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Top 20 manchester attractions: sightseeing guide manchester

TOP 20 sights for Manchester, the best city in England

With so much to see and do in Manchester, the city has a lot to offer from football to culture and shopping to music, food and history. My Manchester Travel Tips – the ultimate Manchester Guide with 20 attractions and activities for the secret capital of northern England and its surrounding area.

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Manchester – a few facts and history

Manchester is in the north of England and has over half a million inhabitants who call themselves “Mancs” or “Mancunians”. Manchester is located in the middle of the Metropolitan County of Greater Manchester, home to a total of 2.7 million people.

Manchester played a significant role in the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries. By the way: the important role played by the textile industry in Manchester is why cord trousers are sometimes called “Manchester trousers”.

Today, Manchester is a leader in the UK economy, with the services sector today providing the strongest engine for growth.

Manchester is the “second city” to London in England – and the ideal destination for a city break

Architecture, history, shopping food, drink, music and football in Manchester

Manchester is a “second city” – after London the second most important city in England as, for example, Glasgow is a “second city” in relation to Edinburgh. Manchester is well known for music – numerous well-known bands such as Oasis, The Smiths and Take That were founded here – and football, of course. The two clubs of the city, Manchester United and Manchester City, are among the most successful clubs in the English Premier League. Manchester has major museums and cultural venues, a variety of Gothic, Victorian and modern buildings for architecture lovers, shopping and food, drink and party. What is really worth in Manchester? So much – I’ll tell you my 20 best travel tips for Manchester.

Top 20 attractions you must have seen and experienced in Manchester

The following sights and tips for a city trip to Manchester are suitable for either short trip or a weekend, but also for a longer stay. Depending on what you‘re most interested in, you can pick out the best activities, attractions, or attractions for Manchester. By the way: you can find more alternative sightseeing and insider tips for Manchester in my article Manchester Insider Tips. Have fun!

1. Manchester Cathedral

Manchester Cathedral is one of the oldest buildings in the city and is famous for its intricately carved wooden ornaments. The visit to the church is free, for those interested in architecture, I recommend to book a paid tour. Always find in the Manchester Cathedral Events From the concert to deaf services to the gin festival, it’s worth taking a look at the event calendar.

Top sight: The Cathedral of Manchester

2nd Whitworth Art Gallery

If you only look at an art museum in Manchester, then it should be the Whitworth Art Gallery. Why? Because here the best contemporary art to see in Manchester, because there are events such as readings, concerts, film screenings, and English classes, and because the restaurant on the top floor has incredible views of the adjacent Whitworth Park.

3. John Ryland’s Library

Absolutely no insider tip, which is no wonder, after all, the library counts in the neo-Gothic style to the most beautiful buildings of Manchester. Plus a collection of books that stretch from floor to ceiling: a paradise for book lovers! The huge collection of books is divided into different rooms, from small study rooms to the large reading room. Very impressive (and suitable for Instagram), the various corridors and winding stairs.

No, this is not a cathedral: this is the large reading room of John Ryland’s Library in Manchester

Admission to the John Ryland’s Library is free – and best of all, you can not only look around here, but actually sit and work. Bring your notebook or laptop with you and look for one of the many tables without registration. There are no sockets for your charger, but fast and free WIFI. And you can even bring your own water, provided it’s in a bottle.

4. Manchester Town Hall

Manchester’s landmark in the heart of the city is the Manchester City Hall, the Manchester Town Hall. The Victorian and Neo-Gothic building is imposing both from the outside and the inside, so it’s worth spending some time there. Due to renovations, the interior of the Town Hall can not be visited until 2024, but the Town Hall Extension. Around the Town Hall on Albert Square, Manchester’s huge Christmas Market is also held in December, and Santa Claus “Zippy” sits enthroned under the building’s iconic bell tower.

5th National Football Museum

If you are already in the football city par excellence, then a visit to the football museum is also an. Maybe you know the football museum in Dortmund – this is almost the English branch, even if they have nothing to do with business. The National Football Museum in Manchester is all about round leather – and it’s about much more than just English football. Probably the most famous exhibit is the jersey Diego Maradona wore in Mexico during the quarter-finals of the 1966 World Cup – who remembers the “hand of God” knows what I’m talking about.

Worth seeing for all football fans: The National Football Museum in Manchester

Also to visit: the ball that shot the infamous Wembley goal, with which Geoff Hurst defeated the German national team and thus became England for the first and so far only World Cup champion.

6. Old Trafford

Speaking of football: You may want to do what you want from Manchester United, a visit to Old Trafford is a must for any football fan. The home of the English first division is one of the most famous football stadiums in the world and can be visited on non-match days with a guided tour, where you can even visit the dressing rooms.

