visit manchester reviews

• Travel Planning Guide

Should You Visit Manchester?

Are you thinking about visiting Manchester, UK? Here's what you need to know before planning your trip.

• Is Manchester Worth Visiting?

Reasons to Visit Manchester

• In the Summer?
• In the Autumn?
• In the Winter?
• In the Spring?

What is Manchester most famous for?

• What is Manchester most known for?

What is the most famous sight in Manchester?

• How touristy is Manchester?

How long should I spend in Manchester?

Is manchester worth visiting.

This city is a good place to visit for two to four days. Manchester is the second largest city in the UK and it has many cultural, historical, culinary, and sport related activities to enjoy. Notably, it's home to Manchester United, but it's also a student city with a great nightlife scene as well as a family-friendly city with plenty of activities for people of all ages.

Music There's a long running music reputation here. Some of the iconic bands that began here include Oasis and Stone Roses.

Authenticity Manchester has an authentic vibe where you can experience local culture, cuisine, and activities without the large tourist crowds of other popular destinations.

Is Manchester worth visiting in the Summer?

The high season for travel in Manchester is the summer, so expect to see more tourists than usual. This destination is somewhat touristy, so in the high season it's usually busier.

You'll find the weather to be very nice here during summer with average temperatures around 16°C (62°F).

The activities of the city are numerous, and this is a great time of year to explore all of them. From family-friendly attractions to romantic getaways, as well as budget-friendly things to do, there's something for everyone. Famous landmarks, museums, tours, and more are all available. During this season it's fun to experience the museums and landmarks, the big city activities, and the nightlife.

Is Manchester worth visiting in the Autumn?

You'll find the weather to be very nice here during autumn with average temperatures around 11°C (52°F).

Autumn is the shoulder season for travel in Manchester, which means slightly less visitors than in the peak season. Even though Manchester is fairly busy with tourists, in the shoulder season there will be smaller crowds and better prices.

Autumn is a great time of year to explore the numerous museums and landmarks around town. They are fun for the whole family as well great for couples. This is a great time of year to wander through the museums, enjoy the city's energy, and listen to some live music.

Is Manchester worth visiting in the Winter?

Winter is the low season for travel in Manchester. This destination is fairly touristy, but in the low season you can find fewer crowds and better deals.

The weather in Manchester can be quite cold during winter, and averages around 4°C (39°F). But be prepared for much lower temperatures, too.

You'll like that you can take public transit easily in the winter, too. You can get around quickly while avoiding bad weather if needed. You'll find plenty to do during winter, as you'll be able to browse through museums, taste delicious cuisine, and enjoy the evening activities. Also, you can check out the live music scene and the big city activities.

Is Manchester worth visiting in the Spring?

This is the shoulder season for travel in Manchester. Even though Manchester is fairly busy with tourists, in the shoulder season there will be smaller crowds and better prices.

The weather in Manchester can be quite cold during spring, and averages around 8°C (46°F). But be prepared for much lower temperatures, too.

During this season it's fun to experience the many shops, the famous sights and museums, and the live music. Also, you'll be able to take advantage of the local nightlife.

Manchester is most famous for its strong music culture as well as being home to the world-renowned Manchester United Football Club. It is often described as dynamic, diverse, cultural, and vibrant.

The most popular sight in Manchester is The National Football Museum . You can see prices and costs for this and other sights in Manchester on our travel costs page .

Or, see tickets, activities, and tours for The National Football Museum and other attractions here .

How touristy is Manchester? Is it a popular city to visit?

Manchester is more popular with local tourists than with international visitors. Here are some of the most popular activities and tours. (Prices in US Dollars)

• Chatsworth and Peak District Small-Group Tour from Manchester: $74
• Yorkshire Adventure - Sightseeing Day Trip Tour: $88
• Fascinating Manchester - Walking Tour: $235
• A Silent Disco Adventure in Manchester: $22
• Craft Beer Tour around Manchester: $51
• Alcotraz Prison Cocktail Experience in Manchester: $51
• Manchester Afternoon Walking Tour: $21
• Rock and Goal Manchester Walking Tour: $19

The ideal length of time for a trip to Manchester is two to four days. Since Manchester has activities such as music, shopping, museums, and dining, many visit for up to four days.

If you have a specific amount of time for your trip, see our advice about how much time to spend here: Should I spend 1, 2, or 3 days in Manchester? and Should I spend 3, 4, or 5 days in Manchester? .

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• Activities, Day Trips, Things To Do, and Excursions

Manchester   Travel Guide

18 Best Things To Do in Manchester

Updated June 17, 2021

If you're a football (soccer) fan, you've come to the right place. Join fervent fans at Old Trafford or Etihad Stadium , or marvel at trophies and practice penalty kicks at the National Football Museum . History buffs will want to walk through

• All Things To Do

John Rylands Library John Rylands Library free

The University of Manchester's John Rylands Library is known as much for its beautiful architecture as it is for its collection of rare books and manuscripts. The impressive Gothic structure took 10 years to build and opened to the public in 1900. Among its vast collection are a fragment of Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" manuscript, as well as the personal letters and papers of writers, military generals and more. There is even a papyrus fragment of the Gospel of John from the Bible. The fragment is believed to be the earliest part of any New Testament writing ever found.

Recent visitors said that the architecture is stunning, likening it to a scene out of the world of "Harry Potter." Though tripods and flash photography are not allowed, reviewers suggested snapping several photos of the interior (with no flash). Others recommended a stop in the restroom to have a look at the Victorian toilets, which have remained largely unchanged since 1900.

Manchester Art Gallery Manchester Art Gallery free

Established in 1823, the Manchester Art Gallery boasts a collection of more than 25,000 items that has been collected over a period of 200 years. Of particular note is its pre-Raphaelite collection. There is also a costume collection of dress from the 1600s to present day. Families with younger children will appreciate the museum's explorer tool belts with binoculars, magnifying glasses and more items. Plus, visitors can refuel in two on-site cafes.

Recent visitors said the museum is a great spot to see beautiful, romantic paintings and well worth a stop. Many also recommended indulging in a cake at the cafe.

Old Trafford Old Trafford

Manchester United is one of the – if not the – world's most celebrated football (aka soccer) teams. The team's stadium is even nicknamed the "Theatre of Dreams." Picture a sea of red shirt-wearing fans spread across an oblong stadium cheering madly for a much-beloved bunch of talented athletes. Even if you don't get to watch the team (and the boisterous crowd) in action, you should make time for a guided tour of the stadium. The 80-minute tour takes you everywhere from the locker rooms to the tunnel where the players emerge onto the field and more.

Recent visitors advised there is a lot of walking and stairs to climb on the tour and recommended arriving an hour before your tour begins. Others said the tour is great even for non-football fans and highly recommended visiting the museum.

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Imperial War Museum North Imperial War Museum North free

The Imperial War Museum North, one of a series of Imperial War Museums throughout the U.K., traces Britain's involvement in different conflicts from World War I through the present day. Items on display include the gun that shot the first British shell in World War I, as well as twisted steel rubble from the ruins of the World Trade Center in New York City. There are also 360-degree movies covering the topics featured at the museum.

Many past visitors said they were moved by the presentation of the artifacts and displays at the Imperial War Museum North and described the staff as knowledgeable. Several reviewers recommended taking time to admire the suitcase wall, which features old suitcases once used by soldiers.

Greater Manchester Police Museum Greater Manchester Police Museum free

The Greater Manchester Police Museum, which sits in a restored Victorian police station, traces the history of policing in the Greater Manchester area. Visit the courtroom, the old cells (complete with wooden pillows) and see numerous artifacts dating from the era, including police uniforms and old police vehicles. The volunteer tour guides are founts of knowledge, ready to answer questions about policing.

Recent visitors said the museum holds fascinating artifacts and is larger than you would expect. They also reported that volunteers are friendly and knowledgeable.

Science and Industry Museum Science and Industry Museum free

The Science and Industry Museum is an extensive museum spread across five buildings with exhibits that range from textiles to electricity to the development of railways. You'll find the world's oldest surviving passenger railway station built in 1830, as well as the interactive "Revolution Manchester," where visitors will be challenged by a number of games and tasks that test the user's knowledge of everything from energy and nuclear fusion to coding. Other must-do experiences include admiring the display of old aircraft and trying your hand at the flight simulator.

Families raved about the museum, saying it's great for all ages thanks to its variety of interactive exhibits.

