Sheffield: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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GBP 39 - 109 Premier Inn Sheffield Arena
 Right opposite Sheffield Arena and the Don Valley Stadium, this modern hotel offers great value, with free parking, a restaurant, a bar, and comfortab… MoreGBP 32 - 89 Premier Inn Sheffield City Centre (Angel St)
 Right in the heart of Sheffield´s city centre, less than 750 metres from Sheffield Station, the hotel offers great value, with spacious, modern … MoreGBP 38 - 108 Park Inn Sheffield
 This stylish and contemporary hotel offers modern, well-appointed accommodation in a great location, in the Quay Side quarter of Sheffield, close to t… MoreGBP 59 - 169 Novotel Sheffield Centre
 In the heart of the city centre, Novotel Sheffield has an indoor pool and modern en suite rooms. Sheffield Rail Station is nearby.
Each room at Novot… MoreGBP 69 - 175 Mercure Sheffield St Paul´s Hotel & Spa
 In the city centre, Mercure Sheffield St. Paul´s Hotel has a spa, a gym and a pool. Sheffield Train Station is a short walk away.
Spa Naturel f… MoreGBP 44 - 79 Norfolk Arms Hotel
 This hotel is set in the stunning Mayfield Valley amid picturesque countryside on the edge of the Peak District.
The Norfolk Arms is a recently renov… More
 Close to Sheffield´s city centre, 0.6 miles (1 km) from Sheffield Station and only 750 metres from Bramall Lane football stadium, this modern ho… MoreGBP 39 - 97 Premier Inn Sheffield Meadowhall
 Just off junction 34 of the M1, opposite Meadowhall Shopping Centre, this modern hotel offers great value, with free parking, a restaurant, a bar, and… MoreGBP 50 - 155 The Rutland Hotel
 Set in private landscaped gardens, The Rutland Hotel offers stylish modern rooms, free Wi-Fi and free secure parking, just a short distance from the c… MoreGBP 45 - 75 Westbourne House
 The Westbourne is a Victorian Town House situated in the leafy conservation area of Broomhill, Sheffield, close to the Universities, Halls of residenc… MoreGBP 25 - 49 The Harley
 Next to Sheffield University and the city’s hospitals, just 5 minutes from the city centre, this small hotel has a lively bar with free Wi-Fi and co… MoreGBP 50 - 90 The Beauchief Hotel
 Set in landscaped gardens, The Beauchief Hotel offers free parking and free Wi-Fi. The hotel is just 3 miles from Sheffield centre and a 10-minute dri… MoreGBP 55 - 185 Sheffield Park Hotel
 The 4-star Sheffield Park Hotel is a 10-minute drive from Sheffield and the Peak District. It offers an award-winning restaurant, a health club with a… MoreGBP 62 - 225 Leopold Hotel
 The Leopold is a boutique hotel amid the shops, restaurants and bars of Sheffield city centre. It is historic yet chic, and has a restaurant and luxur… MoreGBP 72 - 192 Kspace West One Apartments
 Just 10 minutes’ walk from Sheffield centre, Kspace West One Apartments offer stylish accommodation with views over Devonshire Green. Apartments hav… MoreGBP 30 - 75 Diplomats Lodge
 The Diplomat´s Lodge is a family-run bed and breakfast in Sheffield, offering modern bedrooms with free Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs, as well as fr… MoreGBP 48 - 175 Hilton Sheffield
 With a quayside location, Hilton Sheffield has a pool and a gym, just 2 minutes’ walk from the city centre. Sheffield Arena is close by.
Living Wel… MoreGBP 46 - 135 Copthorne Hotel Sheffield
 On Bramall Lane, next to Sheffield United Football Club stadium, this 4-star Copthorne Hotel has a lounge bar and an award-winning restaurant. Free Wi… MoreGBP 45 - 45 Conferencewithus
 Offering modern rooms and a huge variety of conference facilities, Conferencewithus is less than 10 minutes’ drive from the centre of Sheffield. Gue… MoreGBP 59 - 150 City Lodgings Limited
 These luxury boutique-style apartments come with plenty of facilities and discounted, secure 24-hour parking.
Each apartment has an iPod dock, Wi-Fi … MoreGBP 51 - 175 Holiday Inn Sheffield
 A Grade II Listed building, this 4-star hotel is in Sheffield city centre, with a private drive. There is a range of dining options and a relaxing hea… MoreGBP 55 - 99 House Boat Hotels
 Houseboat Hotels offer a unique guest experience within fully equipped, static houseboats situated in Sheffield’s Victoria Quays. All fully heated b… MoreGBP 80 - 205 Kspace Sharrow Point Apartments
 On the outskirts of Sheffield, just 1.5 miles from Sheffield Cathedral, Kspace Sharrow Point Apartments offer luxury accommodation with free Wi-Fi. Th… MoreGBP 72 - 139 Kspace Sinclair Apartments
 Kspace Luxury Serviced Apartments offers a range of serviced apartments based on West Street in central Sheffield. Guests can benefit from free Wi-Fi.… MoreGBP 51 - 171 Kenwood Hall Hotel
 In 12 acres of stunning grounds 1 mile (1.6 km) from Sheffield city centre, this 4-star hotel is within easy reach of attractions, including the Arena… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sheffield: Guide
Sheffield is a major city in the north of England in Yorkshire. The population is 520,100 making Sheffield one of the United Kingdom's and Europe's biggest cities. Around 1.75 million people live in the wider metropolitan area (South Yorkshire).
Sheffield is a major industrial, cosmopolitan and cultural city renowned for its green open spaces, galleries, sport facilities and cutlery.