The tour includes a visit to the adjoining museum and if you want, you can have breakfast or lunch in the Red Café (or book an exclusive Dining Experience).

Under 7 bridges you have to drive: boat trip on the canal in Manchester

If you want to see the football stadium of Manu, but you have a view from the outside, you have two options: either you just take the tram that will drop you off from the city center directly at Old Trafford, or you’ll go by with a boat tour past it and have a fantastic sight from the water.

7. Northern Quarter

The Northern Quarter is Manchester’s hip neighborhood, with its many bars, restaurants, clubs, cafes and small shops. The Northern Quarter is the best place for street art in Manchester, to eat cake or just to run around and be inspired. Because that’s me Northern Quarter so worth seeing And when I visit every Manchester visit, I’ve dedicated my own article to the coolest area in Manchester – here’s where you get the best of Manchester’s trendy neighborhoods: The Northern Quarter in Manchester.

The place to go for Street Art in Manchester: The Northern Quarter

8. Victoria Baths

As 1993 the Victoria Baths closed its doors, an institution went down, which belonged since 1906 to the most magnificent bathing establishments in the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, you can not swim in this retro swimming pool, but you can still see the beautiful building with its magnificent decor. Every now and then there are events and festivals, and every Wednesday there is a guided tour of the fully preserved Edwardian interior of the swimming pool.

9. Chinatown & Chinese Arch

Manchester has its own Chinatown and for many, surprisingly, it is Europe’s largest Chinatown. The obvious Chinese Arch points the way to the Chinese Quarter, which is full of Asian restaurants, bakeries, small shops and shops. The cultural and festive highlight in Chinatown is during the celebrations of the Chinese New Year, which always takes place at the beginning of the year and lasts several weeks (the exact dates can be found here). But even outside of the “Chinese New Year” celebrations worth a visit to Chinese quarters in Manchester, not least to photograph the gold-red-green archway.

Manchester Chinatown

Manchester’s Chinatown is the largest in Europe

10. People’s History Museum

Manchester was shaped by its industrial past – and the people who live here. The People’s History Museum is about people, not just the Mancunians, but all of us. The People’s History Museum is dedicated to our important and always endangered good of democracy. Here you learn everything about the History of Democracy, with special focus on the UK. The changing exhibitions and events, such as “Music of Protest”, in which musicians from the University of Manchester interact with visitors are also very exciting and informative – and this with free admission (donation recommended)!

11. Southern Cemetery

In 1879, the Southern Cemetery opened and since then it serves as the eternal resting place for the great daughters and sons of the city. Many famous mancs are buried in the cemetery in southern Manchester, including John Ryland, founder of the library of the same name or Robert Gretton, former manager of the legendary Manchester bands New Order and Joy Division. It’s easy on the vast Southern Cemetery grounds, so it’s ideal for a tour like the one offered by Emma Fox. From the mouth of a real Mancunian learn the small and big stories about the cemetery and its buried there residents.

12. Heaton Park & Heaton Park Hall

Covering over 600 acres, Heaton Park is a haven of peace in the north of Manchester. Center and gem of the park is the Heaton Park Hall, a Grade II Listed 18th Century mansion in neoclassical style. The park is great for walking or jogging and you can even go boating on a small lake. There is also plenty to do outside of the country house (which is well worth a visit): either watch the golfers practicing the perfect swing or stroke the goats, donkeys and alpacas Animal Park.

13. Richmond Tea Rooms

During your Manchester city trip you should not miss a Tea Time. The ideal place for an afternoon tea in Manchester is the Richmond Tea Rooms in the city center. In the opulently furnished rooms you feel directly into the Victorian era – or into your childhood. Especially popular is the “Mad Hatters Tea Party”, an afternoon tea with scones, sandwiches and small baked delicacies in the style of Alice in Wonderland. If you are hungry now and feel like immersing yourself in the magical world of Alice, you should definitely reserve a table beforehand.

MediaCityUK, seen from the boat

14. MediaCityUK

Not necessarily a classic sight, but interesting for anyone interested in either media or architectural photography is the Media City in Manchester. The 200-hectare residential and business area is home to more than 2,300 English employees BBC among other employees in technology and media. Located right on the canal in Salford, it offers a particularly imposing sight as you pass it by boat and the modern buildings are reflected in the water.

There are many events taking place on the grounds of the MediaCity, such as runs such as the Great Manchester Run, Swimming competitions, Games Night and events for members and interested parties of the startup scene. A large number of bars, restaurants and cafes ensure that you do not starve to death or starve to death in the MediaCityUK, especially if you like “hipster food” or eat vegan or gluten-free. My tip: the cocktails from The Botanist, especially the Strawberry & Cucumber Breeze.