Afflecks Afflecks free

Afflecks calls itself "an emporium of eclecticism" and "a totem of indie commerce." This mall, which spreads itself across four floors, is no usual shopping center – you won't find your typical British stores like John Lewis or Cath Kidston here. Instead, Afflecks' shops and stalls are filled with everything from Thai massage services to all types of clothing to anime and art. You'll also find tarot card readers and tattoo parlors.

Past visitors said Afflects is a longtime Manchester institution and a great place for quirky finds. It's also popular with teens.

Etihad Stadium Etihad Stadium

The Etihad Stadium is home to Manchester City, one of the city's much beloved football clubs (or soccer teams to Americans). This stadium is one of the U.K.'s largest, with the capacity to seat 55,000 rowdy spectators. If you're able to view a match, be sure to wear a light blue shirt, and don't even think about badmouthing the home team – Manchester City fans are a very loyal bunch. They're also very fond of their stadium. But if you can't make a game, you could stop by for a 70-minute guided tour that takes you behind the scenes from the media conference room to the entrance tunnel and includes high-tech audio and visual components.

Past visitors praised the tour and their guides and highly recommended it for football fans. They especially loved seeing the locker rooms and the player tunnel.

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The Lowry The Lowry

The Lowry is a mixed-use facility – part art gallery and part theater – contained in a modern steel and glass structure. You'll find everything from exhibitions showcasing the works of beloved British artist L.S. Lowry to a variety of rotating exhibits. While here, you can also attend comedy shows and contemporary dance performances. In addition to the visual and performing arts, the Lowry also has a restaurant, a bar and a coffee shop.

Recent visitors said the Lowry is a fascinating building. Others advised that lines can be long both for tickets and parking, so buying online ahead of time is a good idea.

Royal Exchange Theatre Royal Exchange Theatre

The Royal Exchange Theatre is known for its compelling stage layout: None of the seats are more than 30 feet from the seven-sided stage. It's also known for its impressive performances, which range from Shakespearean plays to modern works. What's more, the building used to house a different kind of production: It was the site of the city's cotton trade, which closed in 1968. Some of the remnants of the exchange remain, including the original trading board with the day's closing numbers.

Past visitors praised the building's architecture and atmosphere, saying it's a great venue to see a show. Many also recommended visiting the theater's cafe.

Whitworth Art Gallery Whitworth Art Gallery free

Part of the University of Manchester, the Whitworth Art Gallery's mission is to "use art for social change." It was originally founded in 1889 to educate and inspire Manchester citizens. It houses a collection of some 60,000 works, though the museum says it has nothing on permanent display. Rather it rotates exhibitions, pulling from its collection with themes ranging from tapestries to wallpaper to Cezanne.

Past visitors described the Whitworth Art Gallery as a "great surprise" with an eclectic mix of both historic and contemporary artwork. Others warned that the more well-known paintings were on loan and that the space only had largely unknown modern art. Another positive that many visitors pointed out is the cafe.

Manchester Museum Manchester Museum free

Located on the campus of the University of Manchester, Manchester's own natural history museum boasts four floors of exhibits. Highlights include a T. rex fossil, ancient Egyptian mummies and a vivarium that's notable for its large collection of Costa Rican frogs. In total, the museum's collection comprises more than four million items. Note: The museum is undergoing a restoration and some galleries are temporarily closed.

Past visitors said the museum boasts an interesting collection housed in a beautiful building. Others warned the museum is quite compact, but said it's easy to get through in about an hour. 

National Football Museum National Football Museum

Located in the city center in the six-story, glass Urbis building, the National Football Museum is a collection of items and information about everything football (that's soccer, to us Yanks). In fact, this is England's only national museum for football. Visitors will find trophies, exhibits on stadiums, fans and the media, as well as opportunities to try their football skills. 

Past visitors say the museum has lots of interactive exhibits, but warn that there are a lot of stairs. Reviewers also said the museum staff is friendly and that the museum is a great attraction for football fans.

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People's History Museum People's History Museum

The People's History Museum is self-described as the national museum for democracy, exploring the development of democracy in Britain. The museum features a variety of rotating exhibits, and its main galleries focus on themes of workers' rights, reform, strikes and voting, among others. Highlights include a suffrogate banner from 1908, 95,000 photos detailing the history of the Labour Party and a variety of political posters.

Past visitors described the museum as a thoughtful collection of artifacts and exhibits displayed in a balanced and thoughtful way, and many said they were glad they stopped by and would recommend it. 

Manchester Cathedral Manchester Cathedral free

Manchester Cathedral, which dates back to the 15th century, has been through numerous conflicts and suffered damage both in World War II, as well as from an Irish Republican Army bomb in 1996. You'll want to take time to see the "Angel Stone," a stone found embedded in the structure that dates to 700. Also worth a look are the wooden carvings of medieval tales and legends under the seats of the quire stalls and the remains of a medieval bridge in the visitor center.

Past visitors said the cathedral is a beautiful building with fantastic stained-glass windows. Other said it's worth a visit even if you're not a religious person.

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Is Manchester worth visiting? Is Manchester safe? And everything else you need to know

Are you planning a trip to England and wondering is Manchester worth visiting? In this guide we go through absolutely everything you need to know before you go. And the best news is this is all written by someone who lives in Manchester. We also answer all the important questions like is Manchester safe, is Manchester expensive, and is there anything to do in Manchester.

Disclaimer :  This post contains affiliate links, so if you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.

Some background

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Before we answer the all important question is Manchester worth visiting, here is a little bit of background.

Located in the north west of England, Manchester is one of the biggest cities in England, behind London of course. It has a population of around 553,230 people, and is known as the birthplace of the industrial revolution. Manchester has played an important part in science, politics, music, arts, and sport around the world.

The city of Manchester can be expensive, particularly when you compare it to some of the smaller towns in Greater Manchester. That being said though Manchester is a lot cheaper than places like London.

On average expect to pay about £60 for a meal for 2 at a mid range restaurant in the city. Cocktails can cost anywhere between £8-£12 on average, depending on where you go.

In terms of accommodation a night in a hotel chain like the Ibis for example will cost around £80 per night. Costs however for a 4 star hotel in the city centre, will set you back about £120.

Keep in mind these prices are averages. Exact costs will of course depend on your own preferences and spending habits.

You can use your credit or debit card to pay for majority of things in Manchester. There are also a lot of food places particularly in the Northern Quarter that will only accept card payment. I honestly do not remember the last time I used cash in Manchester.

That being said you may find some smaller stores have a minimum for card payments so keep this in mind when visiting Manchester.

Like the rest of England, English is the official language spoken in Manchester. You will need to have a basic level of English to get around the city.

If you are wondering how best to get to Manchester the good news is there are a few options. If you are travelling from abroad there is a large international airport in the city. There are a number of flights from all over Europe and the world that fly here.

From the airport you can get a taxi which is around £30 to get into the city centre. Or you can hop on a tram or train. The train is the quickest option for getting to Piccadilly Station, and you can easily get to other parts of the city from here.

If you are travelling from other parts of the UK, the train will be the quickest and easiest way to get to Manchester. Our advice though is to make sure that you book your train tickets well in advance as these can be pretty pricey.

Manchester isn’t big by any means, and a lot of the main attractions are concentrated in the city centre. For that reason a weekend or 2 days in Manchester is a decent amount of time to explore the city centre, have some great food, and experience the nightlife.

Are you thinking of moving to Manchester and not just visiting here is a handy guide.

One question we hear a lot tends to be is Manchester safe? Statistically Manchester does have a high crime rate, maybe not as much as London, but keep in mind it is smaller. That being said in 12 years of living here we have never encountered any serious issues.

Yes you might get bouts of anti social behaviour, particularly in the city centre late at night, but that’s pretty standard in most big cities. Piccadilly Gardens tends to be one of the places that a lot of homeless people as well as some anti-social behaviour. Again we haven’t had many issues here, but we don’t spend a lot of time in the area anyway. There is also a police presence in the city, so you really should be fine.

Some neighbourhoods in Manchester can be a little sketchy, but most tourist spots are fine. Again we would recommend keeping to populated areas, and avoid walking home alone late at night. Basically take your usual precautions like you would in any big cities.

Manchester is very much worth visiting compared to other UK cities. It’s a lot smaller and more personal than the likes of London, so you are sure to get a very different experience. It’s a great place to go for shopping, nightlife, and museums.