Sheffield lies in the most southerly part of Yorkshire, with Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire to the west, south, and east. The nearest well-known cities (all 1 hour away or less, by train) are Manchester (west), Leeds (north), York (north east), Hull (east), and Derby and Nottingham(south). The M1 motorway runs past Sheffield's Meadowhall Shopping Centre to the east of the city centre, the beautiful Peak District extends to within the western city boundary, and the green South Pennines area ("Last of the Summer Wine country") lies just to the north.
Districts
Heart of the City
Sheffield on and in between seven hills, and it is thanks to this landscape that Sheffield exists today. Even before the Industrial Revolution, the villages around Sheffield were established as centres of industry and commerce thanks to fast flowing rivers and streams that brought water down from the Peak District. The valleys through which these flowed were ideally suited for man-made damns that could be used to to power water mills. A walk along the Rivelin Valley from Malin Bridge tram stop or out from Hunter's Bar Park towards the Peak District will reveal some of these old dams.
Sheffield's extremely compact city centre lies where these rivers and valleys meet. The city has expanded out along the valleys and over the hills between, creating leafy neighbourhoods and suburbs within easy reach of the city centre. Each valley that stretches out from the city centre has its own character, from the densely industrial Don Valley to the north-east, to the green and cosmopolitan residential streets around the Ecclesall Road in the south-west.
Sheffield's industry really took off when the railways arrived, allowing for the mass import of raw materials and export of finished products. The crucible technique of making exceptionally high quality steel was invented here, and for decades it was to give Sheffield the economic advantage over other steel producing cities. Sheffield is still the home to a number of cutlery and blade manufacturers (including Swann Morton), and Sheffield steel can be found in surgical equipment and kitchen drawers the world over.
However, the economic recession of the nineteen-eighties hit Sheffield hard, and large numbers of workers were left unemployed by the changing shape of heavy industry in Britain. The combination of the resiliant spirit of Sheffield people in these bleak times made the city famous in the black comedy 'The Full Monty', which was set and filmed in and around Sheffield. Sheffield is the largest city in the county of South Yorkshire, and Sheffield residents are proud of their perceived character: South Yorkshire residents pride themselves on a warmth and hospitality that isn't found in other northern cities. Visitors to Sheffield may find this most noticable in the affectionate terms that slip into everyday conversation. Even when making a simple purchase in a store or market, you can expect to be called 'duck' or 'love' at least once.
Sheffield is adapting as it becomes a more confident post-industrial city. Grand visions have routinely been proposed or initiated by the city or county councils, and European funding has been used on a number of public infrastructure projects that have shaped the city. This is nothing new, however, since many would argue that post-war town planners did more damage to the face of Sheffield than the Luftwaffe did during the heavy nights of World War II aerial bombing. Bold housing projects such as the world famous (and now listed) Park Hill made Sheffield famous for the feverish vision with which architects and planners sought to reshape the city in the second half of the twentieth century. In reality, this left much of Sheffield with a poorly maintained legacy of failed utopian concrete fantasies, but this braveness and edginess is cited by many as being a fundamental part of Sheffield's character. Now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, a number of commercial developers are making big marks on the cityscape, with large apartment complexes that aim to repeat the inner-city-living renaissance seen in Manchester and Leeds. Whether the formula works in Sheffield remains to be seen: with so many affordable and attractive suburbs within easy reach, it may be difficult to turn Sheffield's compact city centre into a mixed area of commerce and residential properties.
Even if the built environment of Sheffield leaves something to be desired, a deliberate strategy of investing in and promoting academic achievement has begun to influence the demographic make-up of the city. Sheffield is not only is the city home to two universities (the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University) with excellent ratings in both teaching and research, it is also proving to be an increasingly attractive place for graduates to settle in. Sheffiled is increasingly prosperous and economically active.
Culturally, Sheffield's location and edgy environment has nurtured a superb reputation for music. Sheffield is home to Joe Cocker, Human League, Def Leppard, ABC, Baby Bird, Pulp, Arctic Monkeys, Milburn, Bromheads Jacket, The Long Blondes, and Little Man Tate to name just a few. The larger-than-average student population (over 60,000) means that nightlife is always lively, and suitably different to that of Leeds and Manchester. Sheffield's proximity to the Peak District National Park (one third of Sheffield lies within the Peak District) makes it an ideal base for an outdoor-orientated holiday.
The nearest airport to Sheffield with scheduled services is Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield, one of the youngest airports in the UK (airport code: DSA), approximately 35 minutes' drive away from the centre of Sheffield. To reach Sheffield by public transport from the airport, take the Airport Arrow bus (every hour from 06.05 - 23.05 Monday to Saturday, 09.05 - 18.05 on Sundays) to Doncaster railway station and travel by train to Sheffield. Airlines that serve the airport include:
FlyBe : Belfast City
Nottingham East Midlands Airport (airport code: EMA) is approximately on hour south of Sheffield on the M1 motorway. There are six daily bus services between Sheffield and the airport, operated by National Express .
Manchester Airport (airport code: MAN) is further away than either Robin Hood or Nottingham EMA, but it is served by an direct train every hour from Sheffield, and it offers the widest choice of long haul destinations in the north of England, including several daily flights to North America. Destinations are too numerous to list here, see the link for full details.
Leeds Bradford Airport can be reached in under an hour by car and a little more by train and bus from Sheffield via Leeds.
Sheffield City Airport no longer offers scheduled services, but private planes may arrange to land there.
