Sheffield

Sheffield is among the ten largest cities in England. Its nickname, "The Steel City", is a result of the city's international fame for steel production during the 19th century. Like Rome, Sheffield is built on seven hills and enjoys easy access to the Peak District. Sheffield is twinned with Anshan in China, Bochum in Germany, Donetsk in the Ukraine, and Esteli in Nicaragua. The city also has close ties with cities in Japan, Zambia and the USA, as well as Poland due to the large Polish population that settled in Sheffield after the Second World War.

Attractions

Sheffield is home to the biggest theatre complex outside London. The most famous of the city's theatres are [http://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/index.cfm the Lyceum and the Crucible], where the World Snooker Championships take place each year. Nearby are Sheffield's two cinemas - the Odeon and the Showroom, which shows more independent films.Sheffield also has a range of art galleries, including the Millennium Galleries opened in 2000. This gallery is connected to the Winter Garden, a large indoor garden, perfect for strolling through or just relaxing with a book.

Sheffield also hosts many major swimming events at [http://www.ponds-forge.co.uk/ Ponds Forge], a large sports complex in the city centre. Ponds Forge features an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a leisure pool, two gymnasiums and various other sports rooms. The city also has several gymnasiums, including Virgin Fitness and a host of independent fitness studios. It is also home to England's first and biggest Thai Boxing Gym.

There is another cinema at [http://www.valley-leisure.co.uk/ Valley Centertainment] near the Meadowhall Shopping Centre. The Centertainment complex also features a large bowling alley, and ice skating rink as well as eating and retail establishments.

Sheffield is England's greenest city with large parks and historic architecture - there are over 1,000 listed buildings in Sheffield. Sheffield is also the perfect base for exploring the Peak District, just a short drive from the city centre.

Shopping

There are two main locations for shopping in Sheffield - the city centre and [http://www.meadowhall.co.uk/ Meadowhall Shopping Centre] in nearby Tinsley. Meadowhall opened in 1990 and shops and businesses fled the city centre to premises in the exciting new shopping centre. However, businesses are slowly making their way back to the city centre, where shopping is focused around Fargate, The Moor and Division Street. All manner of high street chains can be found on The Moor or Fargate, while Division Street is home to various boutiques and other independent stores. Most of the city centre has been pedestrianised but can be reached by bus or tram.There are various markets on Fargate throughout the month, including Farmers' markets and Continental Markets.Ecclesall Road is also a popular shopping centre with local and national chains such as Tesco, Waitrose and Varsity as well as unique, specialist shops, such as a Wurlitzer jukebox store!

Nightlife and Eating Out

Sheffield is full of pubs, bars and restaurants and caters to all tastes and budgets. The main eating areas are around London Road and Ecclesall Road (known to locals as Eccy Road) and in the city centre, where people flock into the bars on West Street and Division Street on any night of the week.

Chinese, Indian and Lebanese are just some examples of the cuisine to be found in Sheffield as well as numerous pubs all over the city serving very traditional English and Yorkshire specialities.

Sheffield is famous for its music scene, having produced bands such as Arctic Monkeys, and the city has a large number of clubs that are packed with students from the city's two universities during term time. A wide variety of music is available any night of the week - from live acoustic sets from local acts at The Green Room to rock and heavy metal at Corporation, chart hits and retro pop at Embrace and student-friendly indie at Plug or Leadmill. Sheffield was also home to the world-famous Gatecrasher One until it was destroyed in a fire in 2007. The Carling Academy Sheffield opened in April 2008.

Tourist Information

[http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/out--about/tourist-information Sheffield Tourist Information Centre]14 Norfolk RowSheffieldSouth YorkshireS1 2PATel: +44 (0)114 221 1900Fax: +44 (0)114 281 4042visitor@yorkshiresouth.com

Getting to Sheffield

Sheffield has its own airport, Robin Hood Airport, which is shared with Doncaster. The airport is 18 miles outside Sheffield and is serviced mainly by Thomsonfly as well as a number of budget airlines, including Ryanair, who fly to Alicante, Dublin and Girona. There are additional flights during the summer months. Sheffield can also be accessed easily from Manchester Airport and there is a direct train connection between the two. The journey with the Transpennine Express takes just under one and a half hours.Trains also depart regularly for London, Birmingham and other major cities around the country. There is a large car park and the train station can also be reached by SuperTram, which operates a number of park and ride schemes in the city.