Sheffield

Formerly best known for being an industrial centre producing the world-famous Sheffield steel, the city has been undergoing something of a transformation over the last ten years.

The whole centre has been renovated, new attractions have opened, the nightlife is buzzing and the retail therapy opportunities are impressive.  From boutiques to department stores, there are hundreds of shops, 270 of which can be found in the Meadowhall shopping centre just out of town. Division and Devonshire Street in the city centre are both brilliant places for browsing, filled with hip clothes and record shops, as well as great restaurants and trendy bars.

The city boasts a range of great traditional pubs, such as the Fat Cat and the Frog and Parrott serving real ale, as well as a number of trendy venues like the Showroom Bar. If you want to carry on later into the night Gatecrasher One plays everything from trance and house to chart based R&B. Alternatively, you could visit Boardwalk. Something of an institution in Sheffield, it's excellent for live music and has a knack for picking out the Next Big Thing.

If you're looking for a more arty night out, Sheffield also boasts two theatres - the Crucible and the Lyceum, as well as the Showroom, the largest independent cinema in the UK. In fact, there's something of a cultural revival in Sheffield, spearheaded by the Millenium and Graves Art Galleries. For those wishing to explore Sheffield's history, the cathedral and Kelham Island Museum are good places to start.

Beyond the City Walls lies some stunning countryside - including the sweeping beauty of the Peak District National Park. And if you want to go even further a field, The Robin Hood airport is nearby to whisk you away.