Sheffield station (formerly known as Sheffield Midland) is to the south-east side of the city centre, inconveniently located at the bottom of a relatively steel hill that leads to the city centre. A major redevelopment of the public spaces between the station at the city centre will be completed in early 2007, creating a new public square immediately outside the station and improving the pedestrian route to the city centre. You can reach the city centre on foot in less than ten minutes, or in about five minutes by tram. Trams stop above the station platforms, directly outside the end of the pedestrian bridge that link the platforms. Most city buses stop at the Sheffield Interchange, two minutes walk from the station.
Timetables, fare information and live departure boards for all train services can be found on the website of National Rail .
There are hourly high-speed services to and from London St. Pancras (Via Derby/Nottingham, and Leicester) operated by Midland Mainline . Sheffield also lies near the heart of Britain's cross country rail network, with hourly services from the south, south-west and midlands (Devon, Dorset, Berkshire and the West Midlands) to the north-east and Scotland (Tyne and Wear, Edinburgh, Aberdeen). All long-distance north-south services that do not call in London are operated by Virgin Trains . Sheffield is also at the centre of a large and well-served west (Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Manchester Airport) to East (Lincolnshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, Norfolk) network. Other services through the city are provided by Central Trains , Northern Rail and Transpennine Express .
Summary of services:
London St. Pancras, once per hour, operated by Midland Mainline.
Sheffield sits beside the M1 motorway, and is most easily reached from junction 33, which connects to the city centre via the Sheffield Parkway. A convenient park and ride tram stop is located close to the city end of the Parkway, and if you're only visiting for the day, you are strongly recommended to use it.
Fifteen miles further north on the M1, you can connect with the M62, the main route from places (North Wales, Liverpool and Manchester) and east (Hull ferries to mainland Europe).
For the more scenic route from Manchester, the Snake or Woodhead Passes (A57 and A628) make for a breath-taking trip through the Peak District|Peak District National Park. It is also possible to use the Peak District as the scenic route to Bakewell and Sheffield from Birmingham (via Lichfield and Ashbourne) or Stoke on Trent (via Leek and Longnor). Beware that the route becomes very busy over holiday periods, and can be treacherous during cold or snowy weather.
The discount long distance bus operator Megabus does not serve the city of Sheffield, but offers several services each day to central London from the Meadowhall Interchange. Meadowhall is twenty minutes away from the city centre by tram, or five minutes by equally frequent train. Megabus departures may not be listed on departure screens at the Meadowhall Interchange: services generally depart from the same bay as National Express services.
The city has a modern tram network with three lines that serve north-western (Hillsborough and Middlewood), south-eastern (Mosborough and Hackenthorope) and north-eastern (Lower Don Valley and Meadowhall) suburbs of the city.
The blue line runs from Malin Bridge via the city centre to the Railway Station and Halfway
Tickets are purchased from the conductor after you board; retain these for inspection. Notices at your tram stop will indicate the route and fare needed for your destination.
A single ticket within the town centre boundary (between Granville Road, The University of Sheffield and Hyde Park) costs £1.00. After that, fares increase to £1.50 or £1.80, depending on how far you travel. Under 5's travel free and 5–11 year olds travel for 40p, irrespective of distance travelled. Concessions are only available to applicable residents of Sheffield. Senior citizens travel for free on any mode of public transport. For those without concessions, it often works out cheaper to buy a Dayrider ticket, which costs £2.70 and allows unlimited travel on all trams and Stagecoach buses in Sheffield.
Buses are almost exclusively operated by the large public transit operators First Group and Stagecoach. They generally run every 10-20 minutes during the day, and every 20–60 minutes in the evening. A network of twelve 'Overground' bus routes is offered by First, with a high frequency of service (less than every ten minutes through the day). Buses are generally reliable if expensive. It is advisable to arrive a few minutes before your bus is scheduled to depart.
Each bus company offers its own range of tickets. Without a concession, you will pay more the further that you travel. If you plan to use the bus or tram more than once in a day, Stagecoach offer a bus and tram Dayrider ticket for £2.70 and First buses offer an FirstDay ticket for £3.50. If you wish to use all the public transport in the city, regardless of operator, then you must purchase a DayRider costing £4.50.
There are a variety of week and month passes avaliable for either a single bus or bus/tram company, or for all transport including rail. Stagecoach currently offer a flat fare of 50p for students in possession of a valid student card (including the ISIC). Additionally, Stagecoach are offering a limited-time 70p fare for all single journeys for everyone else on certain routes.
For any further travel information call or log on to the South Yorkshire TravelLine on 01709 51 51 51 from 7am to 10pm seven days a week.
Tudor Square. This very central pedestrianized square is home to Sheffield's main cultural attractions and the UK's second largest theatre complex. Noteworthy are the Lyceum Theatre built in Victorian times ; Crucible Theatre home to the World Snooker Championships ; Central Libary and Graves Art gallery a grand 1930's library with an impressive volume of books, topped by the Graves Art Gallery home, to Islamic, British and Chinese art ; the Library Theatre with many shows by excellent local drama groups ; and another entrance to the Winter Gardens.
Devonshire Quarter. Sheffield's increasingly trendy shopping quarter, the centre of this City Centre district is the stretch of Division Street from the City Hall as far as Devonshire Green, now overlooked by the vast West:One development, home to designer boutiques and upscale resturants and bars overlooking Devonshire Green. Division Street has a good mix of shops (many independent), bars and cafés, and its success is largely thanks to the failure of West Street, which runs parallel just one block north. West Street used to be a major shopping street, until the lengthy construction of the city's tram lines sent many of its shops into closing. West Street still remains one of the most popular streets in Sheffield for nightlife, especially at weekends, with many bars and restaurants.
