Sheffield has a fascinating mix of heritage and culture, which shows in its edgy art galleries, museums, eclectic shopping, a legendary football club and a surprising amount of green space…
Whether you want to stay Downtown or in the Business District, Sheffield’s Mercure hotels combine contemporary comfort with high-end service in smart locations. From bases like these, it’s easy to explore the city – whatever the weather.
Here are a few must-sees on a rainy day in Sheffield.
Go green
"Set on the outskirts of the Yorkshire Peak District National Park, the city is a haven of greenery. With over 250 parks and gardens, it’s home to 2 million trees, giving it the highest urban ratio of trees to humans in Europe.
Make the most of the plants and trees under cover at the Sheffield Winter Garden’s impressive greenhouse, which has plants from all over the world. And the Botanical Gardens are also worth a visit for the beautifully restored Grade II listed Victorian glass pavilions dating back to 1836."
Local art, history and architecture
"In addition to the big-name museums, such as Weston Park and the Millennium Galleries, visitors to Sheffield can wander the Graves Art Gallery or venture down the hill to the Site Gallery’s exhibits on Brown Street.
Quirky art-lovers should also spend time at the most unusual Bank Street Arts Centre in town, where the Georgian façade hides a punk-inspired artists’ studio.
For the more classically minded, the 17th-century Renishaw Hall offers literary tours in its splendid environment, while Pride and Prejudice fans might also like to see its filming location, Chatsworth House, a couple of miles out of town."
Eat local
"With a hip bar scene and plenty of cafes and restaurants to choose from, becoming something of a culinary hotspot, a stay in Sheffield is quickly becoming a must.
In addition to the wide array of pubs, the West End is now known for its authentic Indian and Kashmiri cuisine.
Beer aficionados should head to the Hop Hideout in the Antiques Quarter, where 400 unique bottles await on the shelves, from de Molen to Mikkeller, AleSmith and Buxton.
For something a little more sophisticated, the Anchorage offers cocktails, lobsters and oyster dishes in the West One unit opposite Devonshire Green, with the American seafood heaven that is the East Coast Kitchen restaurant upstairs.
For those who want a taste of the north, The York on Arundel Street is an upscale local, complete with wood flooring and a fireplace. Ingredients are locally sourced, and their burgers are rightfully famous. An impressive selection of gins, European beers and whiskies rounds off the picture."
Let yourself be entertained
"A creative hotbed, Sheffield might be remembered as the home of the Full Monty, but it’s also where bands like The Human League, Heaven 17, Pulp, Joe Cocker and the Arctic Monkeys are from.
Catch a concert at Sheffield Arena or head to the famous theatres, the Crucible and the Lyceum, where you can see anything from the World Snooker Championships to stage productions from the West End.
The city also boasts four cinema complexes, including the largest Cineworld complex in the UK, with 20-odd screens, and the very sleek Sheffield Curzon that ups the ante in the boutique cinema stakes."
For something totally different…
Try the Alfred Denny Museum of Zoology in Western Bank, home to curios of all kinds, primate skeletons, fossils aplenty and bizarre amphibians suspended in formaldehyde jars. Not for the faint hearted…
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