A lot of the key attractions in Manchester are within walking distance of the city. For that reason you probably won’t have to use public transport to get around. But if you do find yourself wanting to venture out further the best option when it comes to public transport is the tram.

You can tap on and off the tram with a credit or debit card. You will be charged according to the Zone’s you travel, and there is a daily price cap which is good news.

The tram is great if you are visiting places such as Old Trafford, The Etihad Stadium, and Media City.

Here are some of our favourite things to do in Manchester. For more detailed information you can checkout this article on spending 24 hours in Manchester .

THE NORTHERN QUARTER

The Northern Quarter is one of the trendy parts of Manchester. There are several quirky shops in the area. And it’s one of those places that if you need an inflatable flamingo or a pug lamp you will probably find it!

MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY

The  Museum of Science and Industry   or the MOSI as it is commonly known, is a great place to visit for kids and adults alike. The museum provides a fascinating insight into Manchester’s contribution in science and technology, particularly during the industrial revolution.

JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY

The John Rylands Library is like something out of Harry Potter. There are lots of old collections of books, and cosy alcoves where you can spend the day reading.

MANCHESTER TOWN HALL

The Manchester Town Hall is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city with its neo-gothic architecture and clock tower. It’s currently undergoing a refurb, but soon you should be able to do tours.

MANCHESTER ART GALLERY

The gallery is free to enter, and it is a great place to learn all about Manchester’s art history as well as admiring paintings from international artists.

VISIT OLD TRAFFORD

If you are a football fan you certainly have to visit one of Manchester two Premier League Football Stadiums. Admittedly we’ve not done the Manchester City stadium tour, so will have to stick to the  Manchester United (Old Trafford) stadium tour  instead for the purposes of this guide. It’s a fantastic tour and you get to take a peak in the dressing rooms, as well as having the opportunity to walk from the tunnel to the pitch.

Tours don’t operate on match days (for obvious reasons) so do make sure you book and plan in advance.

And just in case you are a Manchester City fan,  here is the link  for the tour of the Etihad stadium instead.

HOP ON HOP OFF BUS TOUR

A  hop on hop off bus tour  is always a good way to orient yourself with a city. Not only do you get the chance to learn all about the city’s industrial past, but it is also a great way to explore Manchester and Salford Quays by simply hopping on and off.

VISIT SALFORD QUAYS

Salford Quays is a very quick tram ride from the city centre (just hop on the Media City UK Line and get off at Media City). Salford Quays is home to a number of water sport activities,  a monthly makers market, restaurants, bars, and of course the BBC and ITV studios. Also worth a visit is the imperial war museum.

DO A CANAL CRUISE

The canal network was a large part of Manchester industrial past, so  a canal cruise  is a must do when visiting. You start in the centre, and cruise down past Old Trafford, to Salford Quays.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL MUSEUM

To say Manchester is football mad is an understatement. The game has certainly influenced the city as well as the whole of the UK, and you can learn all about this at  the National Football Museum . It’s quite interactive and you can take your photo with some of the trophies – if that is your thing.

Honestly I don’t think Manchester is the most exciting place in the UK for solo travellers. In our opinion a lot of the charm of Manchester is based on the nightlife and food options.

We wouldn’t discourage anyone from visiting Manchester alone, and you will find some great things to see and do either way.

Manchester is a fantastic place to visit if you are travelling as a couple. You can explore the quaint bars and restaurants of the Northern Quarter or Ancoats. You can also explore Castlefield which is a wonderful area for picnics, or just hanging out by the canals.

Manchester has some excellent options for family activities. There are lots of kid friendly museums like the Museum of Science and Industry, and the Manchester Museum. Both have some great interactive exhibits that kids will love.

The John Ryland’s library is another good option for kids, especially if they want to feel like they have walked onto the set of Harry Potter.

And if you are a family of football fanatics Manchester is definitely the place to be, with options to tour Old Trafford or the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester may not be as fancy as somewhere like London when it comes to eating. But it does have 1 Michelin Star restaurant,  Mana , which is located in Ancoats. But even if you took away the Michelin Star, Manchester knows how to good food.

The city is incredibly multicultural, and this is reflected in the several food choices. You have high quality tapas restaurants like  El Gato Negro , modern Chinese cuisine at  Tattu , top quality brunch at  Federal  and some of the best comfort food ever at  The Sparrows . And honestly these are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to food in Manchester.

Also don’t get me started on some of the incredible pizza choices you have in this city!

I can definitely confirm in all my years of living in Manchester, that the city knows how to party. There are so many incredible places to go out in the city, that cover everything from cocktails to club nights.

The Warehouse Project do some incredible club nights throughout the year for those looking to dance the night away. There is also the Gay Village for a fun and carefree night out. Or the Northern Quarter for cool bars and cocktail lounges. Whatever you want for a night out, you will find it in Manchester.

Manchester is actually a really good place to visit if you want to do some shopping. You can visit Spinningfields or King Street, for excellent designer brand choices.

You also have the Northern Quarter, including Affleck’s Palace for more quirky items, vintage clothes, and even art shops. Otherwise if you want to explore the high street stores, the Arndale Centre is a fantastic option.

Manchester as a city, obviously doesn’t have a huge amount of green space. If you want to get out into nature you do need to go a bit further out. For instance it is only a short drive from Manchester to the Peak District , and the Lake District . Both areas offer a lot of natural beauty and are worth visiting as a day trip from Manchester.

Incidentally, if you are looking for inspiration for some easy walks in the Peak District here is a helpful guide.

Considering Manchester was a key player in the Industrial Revolution the city itself is a must for history buffs. You will be able to learn all about these days at places like the Museum of Science and Industry.

Castlefield is also a great place to history lovers. Here you will find the last remainder of Manchester’s Roman beginnings.

Wondering is Manchester worth visiting for culture lovers? Our answer is yes. The city has it’s own culture which is very much embraced.

Music is a big deal in Manchester, from the famous Hacienda club nights, back in the day, to the live music venues some of Manchester’s biggest bands have played in. Bands like New Order, The Smiths, and Oasis all formed in the city, which is very much a source of pride for locals.

There are also several museums and galleries in the city, that embrace the industrial past that has shaped the culture of Manchester. And you only need to spend 5 minutes in Manchester to realise how important football is.

Summer is a great time to visit Manchester. It’s a busy time in the city, but in comparison to places like London or Liverpool it’s a lot less.

Summer temperatures in Manchester average at about 20°C (68F) during the day, although in recent years there have been a lot more 30°C (86F)days. It’s the perfect time the grab a cold drink, and sit in a beer garden and enjoy the atmosphere of the city.

August tends to be the busiest summer month in Manchester. There are lots of festivals on in the city, and it also coincides with school holidays. For this reason accommodation can be substantially more expensive at this time of year.

For more information on the  best and worst time to visit England  here is a handy guide.

To put it bluntly Manchester in winter is pretty darn miserable. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t visit, it just means you need to be prepared. Rain is common at this time of year, so bring an umbrella at the very least.

Manchester in winter, is best for indoor activities like shopping, eating, and drinking. There are also plenty of museums you can visit.

The Manchester Christmas markets are one of the best attractions in the city over winter. They usually open mid November and finish just before Christmas. They essentially take up most of the city centre, with stalls selling all sorts of trinkets, as well as comfort food, and mulled wine. You also have ice skating rinks, and Christmas themed bars dotted around the city in December.

Apart from your standard packing list here are some must haves for any trip to Manchester.

• Comfortable walking shoes
• Weather appropriate clothing
• Umbrella/ waterproof coat

Here are some final tips for visiting Manchester.

• If you want to save some money on accommodation we recommend visiting on a Wednesday or Thursday night.
• Book your accommodation well in advance for the best rates.
• And book any restaurant reservations in advance too.
• Some bars and restaurants are closed on Monday and Tuesday so keep that in mind if visiting earlier in the week.
• The weather in Manchester can be quite unpredictable, and you can get sunshine, rain, snow and wind all in a day.

Hopefully by now you have answered the question is Manchester worth visiting? But if not here is a final recap.

I know that we might be biased but we really do think Manchester is worth visiting. It’s a vibrant city that is really starting to make its mark on the English food and drink scene. On top of that the people are welcoming, and it’s very laid back. If you are looking for a fun option for a UK city break, or long weekend, we highly recommend Manchester.