Peace Gardens, Winter Garden, and Millennium Galleries. Located next to the town hall in the centre of the city are the Peace Gardens; the rising and falling fountains and grassed areas make this small piece of open space a popular place in summer. The Winter Garden is next door: a glass and timber conservatory in the city centre; exotic plants, palm trees, and a coffee bar make it another nice place to sit particularly if the weather is not so nice. A visitor information stall is also in the gardens, as well as on Norfolk Row nearby. Connected to the Winter Gardens are the Millennium Galleries, Sheffield's largest art gallery; this plays host to a number of permanent exhibitions including one detailing the history of Sheffield's steel making as well as travelling exhibitions; it also provides a convenient through route and escalator ride to take some of the sting out of the walk up from the station.
Showroom cinema. One of the largest independent cinemas in the UK located in the Cultural Industries Quarter. Also holds a café-bar.
Sheffield General Cemetery. Historically important Victorian cemetery sited between Cemetery Road and Ecclesall Road. Last "home" of 87,000 people, including Sheffield's influential citizens such as steel manufacturer Mark Firth and Chartist Samuel Holberry. Many of the graves are unmarked pauper graves, some with 40 or more burials. This is a beautiful and fascinating spot, where visitors can enjoy some wildness near the centre of town. For more information see the website http://www.gencem.org.
Kelham Island Museum. The industrial and social history of Sheffield. Main attraction is the massive 3-cylinder rolling mill engine (in steam every hour) from the River Don Steeworks. Next to the famous Fat Cat real ale pub (and conveniently located for many of the upper Don valley "real ale trail" pubs) - see http://www.simt.co.uk/kelham/
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet The early industrial history of Sheffield. Water-powered grinding wheels, trip hammers, etc. A few miles out in the suburbs on the Bakewell road. Check website for "operating" days and special "fayres" - see http://www.simt.co.uk/abbeydale
Canal Basin. An attractive basin straddled by a warehouse. Colourful narrowboats to look at. Boat trips in Summer. Hotel adjacent for refreshments.
London Road. Sheffield's unofficial Chinatown, this buzzing road just outside the City Centre is home to Sheffield's vibrant Chinese community and there are many Oriental resturants, supermarkets and stores as well as the Sheffield Chinese community centre. There is also a growing Turkish Community based here with many supermarkets and resturants of Turkish origin found here.
Weston Park and Museum. This grand park located next to the University of Sheffield's main campus is home to the Weston Park (Sheffield) musuem reopened in November 2006 after an extensive refurbishment. The park itself is also undergoing a £2million revamp.
Sheffield Ski Village. Sheffield is well known as a key World sporting destination and is home to Europe's largest outdoor artifical ski slope. The Sheffield ski village offers the chance to enjoy snow activities on the hills overlooking Sheffield. Due to under going extensive redevelopment.
Burngreave. Home to many of Sheffield's large immigrant communities this former industrial suburb is home to large African, South Asian and Carribean communities with many religious, cultural and shops for these communities based here.
Dore. One of Sheffield's most prosperous suburbs home to several mansion's and local celebrities.
Also, is the largest college in the country.
Sheffield city centre is quite compact, so the city's suburbs (even ones quite close to the centre) have largely managed to thrive and maintain their character and commercial individuality.
The centre, though small, packs in a lot of national and individual shops. The main axis of central shopping streets runs in a gently curving line from north-east to south-west. From north to south you will find:
the inexpensive Castle Market area, where a large indoor market is open every day except Sunday
Heading west from the Cathedral is West Street, where many pubs and bars can be found. One block south and parallel to West Street is Division Street, the spine of the so-called Devonshire Quarter. Here you'll find a decent selection of small independent shops and cafes. Despite the draw of nearby Meadowhall, the city centre has retained some significant department stores and chain shops including Debenhams, TK Maxx, TJ Hughes, Marks and Spencer, and Sheffield's very own and interestingly quirky Atkinsons.
For after-shopping relaxation, note that apart from Thursday nights (when most shops stay open late) most of the city centre shops close at around 5:30pm, and the city centre focus then shifts to the clubs and bars along Division Street and West Street.
Ecclesall Road is an area of individual fashion shops, bars, cafes and restaurants running from the inner ring road out to the slightly more student-orientated and bohemian Hunters Bar roundabout.
Broomhill is a fairly self-contained area: a curious and pleasant mix of "studenty" and "leafy suburb". Only a mile from the city centre (past the university) it has an interesting mix of shops from inexpensive to trendy. Music lovers should make time for the impressive second hand music collection at Record Collector on the Fulwood Road.
Once the largest shopping mall in the country, Meadowhall has been blamed for a steep decline in the fortunes of city centre shops. Shops generally stay open till 8pm; fast-food restaurants and stay open until 10pm. During the Christmas holidays, all the shops stay open till 10pm, but the centre becomes very packed and is not recommended to the less sturdy shopper, or those in large groups, or families with multiple extra-large baby-buggies. - see
From Sheffield centre, Meadowhall can be reached easily via the by taking the Yellow/Purple Route service to 'Meadowhall' or via local Bus or Train (less than 10 minutes from Sheffield station). From further away, use train or long-distance coach (many of both stop at the Meadowhall Interchange), or drive to Junction 34 of the M1.
A smaller alternative to Meadowhall on the Southern edge of Sheffield, shopping centre has many shops and is adjacent to a good selection of 'out of town' superstores such as Comet and JD Sports. Crystal Peaks can be reached via the Blue Route tram to 'Halfway', or by local buses, or by car (junction 30 of the M1).
There are many good, cheap places to eat in and around the city.
Aslans, West Street. Infamous kebab shop that serves piles of salty meat. See if you can find yourself (or get yourself) on the walls packed with photographs of customers.
Baan Thai on Ecclesall Road is an excellent Thai restaurant.
