 hour by car).

Public transport
Trams and buses run throughout Sheffield providing a transport system for locals and tourists alike.
 

sport & leisure
Sheffield has an extensive range of leisure activities to suit all tastes. The city has outstanding sporting and entertainment facilities and a booming cultural life. From museums, cinemas and galleries to one of Europe's leading club scenes. When you need time out to unwind, whatever your preference, you'll find a place to enjoy in the many bars, cafes and restaurants to choose from in the City Centre. Sheffield is the envy of other cities, hosting British Open Show Jumping, World Bowls, the World Snooker Championships and the World Underwater Hockey Championships at the Ponds Forge International Centre. Underwater? Yes. Really! Due to its close proximity to the Peak District with challenging gritstone edges, the city also has 2 superb indoor climbing centres at which elite climbers practise. Other sporting venues include the UK’s only indoor bungee jump, Europe’s largest all-season ski and snowboard resort, Don Valley international athletics stadium and all the other sporting facilities expected of a major UK city. 

theatres
“Sheffield Theatres” is the largest theatre complex outside of London, comprising the Crucible Theatre, Crucible Studio, Lyceum Theatre and the recently refurbished Sheffield City Hall.
 

botanical gardens
In 1836 Robert Marnock originally laid out this 19-acre landscape. The gardens, all with a different geographical or botanical theme, contain a huge variety of plants, both native and exotic. The gardens are listed by English Heritage as a grade II site of special historic and architectural interest. The glass pavilions, recently restored to exacting standards using high quality materials, house a collection of plants from around the world and contain thousands of panes of hand-blown glass.

 

Sheffield industrial museum
There are two main industrial museums in Sheffield, Kelham Island and Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet, which let you relive the industrial revolution as Sheffield grew from town to major city, and experience the workhouses and tradition of craftsmanship by which “Made in Sheffield” became the mark of quality known throughout the world.

 

Shopping in Sheffield
At the time of opening, Meadowhall was the largest indoor shopping centre in Europe. It was built on the site of a derelict steelworks in central Sheffield. The centre now attracts about 30 million visitors a year and its popularity is forever growing amongst locals and tourists. Meadowhall is home to over 270 stores, including all the high street favourites, the oasis food court and a cinema complex. It is surrounded by car parks and even has its own ring road. It is the only shopping centre in Britain that combines a bus, rail and tram interchange.

Shopping in the city centre goes from strength to strength, hosting a whirlwind of retail hotspots which offer a wide variety of shopping experiences: from independent quaint boutiques to stylish cafè bars, Sheffield has it all . For big name stores look no further than Fargate, High street, The Moor and Orchard Square, with the city centre also regularly holding both traditional and continental markets.