Hopefully this guide has inspired you to visit Manchester, and if so you can pin it below for later.

Want more inspiration here is a guide to the best day trips from Manchester .

Happy Travels!

Wanderlust and Life is a blog for those that love to travel.

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The top 12 things to do in Manchester

Oct 5, 2022 • 7 min read

Manchester is a famously queer-friendly city especially the village around Canal Street © trabantos / Getty Images

Mancunians are fiercely proud of their city. And rightly so as the ever-growing metropolis houses an impressive collection of attractions, with options to appease even the most cultured visitors. 

It’s not just football and great music, either. Awesome art galleries, museums with free entry and all manner of festivals are possible contenders for your itinerary. Not sure where to start? Here’s just a snapshot of the best things to do in Manchester. 

1. Go to a gig

The Madchester years may be over and the Haçienda long gone (or, rather, remodeled as a block of flats), but Manchester ’s musical spirit remains very much alive. The city has nurtured numerous bands over the years and still plays host to countless live music venues.

Attending a gig is easily one of the best things to do in Manchester at night. Band on the Wall and the Deaf Institute showcase an eclectic mix of up-and-coming acts, while the MEN Arena is the domain of globally renowned superstars. You could also treat your ears to free live jazz at friendly neighborhood bar Matt and Phreds or listen to classical masterpieces courtesy of the Hallé Orchestra at Bridgewater Hall . 

Detour: The Science and Industry Museum's Turn It Up: The power of music exhibit lets visitors get hands-on with music making, with displays that include odd and groundbreaking instruments and a space to create your own masterpiece.

2. Explore the Northern Quarter

Manchester’s hippest neighborhood sits a stone’s throw from Piccadilly Gardens and offers numerous refreshing alternatives to the chain cafes and high street stores of nearby Market Street. 

As well as being adorned with thought-provoking street art, the Northern Quarter’s red brick buildings are filled with vintage clothing shops, indie record stores and quirky themed bars. 

Some of the best restaurants in Manchester can be found here, too. Head to Northern Soul Grilled Cheese for a cheap and indulgently cheesy lunch. You could also join the queue for a table at Aussie-run brunch spot, Federal , where great coffee is served alongside plates piled high with smashed avocado, grilled halloumi and freshly-baked sourdough toast.

Local tip: With lots of boutique hotels and situated in a convenient location, the Northern Quarter is also a good place to stay in Manchester.

3. Indulge your inner football fan

Manchester is the home of not one, but two legendary football teams. Whether your loyalties lie with Manchester City or Manchester United , you’ll find much to entertain you at the National Football Museum . Tucked behind the cathedral, it’s the biggest museum of its kind and one of the most popular attractions in Manchester. 

Local Tip: Rather see a ball being kicked across the pitch? The Premier League season kicks off in early September, with matches hosted at both the Etihad Stadium and Old Trafford. Pick up tickets for as little as £20 or go inside Old Trafford during a private stadium tour. 

4. Tick off some museums

There’s no shortage of ways to spend a day in Manchester. With no fewer than ten museums located within the city limits, it’s an excellent place to expand your knowledge on a range of different subjects. 

Learn about the Suffragette Movement at the Pankhurst Centre or uncover the city’s natural history at the Manchester Museum . The Imperial War Museum North in Salford Quays is as educational and evocative as its London counterpart. 

Visiting with kids? The Science and Industry Museum is hands down one of the best things to do in Manchester as a family. It’s lodged inside the oldest railway terminus in the world and has some brilliant interactive exhibits, including astronaut virtual reality experiences for wannabe space explorers. 

5. John Rylands Library

The John Rylands Library – with its Gothic facade and dramatic interiors that wouldn’t look out of place in a Sherlock Holmes mystery – is more than just a giant storehouse for rare books. It’s stood on the same spot on Deansgate since the 1890s and is probably the city’s most impressive heritage site. 

A visit to the library is one of the best things to do in Manchester, whether you’re a certified bookworm or not. Entry is free and it’ll take you less than an hour to admire its wood-paneled reading rooms, sweeping stone staircases and glass cases filled with fading, antique papyrus. 

6. Eat your way around the city

If you take away one piece of advice, let it be this: always come to Manchester with an appetite. The city has some serious culinary credentials, spanning Michelin-starred fine dining to vegan-friendly fast food. Mouth-watering global cuisine is always on the menu, too. 

Ancoats (the Northern Quarter’s equally cool neighbor) is Manchester’s unofficial Little Italy and where you’ll be able to gorge on stonebaked pizza and other carb-heavy delights. For fragrant ramen and delectable dim sum, the brightly decorated restaurants of Chinatown are your best bet. 

Local Tip: Searching for a cozy Sunday lunch spot? Book a table at Sam’s Chop House . It’s one of the best pubs in Manchester and still has the same moody Victorian decor as it did when it opened in 1868.

7. Check out the city’s craft beer scene

Manchester is swiftly catching up with the capital when it comes to craft beer. A good chunk of its breweries (many of them with onsite bars) lie a short walk from Manchester Piccadilly station. This includes trendy Cloudwater Brewing Co and the slightly more rustic Alphabet Brewing Company.

Detour: Prefer a G&T? The Manchester Gin distillery behind the Odeon Great Northern offers terrific tasting tours. 

8. Hit up a market

Sucker for a good market? Manchester has plenty. Foodies will be thoroughly satisfied with the treats on offer at Altrincham Market and Mackie Mayor in the Northern Quarter. If it's vintage treasures you’re seeking, make a beeline for eclectic Afflecks on Church Street. There’s also the Didsbury Maker’s Market – an emporium of locally made gifts and crafts – which sets up shop just off Burton Road on the last Sunday of every month. 

9. Salford Quays

Looking for things to do outside Manchester City Center? Hop on the tram and head for Salford Quays. The modern waterfront district is on the site of the former Manchester Docks and serves as the home of the BBC and ITV in the North. You’ll spot their studio buildings in the aptly named MediaCityUK .

Directly opposite is The Quays, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex. Within it is the Lowry , one of the top-performing arts centers in the region, and Salford Water Sports Centre where you can hire paddleboards or kayaks to explore the surrounding canals. 

10. Attend one of Manchester’s many festivals

No matter the season , there’s bound to be a festival to take your fancy. Mancunians love to celebrate, whether that’s by heading en masse to Heaton Park for the Parklife music festival or by lining the streets of the Gay Village for the annual Pride parade. 

You could also enjoy avant-garde film screenings and immersive performance art at the biannual Manchester International Festival or join in with the Lunar New Year festivities in Manchester’s Chinatown in early February.

11. Take a dip at Victoria Baths

This early Edwardian swimming pool turned cultural events venue is worth trekking up Oxford Road for. Victoria Baths first opened in 1906, and it’s managed to retain its period beauty. Original tiles cover the walls of the entrance hall, while powder blue changing cubicles with red and white striped curtains line the edge of the female baths.

The long-term goal is to refurbish it as a public pool and Turkish bath. For now, though, Victoria Baths is open for tours between March and September.

Local tip: Various events are held throughout the year too, including the Vintage Home Show in June and a pop-up festive cinema in December.

12. Embark on an art-themed tour of the city

Art fanatics will be in their element in Manchester. The Whitworth Art Gallery ’s collections are vast and include prints by Renoir and Cezanne, as well as a room dedicated entirely to wonderfully colorful wallpaper. 

Back in the city center, Manchester Art Gallery is a haven for fine art aficionados and usually has a fantastic temporary modern art exhibition. You could also browse bold works with hefty price tags at Castle Fine Art Gallery on King Street. 

Local tip: After a unique date idea? Leisurely uncovering the street art of the Northern Quarter and Ancoats – preferably with a coffee in hand – is one of our top things to do in Manchester as a couple.

This article was first published Apr 21, 2022 and updated Oct 5, 2022.

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• United Kingdom
• Ten Reasons Everyone Should Visit...

10 Reasons Everyone Should Visit Manchester at Least Once

If you haven’t already spent time in the northern powerhouse, what are you waiting for? Manchester is one of the most vibrant cities in England, throbbing with creativity, full of interesting architecture and home to possibly the most famous football club in the world. There truly is something for everyone in this industrial city – and we promise that it doesn’t always rain!

There’s not just one hip neighbourhood.