La Gondola, Carver Street. Highly recommended for Italian cuisine.
Fat Cat on Kelham Island for excellent Sunday meals and wide choice of real ale.
Sheffield is well known for its large number of pubs (Public Houses); from dark and Victorian to sleek and modern; and from traditional real-ale haven to noisy standing-room-only bar, you can easily find a pub in Sheffield to suit your taste in beer, music and company. However, most city-centre pubs are more oriented towards fast drinking students and clubbers; on West Street in particular (linking the university with the city centre) you will find many pubs and bars which during the week become busy with students and younger customers. Finding quieter pubs in which to sample something other than the usual chain-pub lager requires delving a little deeper beneath the surface.
For the severely unimaginative, you'll find the usual Wetherspoons and All Bar One chain pubs, throughout the city centre serving cheap lager and ales and reasonably priced food in a smoke (and atmosphere) free environment.
Hybrid bar-pubs manage to maintain something of a pub atmosphere, and sell real ale at reasonable prices, while still pulling in the crowds. They are used as much by people who want a good range of beer at good prices, as by "yoofs" after a good night out. They are probably doing a good job of persuading at least some lager drinkers to switch to traditional ales.
The Frog & Parrot on Division Street offers the strongest legal ale in the UK, a dark syrupy mixture that is worth trying at least once.
Sheffield's real gems are the handful of surviving traditional pubs and free houses, which generally have more room to sit down, quieter (or no) music, and real hand pumped ales.
The Brown Bear on Norfolk Street (close to the Sheffield Theatres and Winter Garden) offers what must be the cheapest beer in the city and an incredible mix of both theatre goers and local people.
There are more warm and welcoming traditional pubs in Sheffield's suburbs. North-west of the city centre, in Crookes and Walkley (popular with students as places to live) are:
The Hallamshire House on Commonside is reputedly the only pub in Sheffield still housing a full-sized snooker table.
Real ale fans from great distances come to "do" the real ale trail of Sheffield's Upper Don Valley, a route stretching from near the city centre almost to Hillsborough. The trail calls at:
The Kelham Island Tavern
The trail roughly parallels the tram route from the city centre to Hillsborough, so getting there and back is easy. All these pubs have a huge range of British draught real ales (some brewed by the pub) and most have a selection of bottle-conditioned beers from continental Europe (especially Belgium). Meanwhile, on the other side of the town centre, The Sheaf View on Gleadless Road is a real ale hotspot.
Visiting Sheffield you might be led to believe that students go out every day of the week. These are some of the more popular pubs.
Bar One Glossop Road, near the University tram stop. The main bar of the University of Sheffield Student Union, which is understandably always full of students, and which is also one of the most profitable union bars anywhere in the country. In the evenings you will need a Sheffield student card (or a friend who has one to sign you in) to gain admission. Cheapest drinks on a Monday. Large, cheap, pool room.
Unlike Sheffield's dense strip of student bars along West Street, the city's night clubs are more spread out around the city centre, especially in the former industrial buildings which been so popular with music venues.
GateCrasher one Eyre Street. A gimmicky descendent of the once world famous 'Gatecrasher', the club holds the popular HedKandi on the first Saturday of every month and is open almost every other day of the week (Monday and Tuesday being the most popular). Elaborate decor inside (chandeliers, red carpet etc) and this extends to the ladies toilets. Prices for admission are towards the expensive end of the Sheffield scale, but are cheaper if purchased in advance from selected pubs ('Scream' pubs etc.).
As with the rest of the UK, in any emergency call 999 or 112 (from a land-line if you can) and ask for Ambulance, Fire or Police when connected.
The city has one of the lowest crime rates in the country. There are adequate police patrols at all times of the day, and the town also boasts (if this is a matter for boasting) an extensive network of CCTV cameras. Although some areas not too far from the centre are undesirable, any central areas or main shopping suburbs will feel perfectly comfortable during the day. "After hours", some peripheral parts of the city centre can seem a little "quiet and lonely", but any well-lit streets with plenty of people about (this means in effect the area centred on the Town Hall, between West Street to the north and Arundel Gate to the south) will be as safe as any city centre in the UK, with the usual precautions.
Leeds the other big Yorkshire city, only an hour away by train/coach/car, handy for the Yorkshire Dales.
Briefly, the Peak District ("The Peaks") is a beautiful "National Park" of moors with open access for hikers; stone-walled green hills and sheep-filled fields crossed by paths for ramblers; hillside tracks and country lanes for cyclists; and a network of tiny hamlets, small villages, country churches, and market towns. All the settlements have their own charm and history, and nearly all have at least one pub for lunch and beer, or a tea shop for afternoon tea and cakes.
Suggestions for easy trips into the Peaks from Sheffield
Matlock (shops), Matlock Bath (riverside walks, a "seaside prom", and a cable car), and Cromford (Arkwright's Mill, the first factory !) are closer to Chesterfield, but are easily reached by car from Sheffield.
The South Pennines will look familiar to anyone who has seen "Last of the Summer Wine". Holmfirth is 40 minutes drive away (direct bus on Sundays) for anyone who wants to see Compo's cafe (actually, an excellent "sit down chippy") or Nora Batty's step, or just the stone buildings of Holmfirth set in a beautiful green valley surrounded by rolling hills.
The Dukeries of north Nottinghamshire is an area of country parks and stately homes.
Sheffield is home to a number of top sporting teams, and Sheffield was recently given the honour of being named United Kingdom's National City of Sport. Sporting teams include:
Sheffield United are a football team that plays in the English Premier League. Their home games are played at Bramall Lane
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikitravel article "Sheffield". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 license.
