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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Travel
Milo Boyd

Sheffield named as Europe's second best destination for a city break

Sheffield has been ranked as the second best spot for a European city break this year.

The City of Steel was placed ahead of traditional heavyweights like Dublin, Milan and Valencia in the ranking of best city break destinations compiled by Time Out.

Sheffield's burgeoning green reputation and proximity to the Peak District were cited as key factors in the rankings.

It is one of just three UK locations included on the list, along with Liverpool and Inverness.

The travel guide gives a shout out to a number of attractions in the city including the Showroom Cinema, The Leadmill, Cutlery Works and Mayfield Alpacas.

Sheffield's easy on the eye town hall (Getty Images)

Time Out's Daniel Dylan Wray writes: "A city once synonymous with coal-blackened buildings and industrial churn, Sheffield is now more familiar with another colour: green.

"Recently crowned ‘the greenest city’ in the UK, it boasts 4.5 million trees (more per person than any other city in Europe), 250 public parks and 52 square miles of national park.

"Combine the lush greenery – and proximity to the Peak District – with a vibrant city rich in culture, food and drink, and you have two kinds of holiday wrapped into one."

Sheffield was recently crowned ‘the greenest city’ in the UK, due to it boasting 4.5 million trees (more per person than any other city in Europe), 250 public parks and 52 square miles of national park.

The other locations on the Time Out list are: Marseille, France; Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Milan, Italy; Bilbao, Spain; Arles, France; Brno, Czech Republic; Kaunas, Lithuania; Oslo, Norway; Hamburg, Germany; Dublin, Ireland; Trikala, Greece; Rotterdam, Netherlands; Freiburg, Germany; Turku, Finland and Valencia, Spain.

Mirror reporter Stephen White recently visited Sheffield to shine a light on Kelham, which was once the beating heart of the steel industry, and is now one of the most exciting districts in the city.

The city was praised for the access to nature it offers (Getty Images/EyeEm)

This is what he found:

The engraving “Made in Sheffield” continues to stand for quality on knives and forks around the world, while products of the Steel City still hold up bridges as far afield as Brooklyn.

To get a sense of Sheffield’s manufacturing and engineering heritage, there’s no better place to head than one of the oldest industrial areas in the city: the man-made Kelham Island.

As well as ornate street signs, cobbled lanes and the odd gas lamp, evidence of Sheffield’s past metal works is scattered all around the area.

The Cutlery Works, the largest independent food hall in Englandorth, is a hub of food and drink activity – with pop-up vendors offering food from around the world.

Jöro, is a restaurant made entirely from upcycled shipping containers.

Sheffield beat the other two UK entrants on the list (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

There are a number of street artists who live in Sheffield turning walls into something beautiful for the city to be proud of with guest murals painted by artists who have visited Sheffield to create their own mark too.

Sheffield DocFest is the UK’s leading documentary festival and one of the world’s most influential markets for documentary projects.

Widely recognised as one of the top three documentary festivals in the world, the festival has been held in Sheffield since 1994.

Tramlines is one of the UK’s longest running, city-based music festivals and the highlight in Sheffield’s year-round calendar of music events and festivals. Taking place in July each year at Hillsborough Park, the festival presents some of the biggest names in music.

The city will also host the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival in 2023, more than 100 of the best new adventure, travel and extreme sports films from around the world.

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