You’ve probably heard about the Northern Quarter , the creative hub in the centre of the city boasting colourful street art, independent shops and plenty of bars selling craft beer. This hipster haven isn’t the only cool neighbourhood in the city, however. Right next door you’ll find up-and-coming Ancoats , filled with great places to eat and drink and touted for great things by the international press. Hop on a tram and you can explore the bohemian suburb of Chorlton, bustling West Didsbury and foodie-favourite Altrincham.

Mancunians Know How to Party

It’s a foodie paradise.

Mancunians seem to love their food with no end of choices when it comes to eating out in the city centre. Whether you fancy Italian, Indian or Chinese, Manchester’s restaurant scene is thriving, with a variety of street food markets popping up all across the city for a more relaxed atmosphere. Make sure you pop over to Altrincham market to experience one of the best food markets in the entire country.

The City is Surrounded by Beautiful Landscapes

If you get sick of the city streets, Manchester’s unique location places it as the perfect base for exploring vast moors, towering mountains, beautiful coastlines and green forests. The Peak District, Pennines, Yorkshire Dales, Lake District and North Wales are all within a short drive of the city centre, offering endless opportunities for walking and exploring.

It’s Friendly up North

It’s true what they say, Northerners are a friendly and welcoming bunch and Mancunians are no exception. You’ll find a warm community who are more than willing to offer directions, share recommendations and chat to you on the bus. Just don’t ask your new friends if they support United or City.

http://instagram.com/p/BTv19bbguVy/?taken-at=213991045

It’s the Home of the World’s Greatest Football Team

Whether or not you support Manchester United , you have to admit that they are probably the most famous football team in the entire world. Wherever you travel, as soon as you mention you are from Manchester it is the first thing people bring up. If you’re interested at all in football, a visit to Old Trafford stadium isn’t the only attraction that awaits you in Manchester. The National Football Museum recently relocated to the city centre and is a must-visit for all fans of the beautiful game.

The Arts Scene Rivals London

Think you have to head to the capital to wander around a top-class gallery? Think again! Not only does Manchester have an interesting scattering of independent galleries, open studio tours and pop-up exhibitions, it’s also home to the award-winning Whitworth Gallery. Located in the middle of a park on the Oxford Road corridor, this recently reopened gallery hosts a rotating series of exhibitions by iconic artists such as Andy Warhol and Cornelia Parker.

It’s a Great City for Music Lovers

Those with their heads stuck firmly in the past should flock to Manchester to visit the iconic Salford Lad’s Club or to wander past the site of the Hacienda. Anyone more interested in the current music scene will find delight in Manchester’s many music venues, ranging from huge arenas to beautifully restored music halls (such as The Albert Hall and The Deaf Institute) and small local-favourites such as The Castle Hotel.

The Christmas Markets are the Best in England

If you want to get into the festive spirit, there’s no better place in the UK than Manchester’s Christmas markets. Now spanning all across the city, the markets may be overpriced and crowded but it’s all about grabbing a seat and spending a weekend afternoon sipping mulled wine, eating strudel and feeling festive.

You Can Shop Until you Drop

Whether you prefer designer department stores, high street stores or independent boutiques, Manchester has something for everyone. If you manage to tire of all the shops in the city centre, pop over to the Trafford Centre for fresh scenery or branch out in the suburbs to discover an intriguing array of independently owned boutiques .

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

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PERFECT One Day in Manchester Itinerary | A Day in Manchester with Lots of Options!

Categories England , Itinerary , Manchester , U.K

Here is a perfect plan for one day in Manchester with lots of options depending on what YOU want from a day in Manchester!

One of the great things about Manchester is how compact the city is and therefore how easy it is to see a lot with just 1 day in Manchester !

There are so many different areas and things to do in Manchester city centre but much of the city is easy to explore on foot and great transport links make it easy to visit nearby places to the city centre such as The Trafford Centre and the 2 Manchester Football Stadiums !

After living in Manchester for a while, I wanted to give you my recommended perfect 1 day Manchester itinerary taking you from the morning all the way to night time, filled with the best places to visit in Manchester and the best things to do !

One Day in Manchester

Another one of the best things about Manchester is its diversity!

Diversity in people, activities and areas so in this Manchester travel blog and Manchester itinerary,

I’ve given you a few options of ways you can spend your day as you might want to spend the whole day in the city seeing museums, the shops and eating , or, you might want to visit one of the two world-famous football stadiums or the pretty famous Trafford Centre for shopping, and eating!

Find What You're Looking For Easily Here!

🇬🇧MANCHESTER TRAVEL RESOURCES🇬🇧

🏘️Book your accommodation in MCR

Booking.com and Hostelworld will help you to check availability in advance and book!

🚘Get your car rental from MCR Airport

in advance to make your trip more convenient. I always use you can use Rentalcars !

🚆Book your train tickets

to & from Manchester using The Trainline including to and from the airport!

⚽️Get your tickets and guided tours

to Manchesters top attractions with Viator and GetYourGuide !

✈️Flying into Manchester

and haven’t booked flights yet? Book them on Skyscanner now!

My Perfect One Day in Manchester

I’ll give you more Manchester itinerary options below with lots more detail but incase you’re in a rush, here is what my perfect day in Manchester would look like:

• Breakfast / Brunch in a cool cafe in the city like Ezra & Gil
• Walk around the Science & Industry Museum & Manchester Art Gallery
• Visit in St Peter’s Square, Manchester Library, John Ryland’s Library
• Lunch at one of the Food Markets like Mackie Major
• Post-Lunch Coffee in a hipster Northern Quarter cafe like Fig & Sparrow
• Wander around the independent Northern Quarter Shops
• Shopping near the Arndale Shopping Centre – including Selfridges
• Take a look at Manchester Cathedral
• Dinner on Wilmslow Road aka Curry Mile
• Evening Event / See a Show in the City Centre

Getting To Manchester

Manchester is really well connected by air, train and bus.

Flying into Manchester

Manchester Airport is just south of the city and is connected by train and tram to the city centre by a 20-30 minute journey, making landing and getting into the city pretty quick and easy.

Plan your journey from Manchester Airport into the City with Transport for Greater Manchester .

Related post: 10 Things To Do Near Manchester Airport! 10 Minutes from the Airport!

Train into Manchester

Doing a day trip to Manchester from another city in the UK is a great idea. You can even do a day trip to Manchester from London if you book the 2-hour train. Manchester Picadilly is the main train station but there’s also Manchester Victoria.

Check The Train Line for trains to Manchester!

Want to spend a day in Manchester and another day near Manchester? Here are the best day trips from Manchester!

Bus to Manchester

Manchester is served by the National Express and Megabus which are affordable ways to travel to Manchester.

The journeys do take longer so if you are travelling from another city for just a day in Manchester, check how long the bus will be vs the train which will probably be quicker.

Getting Around Manchester

Once in Manchester City Centre, the city is very walkable however to help you get around the city quicker and save your feet, there is a tram and bus system.

The best way to look into the trams and buses around Manchester City Centre is on the Transport for Greater Manchester website.

The following tram stops are all in the city centre and great to start your exploring from:

• St Peters Square
• Piccadilly Gardens
• Piccadilly Station
• Market Street
• Exchange Square

A Day in Manchester

Ok now let’s get into ways to spend a day in Manchester and how to visit Manchester in one day:

One Day Manchester Itinerary

Morning – Breakfast at one of the many nice cafes in the city centre

Manchester is not short of breakfast and brunch options ! The Northern Quarte r is full of independent cafes as is the trendy area of Ancoats , and there are plenty of places near the Library and Town Hall .

On the weekends, you’ll see Mancunians queuing for brunch so if you’re spending your 1 day in Manchester on a weekday, take advantage of the lack of queues.

I personally really like Ezra & Gil , Another Heart to Feed, Foundation Coffee House and Evelyn’s Cafe .

Mid-Morning – A Museum or two

Manchester doesn’t have as many museums as London but there are a few to visit.

Manchester Museum is like a Natural History Museum which is the most popular I’d say followed by the Science Museum.

The Science & Industry Museum is one of the great things to do in Manchester with kids . It’s very interactive for children and educational for adults , especially regarding the cotton industry which is what Manchester grew on so if you are new to the UK or Manchester, this is a great place to learn about Manchester’s past.

If you’re into art, Manchester Art Gallery is a lovely building to visit and well located close to Manchester Library and St Peters Square.

For Harry Potter vibes in Manchester City Centre , pop into John Rylands Library , it’s a beautiful building inside and fee to enter! It’s one of the great Manchester Instagram spots !

