Sheffield Staycation Guide: Where to Stay, What to Do and Where to Eat

Sheffield is the city to pick if you want a staycation that is half urban and half outdoors. Built on seven hills and famous for steel and cutlery, it has more parks and woodland than most British cities, and part of the Peak District National Park lies inside the city boundary. You can spend a morning among the steelmaking history of Kelham Island and be walking on Stanage Edge or beside Ladybower Reservoir by the afternoon.

How long to stay

Two nights is enough for the city itself, but Sheffield is best used as a base for three or four, with at least one full day in the Peak District. The station is right in the centre, with direct trains from London, Manchester and Leeds, and the Hope Valley line runs straight out to Hope and Edale for walking without a car.

Where to stay in Sheffield

Stay in the centre for museums and restaurants, or on the western edge if the Peak District is the main draw. Browse all options on our Sheffield hotels page.

City centre

Leopold Hotel Sheffield is a four-star boutique hotel in a converted Victorian school building in the Cathedral Quarter. Royal Victoria Sheffield, a grand Victorian railway hotel now run as a four-star DoubleTree, is handy for the station. easyHotel Sheffield City Centre is a simple budget base that accepts dogs.

West side and Peak District edge

The Florentine is a stylish pub with rooms that also welcomes dogs. Right on the moorland edge at Ringinglow, the Norfolk Arms Hotel is a pub-hotel within easy reach of Ladybower Reservoir and Chatsworth House.

Country house stays

Whitley Hall Hotel is a 16th-century country house in twenty acres of grounds on the city's northern fringe, and Wortley Hall is a stately home offering relaxed rooms and dining.

Things to do in Sheffield

See our Sheffield attractions page for the full list.

Kelham Island Museum tells the story of Sheffield steel, with working craftspeople and one of the largest working steam engines in Europe. Back in the centre, The Winter Garden is a large glasshouse holding more than 2,000 plants from around the world, with the Millennium Gallery next door. Weston Park Museum covers archaeology, natural history and the city's social history, and is a good choice with children.

Sheffield's parks are a real strength. Sheffield Botanical Gardens have themed gardens and restored Victorian glass pavilions, and rate 4.7 from over 6,000 Google reviews. Endcliffe Park is the start of a lovely riverside walk up the Porter Valley towards the moors, and Graves Park has woodland, lakes and an animal farm. For a bigger day out, Rother Valley Country Park covers 750 acres with walking and cycling trails and a watersports centre, and dogs are welcome.

With younger children, the Tropical Butterfly House is a warm, accessible indoor option, and Gulliver's Valley is a theme park aimed at families with younger kids.

Where to eat and drink

Kelham Island has become the city's best area for independent restaurants, bakeries and real-ale pubs, and Division Street and West Street are lively in the evening. Ego serves Mediterranean dishes from tagines to tapas, and FirePit Rocks is an easygoing bar with hearty food. More options are on our Sheffield restaurants page.

A two-day plan

Day one

Start at the Winter Garden and Millennium Gallery, then walk up to the cathedral and through the centre to Kelham Island for the museum and lunch. In the afternoon, visit Weston Park Museum and the Botanical Gardens, and eat on Division Street.

Day two

Spend the day in the Peak District. Take the train to Edale or Hope for a walk towards Kinder Scout or Mam Tor, or drive to Ladybower Reservoir and walk up to Stanage Edge for the view back towards the city.

Day trips from Sheffield

Bakewell, home of the Bakewell pudding, is the best base for Chatsworth, and Buxton is an elegant spa town on the far side of the Peak. Chesterfield is known for its crooked spire, and Matlock sits in the Derwent Valley with walks up to the Heights of Abraham. For another city, Nottingham and Leeds are both about an hour away.

Camping and cottages near Sheffield

The Hope Valley has some of the best-rated sites near the city. Winhill View is a tent campsite with views across the valley, Peak District Shepherd Huts offers glamping, and The Gathering at Edale is a glamping site at the foot of Kinder Scout. See camping near Sheffield or cottages near Sheffield.

Practical tips

Sheffield is hilly, so allow extra time walking between areas, and bring waterproofs and proper footwear for the Peak District, where weather changes quickly. The city is a natural choice for our guides to staycations for walkers and national park staycations, and it works well for staycations without a car.