15th Alan Turing Memorial

Did you see the Oscar-winning movie “The Imitation Game” starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley? Then you know for sure who I’m talking to. Or you’re simply interested in computers, then Alan Turing knows you anyway. For everyone else: Alan Turing, a mathematician from Manchester, was one of the pioneers of “modern computing” and is famous for, among other things, the World War II Enigma machine to have deciphered encrypted radio messages of the Nazis.

Throughout his life, Alan Turing had to fight with his own and alien demons, which ultimately tragically cost him his life. The Alan Turing Memorial in Manchester’s Sackville recalls the city’s great son and his work. Incidentally, this monument also marks the start of the Free Manchester Walking Tours, which I’ll come to shortly.

16th Vimto Monument

And another statue, this time with a lighter background. You’re probably wondering why you should visit a larger than life image of a beverage bottle? I tell you: if you are not the Vimto statue you have not been to Manchester! Vimto is a limo, invented in 1908 right here in Manchester. Originally due to its ingredients such as fruits and herbs Vimto was intended as a medicinal drink, but a few years later it was renamed to soft drink.

In 1992, when the city of Manchester launched a competition to design a new monument, the university students won the contract with their Vimto model. Since then, a huge wooden bottle with also carved grapes and other fruits beautifies the cityscape of Manchester – a curious sight that you should not miss.

17. Salford Quays

Culture, entertainment, restaurants and exciting architecture – all on the water. The Salford Quays area is worth a visit if you want to get to know the very modern side of Manchester. Walk around the neighborhood, have a coffee and eat sushi there and be inspired by 21st-Century Manchester. Once upon a time this was a busy harbor district – after the end of the Industrial Revolution the area became a lonely and deserted place.

Meanwhile, where the Salford and Trafford canals meet, the cultural and arts center is located The Lowry, an outlet and on the other side of the canal Imperial War Museum North. In the immediate vicinity is here, by the way, the Old Trafford Stadium, whose visit is a perfect match for a visit to Salford Quay.

18. Free Manchester Walking Tours

If you want to have the most important sights as well as a few curious must-sees shown and explained in a very funny way by a real Manchester Local, then I wholeheartedly recommend the Free Manchester Walking Tours. In three to three and a half hours you will learn everything you need to know during your first visit to Manchester. In addition to the typical places and buildings worth seeing, Josh and his guides have small stories and insider information on almost every corner to show why Manchester and its inhabitants are so special.

Both Free Manchester Walking Tours By the way, you’ll also get to know more about the Vimto Monument, including tasting – and much about Manchester’s music and street art scene. If you go (and you should definitely!) Give Josh a very special greeting from me (and give him a big tip, because he has more than earned it).

19. Altrincham Market

Altrincham is a formerly neglected suburb of Manchester, which has been experiencing a tremendous boom for several years. So much so that it is now one of Manchester’s most expensive residential areas, where millionaires and English footballers like to settle here. Altrincham is located about 20 minutes from Manchester’s city center by tram and is a very green neighborhood with sizable houses.

The market hall of Altrincham, at daybreak, when nothing is going on. Later it gets extremely crowded.

Trend Spot # 1 is the Altrincham Market, an old one covered market, which was revived a few years ago. In the beautiful, covered hall there is a market with food and products from the region instead, there are also Street food. Next door is the indoor market hall, where Manchester’s chic food meets Market Hall atmosphere. You eat at long tables, where everyone can sit down, his court of choice to choose one of the fixed stalls. Especially popular are the Neapolitan pizza from the wood stove or the Pies. The prices are a bit high, but still in the frame, but it can be damn full, loud and warm in the hall – around it but there are some small nice restaurants, where you can avoid it if necessary.

Attention: different opening times for the indoor market and the covered market outside!

20. Chorlton-cum-Hardy

Chorlton, the district in the south of Manchester, was named “best place to live in the UK” in 2018. A very special vibe stretches through Chorlton – the combination of long-established community and new hip dwellers seems to work quite well here, although of course here gentrification takes its toll and rents rise. In Chorlton there are no sights, but very many and very good cafes and restaurants. I recommend a visit to the bakery and deli “Barbican”, the breakfast sandwich there is awesome. Then perhaps a piece of cake – the taste in the “Tea Hive” especially good and is served with a very decent cup of tea.