In this area is also Chinatown so if you’re craving Bubble Tea in Manchester, you’ll find some here!

MY PERFECT PLAN: You could easily go for Breakfast at Ezra & Gil , head over to the Science Museum and walk back to Manchester Library. You’ll see St Peter’s Square and the beautiful hotel that is The Midland on route and go to Manchester Art Gallery afterwards.

Mid-Morning Alternative Option – Free Walking Tour

Last summer I did a free walking tour with Free Manchester Walking Tours and it was really great!

They meet at 11:00 in Sackville Gardens (rain or shine) so this will give you time to get into the city and over the next 3 hours you’ll walk around a lot of the city and learn too!

I really enjoyed learning about Manchesters History and visiting spots I’d never seen or heard of before and the guides are enthusiastic about Manchester.

You don’t need to book which is great as you can decide on the day and don’t have to commit and then cancel!

Mid-Morning Alternative Option – Manchester United or Manchester City Stadium Tour

If football is the only thing you can think about when you think of Manchester, you have to book onto a stadium tour at Old Trafford or a tour of the Etihad Stadium .

These tours do not run every day as they depend on the matches and other events but on days they do run, they offer time slots from 10:00 and they are a great way to spend one day in Manchester!

I recently did the Manchester United’s Stadium Tour with my stepsons and although we are not big football fans, we really enjoyed it. Here’s my full review!

Check availability and book the Old Trafford Stadium Tour here!

Check availability and book the Etihad Stadium Tour here!

Lunchtime – Find a market for lunch

There are endless places to eat in Manchester and again, one of the reasons I love Manchester so much is the diversity in food !

Be sure to read my post for the best halal food in Manchester if you are looking for a halal lunch!

Manchester City Centre has a few inside food markets which are a great way to see how cool and edgy the city is in places.

Plus, if you are spending a day in Manchester with friends, food markets are a great way for everyone eat different things but you can still sit together.

MY PERFECT PLAN: I recommend having lunch in Mackie Major or Society MCR .

Afternoon – Explore different areas of the city

If there are 2 area’s of Manchester City Centre I recommend you visit, they are the Northern Quarter and Ancoats and this is where I suggest going after lunch.

Both areas are very edgy and hip. The Northern Quarter (often shortened to NQ) is full of independent cafes and shops with a focus on vintage shops .

Afflecks in the Northern Quarter is a bit of an institution . It’s like an inside market over multiple levels with lots of independent stores. The clothing and items are not my type of thing but the place has a good buzz about it so it’s fun to pop inside, and it’s definitely a good place for teenagers to visit in Manchester!

See if you can spot the famous ‘And on the sixth day God made MANchester sign’!

Ancoats is an up and coming trendy neighbourhood . It’s known for it’s food and drink scene but I also love the old red brick buildings in the area which once would have been factory mills. Here are the best things to do in Ancoats .

A afternoon coffee or drink here is definitely a good idea!

Get a look at Manchester with a guide, or book the hop-on hop-off bus if you’d rather not walk around the city yourself!

Afternoon Alternative – Shop in The Trafford Centre

Old Trafford and The Trafford Centre are 2 places most people think about when they think of Manchester.

The Trafford Centre is a great place to go shopping in Manchester , it doesn’t have the BEST shops imo, but it does have some good ones. It has a lot of nice places to eat in the food court , and the interior of The Trafford Centre is certainly something to be witnessed !

You can get to The Trafford Centre by bus or tram from the city centre if you do not have a car and if the weather is not good enough for wandering the city , or you want to see this famous Manchester institution, spending a few hours here is a great addition to your one day in Manchester.

There are lots of activities and attractions within The Trafford Centre and Trafford Park, I’ve detailed many of them here in this list of family attractions in Manchester , think Legoland, Sealife Centre, indoor Skiing & Snowboarding, indoor Skydiving, Rock Climbing and mini Dinosaur golf!

Legoland and Sea Life and located within The Trafford Centre and good activities to keep children happy during their one day in Manchester!

MY PERFECT PLAN : After exploring the city in the morning and having lunch, get the bus or tram to The Trafford Centre for a few hours of shopping. Go to Archies in the food court and get burgers for dinner (another Manchester institution), or head back into the city for dinner.

Evening – Go to the Curry Mile for Dinner

As I’ve mentioned a few times in this guide to a day in Manchester, Manchester is a diverse city which can be seen in it’s food, and one of the best places to eat in Manchester is along Wilmslow Road , also known as the ‘Curry Mile’ .

This is a stretch of road just outside the city centre full of Arab and Asian restaurants varying in budget and what they offer.

If you’re craving some Indian, Pakistani, Turkish food, or you want to try a new cuisine like Afghan, Iranian, Yemeni or Syrian, head here!

Evening Alternative – Have a fancy Dinner in the city

Manchester City Centre is full of really nice restaurants too if you want a fancy dinner during your one day in Manchester.

Some restaurants which offer high quality food , a nice atmosphere and where you can dress up a bit are:

• Australasia
• Rump N Ribs Steakhouse
• Don Giovanni

Late Evening – Check out a band or theatre performance

Manchester has a great evening entertainment scene. Whether you want to head to the bars , see a band or watch a show , there’s always a lot of things to do in Manchester in the evening.

Here’s What’s On in Manchester right now , and what’s on at the Palace Theatre which is the biggest Theatre in Manchester with many world class West End shows!

Best Hotels in Manchester

Ending your day in Manchester, based on my staycations in the city, here are the hotels I love the best in Manchester:

• Wilde Aparthotels – $$ ( Read my review here )
• The Midland – $$$
• Dakota – $$$
• Kimpton Clocktower – $$$
• Native Manchester – $$
• Leonardo Hotel – $$

I hope this has helped you plan your one day in Manchester with a variety of things to do in Manchester in one day and places to visit!

• For more of my Manchester posts see:
• 22 Day Trips from Manchester!
• 25+ FUN Family Days Out IN Manchester
• 23+ Fun Family Days Out NEAR Manchester
• BEST Halal Restaurants in Manchester | ULTIMATE Guide to Halal Food Manchester!
• Review | Manchester United Museum & Stadium Tour! How Good is it?
• Review | Wilde Aparthotels Manchester! Budget Friendly, Central, Stylish!

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York is a superb historic city - it deserves 3 nights. (And it fits in well with getting to Whitby). Almost a must-do IMO.

Leeds underwhelms me, I usually avoid it.

I'd go for York if you want old England, Manchester if you want a taste of the city.

Also, explore transport connections. I can't imagine that Manchester > Whitby is a straightforward journey, whereas York > Whitby will be an easy ride over the Moors by bus.

I would avoid Leeds, though.

York gets my vote as well.

York, Durham, Whitby & Lake District are all fabulous places!

Liverpool has two huge cathedrals, lots of gorgeous Georgian streets & has more to do than both Manchester or Leeds.

Nearby is Chester which is lovely. Lancaster, Ludlow, Shrewsbury also very nice places. I'm also a big fan of Llandudno/Conwy in North Wales which are beautiful.

If you're in Durham, you may like to visit Northumbria (Bamburgh, Alnwick, Dunstanburgh, Holy Island), which is about an hour drive North. It's a very magical part of the world!

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Manchester Hotels and Places to Stay

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Manchester Travel Guide

Last Updated: September 1, 2023

Manchester is one of England’s underrated cities, often overlooked by international tourists in favor of cosmopolitan London . However, the city punches well above its weight when it comes to things to see and do and is worth spending a few days exploring.

Manchester boomed in the 19th century during the Industrial Revolution, becoming the world’s first industrialized city and home to the world’s first inter-city passenger railway station. Many writers of the time wrote important works here about industrialization and its effect on daily life, leading Manchester to become a UNESCO City of Literature.

As manufacturing eventually disappeared overseas, Manchester faced a steep decline.

Fortunately, Manchester today has been revitalized. It’s home to picturesque historic streets, some of the trendiest restaurants outside London, and a thriving business district. The city is most famous for its football (soccer) teams (it has two — Manchester United and Man City — and there’s a big rivalry between the two sides).

Manchester is a city that should not be overlooked. You can easily spend 2-3 days here and not be bored.

This Manchester travel guide can help you plan your trip, save money, and make the most out of your time here.

