The 51 coolest neighbourhoods in the world

Sheffield’s Kelham Island has been named one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world by TimeOut magazine, as they featured the popular urban district at No. 35 in their rundown of the most exciting districts of global cities.

**Update: This article was originally published in October 2022 and is no longer currently published on the TimeOut website as they refresh their listings each year, but below you can find exerts from the original article.**

"We polled 20,000 city-dwellers and asked local experts to rank the greatest places for fun, food, culture and community

It’s been a rough few years for the world at large – but in many ways, a fantastic one for neighbourhoods. Although we haven’t been able to travel the world as freely as we once did, billions of us have been spending more time than ever closer to home. And in many of the world’s greatest cities, the result has been a full-blown neighbourhood renaissance.

It’s true that much-loved local shops, restaurants, bars and creative spaces have, sadly, shuttered for good. But there’s also been a whole wave of new businesses opening, driven not just by increased footfall outside city centres, but also by the ‘great resignation’.

City-dwellers have quit their corporate jobs to finally follow their joy, whether it’s opening that corner café or much-needed local LGBTQ+ bar, or just spending more time living slowly and spending more time (and money) in their local area.

This year, once again, we canvassed thousands of city-dwellers around the world in our Time Out Index survey. We asked them about the coolest spots in their city right now. And we combined their views with expert input from our global network of local editors and writers. Here’s the result: our fifth annual ranking of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods right now.

35. Kelham Island, Sheffield, UK

Once home to derelict warehouses and a few old-school pubs, Kelham Island has undergone a hefty transformation. Those old boozers (thankfully) remain but Kelham’s once-empty spaces are now filled by a glut of independent bars, restaurants, shops, cafés and breweries.

A manmade island formed in the 1100s when a stream was diverted to power a nearby mill, Kelham Island is now a unique bit of Sheffield thanks to the beautiful waterway that runs through it. Walkable from the city centre, it has all the hallmarks of a hip neighbourhood – including street food markets, microbreweries, Michelin-guide grub and a vegan bar run by screamo frontman Oli Sykes – without being insufferably so.

It’s still a functioning working area, so in between the serene waterside beer gardens, killer tacos, amazing ale, flea markets and food halls, you’ll get a sense of Sheffield’s rich industrial history.

The perfect day: Breakfast-up at The Grind Cafe, then head off to Kelham Island Museum, coffee at Gaard and some shopping (Kelham Island Books & Music or Kelham Flea for vintage and antiques). Tuck into lunch at Cutlery Works (the largest food hall in northern England), ready for an afternoon beer run – via The Fat Cat, Heist, Alder, Kelham Island Tavern, Gardeners Rest and The Riverside – and then dinner at Domo or, if you’re feeling flush, Jöro. Finish at Factory Floor where DJs play through their bespoke audiophile soundsystem and you can try their unique drip-infusion spirits.

Plan your trip: Be here on first weekend of the month for Peddler Market: a market that merges street food from across the UK with live music, DJs, makers stalls, craft beers and cocktails."