Chorlton-cum-Hardy, or “Chorlton” for short, is probably the hippest part of Manchester

Trips to the surrounding area of ​​Manchester

Stockport

“Um … drinking a beer at Robinson’s Brewery, that’s all I can think of.” That was Jimbo’s answer when I asked him what I could do in Stockport. Grown up in the seventies in Stockport, my friend did not really understand what I wanted in the city southeast of Manchester. I was more or less by chance – or by a home exchange – came to Stockport and only did not really know what to do there.

Every two weeks on Sundays: Vintage Market in Stockport

Because: Stockport is not exactly a beauty and is a bit dusty and broken at some corners. But I still think that you wanted to visit Stockport from Manchester, if you still have some air and do not know what you should do with a time. Because there are some really great things to see and do in Stockport. Above all the covered market, which is from the same operator as the Altrincham Market and on the second Sunday every Sunday Vintage market takes place, where you can buy great second-hand clothes and other vintage items.

Peak District

The Peak District is the oldest national park in the UK and a paradise for hikers, cyclists and nature lovers. Breathtaking views, beautiful hikes, pauses in small tea rooms and the reward beer at the end in the pub: the Peak District is a longing and easy to reach from Manchester. From Manchester to the pretty village Edale, from which many walks and round trips begin, it is by train only three quarters of an hour. The train ride through the green plateau, past felt a million sheep is already an experience in itself.

Less than an hour from Manchester by train. the breathtakingly beautiful Peak District

Sheffield

Sheffield, also known as “The Steel City” due to its industrial past, is known today for its art and culture scene. The best English bands are from Sheffield, such as Pulp, Arctic monkeys or Moloko come from here and on every normal day you are spoiled for choice between a multitude of concerts.

The modern university town is full of restaurants and cafes and has as one of the main attractions, the “Sheffield Winter Garden” where you can drink coffee, buy beautifull things made in Sheffield or just relax. Sheffield is on the other side of the Peak District and the hour-long train ride from Manchester passes through the National Park.

Attractions in Manchester: Information & travel Tips

Manchester Hop on Hop Off Bus Tour

If you have limited time in Manchester, you can also explore the main attractions by bus. Sightseeing Manchester offers one Hop on Hop Off tour with a double decker bus where you can scour all sights and get on or off as you like. Tickets cost 12 British pounds per person for adults and half for children.

Bus, tram & Metro – public transport in Manchester

Public transport in Manchester is very efficient. You can reach most attractions on foot, if you want to go further afield, it is worthwhile to take the bus or the tram. You usually buy tickets for the bus directly from the driver (keep your change at hand) or at the yellow ticket machines, where there are also tickets for the tram. Mostly worth a day ticket from 2 trips. At the machine is a map printed with the various tariff zones. If you, for example, out of the city center, you have to choose a ticket that includes several zones.

Flights to Manchester

From most major German airports there is a direct connection to Manchester. The budget airlines Ryanair, Easyjet and Eurowings fly but for example Berlin, Cologne-Bonn and Dusseldorf to Manchester. From Munich you can even fly to Manchester (as well as from Berlin) and from Hannover there is a direct flight to Manchester with flybe.

By train from London to Manchester

From London you need about three to three and a half hours by train to Manchester, depending on the connection. Trains from London to Manchester mostly depart from King’s Cross.

From Manchester Airport to the city center

Manchester Airport has its own train station called The Train Station, which is located in Terminal 1. If you arrive at another terminal, the airport shuttle will take you to Terminal 1 with the train station. From there trains leave for the city center every ten minutes. The journey from Manchester Airport takes about 20 minutes and costs £ 5 for a one-way trip.

Alternatively to the train, you can also take the bus from Manchester Airport to the center. The number 43 Skyline bus also runs every 10 minutes and costs just £ 3 for a one-way trip. The trip to the city center takes a little longer, depending on the traffic situation, you have to expect between three and a half hours up to more than one hour.

Accommodation in Manchester

In Manchester, as everywhere in large English cities, there is a huge variety of accommodation options. Since I usually travel differently and organize my accommodations privately or through an apartment exchange, I can only recommend a few accommodations in Manchester. The following hotels I have already visited and felt good:

Cheap Manchester hotel: Jury’s Inn Manchester

Superbly located in downtown and close to the canal and the beautiful pub The Briton’s Protection is the Jurys Inn Manchester *. Breakfast okay, the room a bit dark but everything else great.

Central accommodation & Great value for money: Motel One Piccadilly

Much more central is not – the Motel One Piccadilly *, as the name implies, right on the Piccadilly. I like the Motel One chain very much: the rooms are basic but have a certain style. And at the Motel One Bar, there are great drinks at an unbeatable price – and only for hotel guests and their company.

The with asterisks (*) marked links are so-called commission links. If you click on such a link and book a hotel about it, I get a small commission from your purchase. For you, the price does not change.

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