Victoria Quays
Sheaf Square
Fargate
West End
Devonshire Quarter
Ecclesall
London Road
Dore
Don Valley
Meadowhall
Understand
Get in
By plane
FlyGlobespan Toronto
Ryanair : Dublin, Gerona, Pisa
Thomas Cook Gran Canaria, Naples, Palma, Ibiza, Tenerife, Tunisia, Turkey (Dalaman)
Thomsonfly : Alicante, Amsterdam, Bulgaria (Bourgas), Bulgaria (Plovdiv), Bulgaria (Varna), Corfu, Croatia (Pula), Cyprus (Larnaca), Cyprus (Paphos), Dominican Republic (Puerto Plata), Florida (Sanford), Gerona, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Jersey, Malaga. Malta, Menorca, Mexico (Cancun), Naples, Palma, Paris (Orly), Pisa, Prague, Reus, Rhodes, Salzburg, Tenerife, Tunisia, Turin, Turkey (Bodrum), Turkey (Dalaman), Verona, Zakynthos.
WizzAir Katowice/Cracow, Gdansk By train
Routes
Scotland, Tyne and Wear, and North Yorkshire once per hour, operated by Virgin Trains.
Birmingham New Street and the West Midlands once per hour, operated by Virgin Trains.
Southwest (Bristol Temple Meads/Devon) once per hour, operated by Virgin Trains.
Manchester Picadilly three times an hour, operated by Transpennine Express and Central Trains (both fastest) and Northern Rail (slowest).
West Yorkshire up to three times an hour, operated by Virgin Trains (fastest) and Northern Rail.
Nottinghamshire once per hour, operated by Central Trains.
Derbyshire up to four times an hour, operated by Northern Trains.By car
By bus
Sheffield Interchange is the city's hub for local and national bus services, and is located two minutes walk from Sheffield' railway station. National Express operate long distance services to all parts of the country, including a regular service to London Golders Green and Victoria.By boat
Excellent visitor moorings for canal boats at the Victoria Quays basin.Get around
Tram
The yellow line runs from Meadowhall via the city centre to Middlewood
The purple line merges the eastern end of the two other lines, running from Herdings Park to Meadowhall.Bus
See
There are plenty of things to see and do in Sheffield. Below are just a few suggestions of what Sheffield has to offer:City Centre
Sheffield City Hall. The impressive 1930's City Hall was recently refurbished and is home to many concerts, performances and travelling shows and is located in the elegant Barkers Pool in the city centre which is home to Sheffield's Centopath. Slightly further out
Sheffield Botanical Gardens. Located just off the cosmopolitan Ecclesall Road, the recently restored Victorian gardens are a tranquil green oasis from the hustle of the city centre with grand conservatories designed by the architect of the Crystal Palace.
Do
Sheffield is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city and boasts a large range of shopping. There are a large number of cinemas, pubs and night clubs.
Rother Valley Country Park — The south west of the city (near Crystal peaks) boasts a water-filled opencast coal mine! Thrilled yet? Actually it is a very pleasant country park, well worth a trip on a sunny day. As well as just walking round the lakes and visiting the cafe, you can hire a sailboats, bike, or canoe; go cable-towed water skiing; or watch the jet skis (none for hire, now).
Sheffield Ski Centre — An open hillside with several steep ski runs and a toboggan run.
ICE — A big indoor skating arena near all the attractions of the lower Don valley
Ponds Forge is a huge swimming pool by the train station and the huge roundabout by the motorway junction with olympic sized pool and fun pool with waves, flumes and lazy riverLearn
There are two major universities in Sheffield:
- An older "red brick" university spanning part of the city centre and most of the suburb of Broomhill.
- A modern ex-polytechnic and focuses on Engineering, Management and Computing courses. It is also one of the largest universities in the country, with nearly 30,000 students.Work
Though Sheffield's past was largely based in the manufacturing sector, the emphasis has moved to services. A number of government offices and large businesses (Insight, Dixons Group and Freemans) operate their headquarters or regional centres in Sheffield. There are a large number of call centres in and around the city (eg Ant Marketing).Buy
City Centre
the High Street, where buses and trams run up hill towards the Cathedral
the pedestrianized Fargate, where many chain stores can be found
the Peace Gardens, which is bordered with bars, cafes and a few other shops
and finally the Moor, which is Sheffield's broad pedestrianised discount shopping area.Suburbs
Meadowhall
Crystal Peaks
Eat
Budget
Aunt Sally's West Street.
Balti King, Fulwood Road, Broomhill. Long standing Indian restaurant and take-away. Popular with students, huge well menu of good dishes.
Broomhill Friary, Whitham Road. Fantastic chip shop, located in the Broomhill suburb of the city.
The Interval between Western Bank and Glossop Road. The Interval is the cafe-bar of the University of Sheffield Union of Students. Much more pleasant atmosphere than the main student bar (Bar One) downstairs, the Interval is open to the public all day (students only after 6pm) and serves a good value menu of snacks and meals. Also popular for the meat and vegetarian hangover breakfasts and Sunday lunches at the weekend.
Spoilt For Choice Ecclesall Road. Good sandwich shop.
UK Mama, Fulwood Road, Broomhill. Superb African restaurant. Complicated menu and specials (especially for students on different nights of the week) but excellent food and African drums to try out.Mid-range
BB's, Division Street. A long standing favourite of families and students in Sheffield's city centre. A small family run business that does decent Italian food and is reasonably priced. Bring your own beer and wine.
Cafe Rouge, Norfolk Street (on the Peace Gardens) and Ecclesall Road. Reliable and classy chain of French bistro-restaurants.
East One, in the West One plaza. Japanese canteen-style restaurant with huge stir fries and soups. Shame about the badly design and echo-ey space it occupies.