Table of Contents

• Things to See and Do
• Typical Costs
• Suggested Budget
• Money-Saving Tips
• Where to Stay
• How to Get Around
• How to Stay Safe
• Best Places to Book Your Trip
• Related Blogs on Manchester

Top 5 Things to See and Do in Manchester

1. Visit the Manchester Art Gallery

This gallery has a sizable collection of Victorian works, including one of the UK’s main collections of Pre-Raphaelite paintings. The main building that houses the museum is 200 years old. Within the museum you can take in over 2,000 oil paintings, 3,000 drawings and watercolors, sculptures, and other decorative objects. There’s also an extensive collection of costumes from 1600 to the present day. Admission is free.

2. See the Godlee Observatory

Built in 1902, this observatory is one of Manchester’s most interesting attractions. The reflective telescope housed here is original, and still fully operational, having survived the bombing of the city during World War II. The observatory was gifted to the University of Manchester by Francis Godlee and the roof is actually made from papier-mâché. It sits high above Manchester University on the top of a gothic style tower. During the historic moon landing, scientists at the tiny observation dome viewed a dangerous crater and were able to warn the astronauts of the potential threat. The Manchester Astronomical Society hosts weekly educational talks.

3. Hang out in Albert Square

Albert Square is one of the best spots for people-watching in Manchester. It’s surrounded by impressive architecture, including the Victorian Gothic-style Manchester Town Hall with its iconic 87 meter (285 foot) clock tower. The square itself is full of historic monuments like the Albert Memorial, a marble statue of the Prince Consort erected in the 1860s after he died of typhoid. During the summer, the square hosts many big festivals and events. In winter, you’ll find the famous Manchester Christmas Market here.

4. See Manchester Cathedral

While there has been a church on the same spot since 700 CE, the current Gothic cathedral was heavily restored in the 20th century following damage from World War II. One of the most interesting religious artifacts housed within the cathedral is the Angel Stone, a carving of an angel with a scroll that was uncovered in the wall of the cathedral. Experts believe that the carving dates to the year 700 CE. Pay attention to the interior woodwork, with its hidden symbols and icons representing medieval tales and legends.

5. Catch a football match

Home to two of England’s top Premier League teams (Manchester United and Man City), you can’t come to Manchester and not see a football game. The two teams are rivals, and both have strong supporters, so catching a game is a lively experience. Old Trafford is a famous place to catch a game, and the home field for Manchester United, but on non-game days you can take behind the scenes tours. Buy your tickets early as they often sell out. Ticket prices vary but expect to pay at least 38 GBP.

Other Things to See and Do in Manchester

1. take a free walking tour.

One of the first things I do when I get to a new city is to take a free walking tour. They’re the best way to see the main sights and connect with an expert local guide who can answer all your questions. Free Manchester Walking Tours offers insightful daily tours to help you explore the city on a budget. Just be sure to tip your guide at the end!

2. Explore the University of Manchester

More than just a beautiful campus to walk through, the university is also the place where the first computer was built, where radio astronomy (the study of space using radio waves) was created, and where the atom was first split. Several buildings on campus (the Manchester Museum, Whitworth Art Gallery, John Rylands Library, and Jodrell Bank Observatory) comprise a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Be sure to visit the Manchester Museum as it’s free to enter and boasts a permanent collection of over four million objects, including dinosaur skeletons, mummies from Ancient Egypt, and scientific equipment from Charles Darwin and Alan Turning. The museum also hosts regular events and special exhibitions (check the website for details).

3. Walk along Curry Mile

Curry Mile gets its name from the many great Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, and Bangladeshi eateries along this stretch of Wilmslow Road. In fact, it’s thought to be the largest concentration of South Asian restaurants outside of the Indian subcontinent. Take a stroll along the street lined not only with restaurants but other shops selling wares like saris and jewelry. If you are looking to grab a bite to eat, one of the most popular restaurants along Curry Mile is Mughli.

4. Stroll down Market Street

Partially a pedestrian-only zone, Market Street is one of Manchester’s main retail streets. At the northwest corner of Piccadilly Gardens, Market Street is a short stretch of bustling activity day and night. Between the Gardens and the nightlife-heavy Deansgate, you’ll find many retail shops, cheap eateries, and street performers. This section is especially popular with Manchester’s younger population. Come here to people-watch, browse, and get a feel for the city.

5. Visit Castlefield

The Castlefield neighborhood is filled with canals, green spaces, and millennia of history, leading to its designation as the UK’s first urban heritage park. History buffs will enjoy visiting the site of Mamucium, the original Roman settlement that gave Manchester its name. Now, the area is a favorite hangout for Manchester’s alternative scene, with popular venues like Rebellion in the bustling Deansgate Locks area. The famous Haçienda warehouse nightclub was located just further along the Rochdale Canal when it was open in the 1980s and 1990s. Its former location is part of the current Manchester LGBT Heritage Trail.

6. Walk the Manchester LGBT Heritage Trail

The LGBTQ scene in Manchester is one of the best in England. This self-guided trail, also known as the Out in the Past Trail, can be followed by keeping an eye out for rainbow tiles placed on the sidewalk in front of historical LGBTQ sites throughout Manchester. For a taste of the city’s gay nightlife, visit Canal Street, a pedestrian-heavy spot of LGBTQ bars, clubs, restaurants, and cafes. Manchester also hosts numerous LGBTQ festivals such as Sparkle (a transgender celebration week), the British Bear Bash, and Manchester Pride, which is one of the biggest pride events in the UK.

7. Experience the nightlife

Manchester’s club scene is one of the biggest in England. Many big names, such as The Chemical Brothers and Daft Punk, started out playing at Manchester venues like Sankey’s (now closed) and FAC 251. Visit the Deansgate Locks for a rowdy row of swanky clubs and sports bars set inside the railway arches. Nearby, Oxford Road is home to several cool nightlife spots, including the Gorilla Club, which regularly hosts live music. Visit the Gay Village, mostly along Canal Street, where you’ll find all the gay and lesbian clubs, including G.A.Y. (great for a cheap night out) or the lively gay pub The Thompson’s Arms. For more alternative and edgier bars and clubs, head out to the bohemian Northern Quarter. The former industrial area has been transformed into a cultural hub with bars, clubs, and secret underground parties.

8. Visit Sackville Gardens

Bordered on one side by the Gay Village’s Canal Street, the Sackville Gardens is a small park with a few important historical monuments, including the Alan Turing memorial. Turing, known as the “father of modern computing” and a gay icon, lived and worked in Manchester and had an instrumental role in cracking the famous Enigma code (the code used by the Nazis in World War II). Also in the garden is the Transgender Remembrance Memorial honoring transgender victims of violence. A third LGBTQ memorial, the Beacon of Home, is the UK’s only permanent memorial for people living with HIV or AIDS and lives lost to the disease.

9. Explore the People’s History Museum

Located in a former pumping station, the People’s History Museum showcases Britain’s battle for democracy over two centuries through historical displays of working-class life. This includes a fascinating interactive display that follows these historic events’ impact on five generations of the same family. Rotating exhibitions feature socially relevant themes such as climate protests, immigration, and worker rights. Admission is free, with a suggested donation of 5 GBP.

For more information on other cities in England, check out these guides:

• Bath Travel Guide
• Brighton Travel Guide
• Bristol Travel Guide
• Cambridge Travel Guide
• Liverpool Travel Guide
• London Travel Guide
• Oxford Travel Guide

Manchester Travel Costs

Hostel prices – Hostels are expensive here. A bed in a dorm with 6-8 beds costs around 50 GBP per night. A basic twin private room for two people with a shared bathroom costs around 100 GBP per night. Free Wi-Fi is standard and most hostels offer either free breakfast or self-catering facilities.

Campgrounds are plentiful outside the city, though you may need a vehicle to reach them. If you have a tent, they cost between 10-20 GBP per night for a basic plot without electricity.

Budget hotel prices – Budget two-star hotels start from 60-85 GBP per night. Expect basic amenities like free Wi-Fi, TV, and coffee/tea makers.

There are lots of Airbnb options in Manchester, with private rooms costing about 35-50 GBP per night. An entire home/apartment averages around 60-90 GBP per night. Expect prices to double if you don’t book early.

Food – While British cuisine has evolved in leaps and bounds due to immigration (and colonialism), it’s still very much a meat and potatoes country. Fish and chips remain a popular staple for both lunch and dinner while roasted and stewed meats, sausages, meat pies, and the quintessential Yorkshire pudding are all common options as well. Curry (and other Indian dishes, such as tikka masala), are super popular too.