The Ha-Ha Bar on the Peace Gardens in the town centre. Fresh, albeit expensive pub food.
Kashmir Curry House Spital Hill, beyond the Railway Arches. Good curry house, bring your own beer/wine.
The Mangla Spital Hill. Basic decor similar to the Kashmir Curry House, bring your own beer/wine.
Polonium Abbeydale Road. Polish restaurant that was thrown rather humourously into the media spotlight following the (unrelated) Polonium poisoning of a former Russian spy. Most definitely not named after a radioactive material. Good food.Splurge
Wasabisabi, London Road. Very popular Japanese restaurant; highly recommended.Sunday Lunch
Poacher's Arms in the Hope Valley which has an excellent Sunday Carvery.Drink
Pubs
The Devonshire Cat on Wellington Street, just south of Devonshire Green, offers the city's largest range of beers and ciders, including dozens of imported European beers. Also has 2 guest ciders on tap at all times. The city centre sister pub to the remoter Fat Cat on Kelham Island.
The Red Deer on Pitt Street (just off Mappin Street), is another civilised dive with good range of beers, warming fireplaces, a small garden and friendly cats.
Fagans on Broad Lane is a cosy chintz-free Irish pub with regular live music.
The Dog and Partridge on Trippet Lane may offer impromptu Irish or Folk music in the back room.
The Bath Hotel on Victoria Street (just off West Street) is tiny, free of piped music and friendly.
The Sportsman on Denby Street is popular with local customers and will probably have some rock music on the jukebox.
The Walkley Cottage on Bole Hill Road is friendly with good range of beer and good food.
Noah's Ark on Crookes has a good atmosphere and mix of students and locals.
The Freedom House has two halves: a lively "pool table-and-lager" side, and a quieter "grandmothers's living room" side.
The Fat Cat, hidden away on Alma Street, also a great stop for Sunday lunch.
Cask and Cutler on Henry Street.
The Gardeners Rest on Neepsend Lane.
Hillsborough HotelStudent Bars
Interval Glossop Road, near the University tram stop. The second bar of the University of Sheffield Student Union, offering a more cosmopolitan atmosphere with local real ales, wine and food.
The Hubs Inside Sheffield Hallam Union (the former National Centre for Popular Music) so easy to find. It looks like a big, silver, flying spaceship, close to the train station. Not as big or impressive on the inside as it is on the outside, a relatively small union bar.
Cavendish West Street. A scream/yellowcard bar (you get discounted drinks if you buy or have a friend with a yellowcard, which costs £1 to NUS card holders). Serves decent food; a cheap student pub/bar with pool tables.
The York Broomhill. Another scream/yellowcard place with a slightly more pubby atmosphere
Fox and Duck Broomhill. An off campus pub owned by the University of Sheffield Student Union but frequented by a more mixed crowd.
The Harley On Glossop Road by the University tram stop. Open Late, a bar with drum & Bass music and mostly reasonably priced drinks.
Bar Max West Street, near West Street tram stop. Another late bar with a small dance floor, though fairly expensive for Sheffield prices.
Reflex West Street (near City Hall tram stop). More a free and cheesy club with 70s and 80s music than a bar.
The Central Station. Division Street. An old fire station, and in fact it still feels like one. Big dance floor; popular and often busy.
Vodka Revolution Where Division Street meets West Street. A Vodka cocktail bar. Very expensive and image conscious for Sheffield. Pool tables for hire by the hour.
Bia Hoi Mappin Street (just off West Street). Owned by the University of Sheffield. Nice atmosphere, huge statue of a Buddha inside, nicely decorated, but expensive.
Walkabout West Street, near City Hall tram stop. Very popular, fairly cheap, but can get a bit claustraphobic. Better as calling point on a pub crawl than a place for staying in.
The Bedroom West Street, near City Hall tram stop. Cheap with good cocktails. Monday is a "rock/emo/hardcore" night, the rest of the week varies and there is an RnB night on a Friday. Takes its name from the four poster bed on the dancefloor.
Nottingham House Fulwood Road, Broomhill. Nice atmosphere, good music, good food. Tuesday night is a very good hip hop/DnB/Garage night.Clubs
The Leadmill Leadmill Road, close to Sheffield station and Sheffield Hallam University. A Sheffield institution made famous by its live music line-up. Live gigs most nights of the week which are immediately followed by club nights. Concert-goers get free entry to the club night after their show. Indie night on a Saturday, with relatively cheap drinks for a night club.
Plug (formerly .Zero). Smart club, open late (6am on Fridays and Saturdays) andp opular on a Thursday night (when huge queues are to be expected). Nights span anything from raves to live music.
The Limit (formerly Niche) Opposite Plug. The Niche was briefly closed following a shooting incident (exceptionally rare in Sheffield's nightlife) and has now reopened with rigourous security. Security staff frisk everyone who walks through the door. One to avoid.
Corporation Milton Street. A dirty rock club with dirty cheap vodka, just the way we like it. There's 'Skool Disco' every Wednesday night (free admission in school uniform) and metal/goth on Saturdays. Fridays is skate and metal downstairs, and indie upstairs. Mondays are popular with the student crowd, playing music everyone seems to know.
Kingdom Barkers Pool, in the centre of town. If cheesy pop and bad vodka are your tastes, this one is for you. Avoid experiencing it sober.
Fuel A gay club, open Thursday to Sunday, Eyre Street near the Moor. Thursday is "student disco" with cheap drink, Friday is pop and cheese in one room and indie/alternative in another, Saturday is electro/house/entertainers/dancers, and Sunday is a chill out night.
Fusion/Foundry and Octagon (the clubs of the University of Sheffield Union of Students) Western Bank. A fiercely active union night club that packs in students from from Tuesday to Saturday. The Tuesday Club is a surprisingly pricey hip-hop and drum & bass night that pulls in many big names. Juice on Wednesday night is big on cheap alcopops and inebriated sports teams. The Fuzz Club on a Thursday is a reliable and well known indie night. Famous for featuring big names before they were famous (e.g. the Killers). Friday is Frouk in the Octagon, a "chart" night, while visiting club nights and Climax, South Yorkshire's biggest gay club rotate monthly in the Fusion/Foundry. Saturdays is Pop Tarts, hosting 2 rooms (one is 70s and "rock and roll", the other 80s and 90s).Sleep
In recent years, the city centre has seen a number of hotel chains arrive. Within the centre, major chain hotels include:
Novotel and MacDonald Hotel (near the Winter Garden and Peace Garden)
Holiday Inn (a quieter location not far from the Canal Basin)
Hilton (next to the Holiday Inn)
Premier Travel Inn, Ibis, Bristol (near the Markets area and Canal Basin)Contact
Phone
The area code for all Sheffield numbers is 0114 when dialled from within the UK or +44114 from outside.Mail
The post codes for Sheffield (and a wide surrounding area) begin with "S" and take the form S9 9XX or S99 9XX where 9 is a number and X a letter.Stay safe
Cope
Get out
Peak District
Sheffield is the perfect city base to explore the Peak District, not only because it is the closest city to the northern half of "the Peaks" (some of the national park lies within the city boundary) but because bus and train links from Sheffield into the Peaks are excellent for such rural services. Popular services run back to Sheffield quite late (some until 11pm), making it feasible for Sheffielders and visitors to put a day's hard work or shopping behind them for a long summer's evening "walking in the Peaks". The popularity of the Peaks as a destination for Sheffielders at leisure is underlined by the fact that many routes provide a better service at weekends (particularly on Sunday) than durng the week - making a full day in the fresh air very easy to arrange.
The Fox House pub is well-served with daytime and evening buses from Sheffield (many routes meet here), and it is only a very short drive out of town. It is situated just where the view of the Peak District opens up as you come over the hill from Sheffield, so you can walk along the high bits without having to climb up there! It is a great place to have a drink before going walking/running/climbing in some great terrain, and to return to for a meal and a drink while waiting for your bus back.
Hathersage and Grindleford are very close to Sheffield on the "Hope Valley" train line. One evening, get a return ticket to Hathersage for about £3.50, and walk from Grindleford Station to Hathersage Church (Little John's Grave!) along the riverside path (1 to 2 hours, plus time in the country pubs at both ends). If you get an early enough train you can eat at the Grindleford Station Cafe (famous for huge mugs of tea, filling food, and bossy notices everywhere).
Edale is a pretty village at the head of a beautiful valley, overlooked by the famous Kinder Scout and Mam Tor. There is one pub in the centre of the village at the start of the Pennine Way, and another by the railway station where you can drink moderately until the closing time train (11pm) back to Sheffield (Hope Valley line, 40 minutes from Sheffield).
Castleton is on the other side of Mam Tor, so is a short, but steep walk from Edale with beautiful views along the way. It is home to the only Blue John mine in the world as well as four major caves/caverns which tourists can visit. Each has a very different feel, from the natural splendour of Peak Cavern to the disconcerting underground river trip (and well-rehearsed guides' patter) of Speedwell. Castleton has an excellent bus service, and though not directly on the Hope Valley line, train tickets are accepted on the bus between Castleton and Hope Station (which is!).
Eyam ("Eem") village has with a fascinating history and a sad but brave story: it chose to quarantine itself when plague struck in the 17th century. Whole familes died, but the plague did not spread. The stone where food was deposited, in exchange for money left in vinegar-filled holes can still be seen. There is a museum detailing this and the rest of the village's history, and Eyam Hall is an interesting house to visit.
Bakewell is gentle and pretty (quite Jane Austen-ish). It is good for riverside strolls, country shopping, and spending all day in tea shops trying out the rival versions of "Real, Genuine, Proper, Original, etc etc Bakewell puddings. Chatsworth House and Haddon Hall are nearby for "how-the-rich-lived"-buffs and history-buffs respectively.
"Sheffield's Lake District" is a rather fanciful name (which has never really stuck) for the Bradfield valley just north of the city centre. True, the moors, green hills, villages, and country pubs really are very beautiful, and make for lovely walks, rides, and drives — but it has to be admitted that there is a distinct lack of mountains (unlike Cumbria) and that the "lakes" are really reservoirs. The area really (really! honest!) is a "secret" — it can be a surpise to first-time visitors even from the south of Sheffield, especially when thay realise that this area is not only officially part of Sheffield, but that it is also in the Peak District. It is very well served (right until pub closing time) by a circular bus route from Hillsborough interchange (tram from the city centre): ask for Upper Bradfield, Lower Bradfield, or Dungworth (yep, that's what it's called!).Other country areas near Sheffield
Sport in Sheffield
Sheffield Wednesday are a football team that plays in the English Championship. Their home games are played at Hillsborough Stadium
Sheffield Eagles are a Rugby League team that plays in National League One, having recently been promoted from National League 2. The Eagles play their home games at Don Valley Stadium
Sheffield Steelers are an Ice Hockey Team that plays it's matches in the Elite League. Their home games are played at the Sheffield Arena]]
Sheffield Sharks are a Basketball team that plays in the British Basketball League. Their home games are played at Pond's Forge International Sports Centre
Sheffield Tigers are a Speedway team, who take part in the English Premier League. Their races take place at Owlerton Stadium