To eat out as cheaply as possible, stick to the cafes and pubs, where you can eat a lunch of fish and chips for around 8 GBP. Fast food (think McDonald’s) costs around 6 GBP for a combo meal.

There are a lot of food stalls in and around Piccadilly Gardens, and if you walk north through the Northern Quarter you’ll be able to find lots of different cheap eateries. Try Northern Soul Grilled Cheese for artisanal grilled cheese sandwiches for around 7 GBP. Chinatown is another great spot to find good deals on food. Expect to pay around 10-12 GBP for a main dish.

A meal at a casual restaurant serving Indian or traditional cuisine costs around 15 GBP. If you want to splurge and get a three-course meal and a drink, expect to pay at least 30 GBP.

A pint of beer costs 4.50 GBP while a glass of wine is at least 6 GBP. A latte/cappuccino is around 3 GBP. Bottled water is around 1.30 GBP.

Manchester is filled with markets selling local and fresh meats, cheeses, wine, fruits, and vegetables. If you choose to cook and take advantage of these markets, a week’s worth of groceries costs 40-60 GBP. This gets you basic staples like pasta, rice, seasonal produce, and some meat.

Backpacking Manchester Suggested Budgets

If you’re backpacking Manchester, expect to spend about 70 GBP per day. This budget covers a private Airbnb room (which is cheaper than a hostel currently), taking public transit to get around, cooking most of your meals, limiting your drinking, and doing mostly free activities like free walking tours and free museum visits. If you plan on drinking, add 5-10 GBP to your budget per day.

A mid-range budget of about 150 GBP per day covers staying in a private Airbnb or private hostel room, eating out for most of your meals, taking the occasional taxi, having a drink or two, and doing more paid activities like watching a soccer game.

On a “luxury” budget of about 290 GBP or more per day, you can stay in a hotel, eat out anywhere you want, drink more, rent a car or take more taxis, and do as many tours and activities as you want. This is just the ground floor for luxury though. The sky is the limit!

You can use the chart below to get some idea of how much you need to budget daily, depending on your travel style. Keep in mind these are daily averages — some days you’ll spend more, some days you’ll spend less (you might spend less every day). We just want to give you a general idea of how to make your budget. Prices are in GBP.

Manchester Travel Guide: Money-Saving Tips

Manchester is a great destination for budget travelers. The free museums, numerous cheap eats, and plentiful budget accommodation make it easy to have a lot of fun on a small budget. Here are my top ways to save even more money when you visit Manchester:

• Eat out for lunch but in for dinner – If there’s one consistency in food prices in England, it’s that the best deals can be found by eating pub lunches. While dinners can cost upwards of 25 GBP, you can normally find lunch in a pub for 10-15 GBP or less. Because of the big university population in Manchester, you’ll also find a lot of small restaurants offering set lunch prices at a great deal. Eat your lunches out, and cook your own dinners.
• Take the bus – Manchester offers free transport around the city via their “free bus” service, which links to the main rail stations, shopping areas, and other businesses in the city center.
• Stay with a local – If you want to save money and get some local insight into the city, use Couchsurfing . Staying with a local is the best way to get a feel for the city and learn some insider tips. Just make sure to send your requests early.
• Take a free walking tour – If you want to get a sense of the city, try a free walking tour. You’ll learn the history of Manchester while getting to explore on foot. Tours usually last a couple of hours. Just be sure to tip!
• Bring a water bottle – The tap water here is safe to drink so bring a reusable water bottle to save money and reduce your plastic use. LifeStraw is my go-to brand as their bottles have built-in filters to ensure your water is always clean and safe.

Where to Stay in Manchester

Budget accommodation is limited in Manchester so be sure to plan ahead and book early. Here are my suggested places to stay in Manchester:

• YHA Manchester
• Rahman Piccadilly Hostel

How to Get Around Manchester

Public transportation – Manchester’s city center is easily walkable, though there’s also a free bus that runs Monday through Saturday until 10pm. Pick up a map of the free bus routes from your hostel, hotel, or one of the Manchester Visitor Information offices.

The city also has an above-ground tram system called Metrolink that connects to the outer neighborhoods. Single rides cost 1.40 GBP and a day pass is just 2.70 GBP for a single-zone pass and 7.10 GBP for the full four-zone pass.

To get from the airport to the city center, the quickest and easiest way is via the National Rail train service. Trains run every 10 minutes between Manchester Piccadilly and the airport. Train prices cost 3.20-8.20 GBP. Book in advance online to get the cheapest tickets.

Bicycle – Manchester’s bike sharing program, Beryl Bikes, has pedal bikes for 3.50 GBP per hour and e-bikes for 7 GBP.

There are also guided bike tour options, which includes bike rental. The city is very bike-friendly and there are cycle lanes and dedicated routes along most major roads in the city.

Taxi – Taxis are readily available, with prices starting at 2.30 GBP and going up around 2 GBP per mile. Given how expensive they are, I wouldn’t take one unless absolutely necessary.

Ridesharing – Uber is available in Manchester, but since the bus is free and the city is walkable, I’d skip them if you can.

Car rental – Car rentals can be found for as little as 25 GBP per day for a multi-day rental. Keep in mind you’ll be driving on the left and that most cars have a manual transmission. You don’t need a car to explore the city, however, it might be helpful if you want to explore the region. Renters need to be at least 21 years old.

When to Go to Manchester

As a northern England city, Manchester has cooler temperatures than London. Like most cities in the UK, expect some rainy days while you’re here.

Summer is the peak tourism season and offers the best weather, though temperatures rarely reach above 21°C (70°F). The summer season is also festival season, so look out for big events taking place as prices might go up and hostels may be full. Festivals like Picnic in the Park, Parklife, and Manchester Pride attract the largest crowds, so check their festival dates to make sure they don’t coincide with your travel plans (or else expect to pay premium rates).

Spring (April-May) and autumn (September-October) are also fantastic times to visit, as temperatures are mild and there are fewer crowds. The weather is still pleasant enough to enjoy the parks and explore on foot too.

Winter (late November to February) sees temperatures just above freezing (though they can dip below as well). While the sun sets early in Manchester during this time, it’s not unbearable, and the city is still bustling with life and activities (including the Christmas Market).

How to Stay Safe in Manchester

Manchester is pretty safe and the risk of violent crime here is low. Scams and pick-pocketing can occur around high traffic areas, especially in a lot of the nightlife scene, which is a big part of Manchester’s culture. Pickpockets tend to work in teams, so stay alert and be aware of your surroundings.

The Canal Street nightlife area has seen a recent rise in petty crimes, and the dark roads and alleys in the Northern Quarter may be uncomfortable to walk alone. Stay vigilant and aware.

Solo female travelers should generally feel safe here, however, the standard precautions apply (never leave your drink unattended at the bar, never walk home alone intoxicated, etc.).

Scams here are rare, however, if you’re worried about getting ripped off you can read about common travel scams to avoid here.

Fights over football teams are not uncommon, so try to avoid getting into debates or arguments with rival fans.

If you experience an emergency, dial 999 for assistance.

The most important piece of advice I can offer is to purchase good travel insurance. Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. You can use the widget below to find the policy right for you:

Manchester Travel Guide: The Best Booking Resources

These are my favorite companies to use when I travel. They consistently have the best deals, offer world-class customer service and great value, and overall, are better than their competitors. They are the companies I use the most and are always the starting point in my search for travel deals.

• Skyscanner – Skyscanner is my favorite flight search engine. They search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites tend to miss. They are hands down the number one place to start.
• Hostelworld – This is the best hostel accommodation site out there with the largest inventory, best search interface, and widest availability.
• Booking.com – The best all around booking site that constantly provides the cheapest and lowest rates. They have the widest selection of budget accommodation. In all my tests, they’ve always had the cheapest rates out of all the booking websites.
• HostelPass – This new card gives you up to 20% off hostels throughout Europe. It’s a great way to save money. They’re constantly adding new hostels too. I’ve always wanted something like this and glad it finallt exists.
• Get Your Guide – Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace for tours and excursions. They have tons of tour options available in cities all around the world, including everything from cooking classes, walking tours, street art lessons, and more!
• The Man in Seat 61 – This website is the ultimate guide to train travel anywhere in the world. They have the most comprehensive information on routes, times, prices, and train conditions. If you are planning a long train journey or some epic train trip, consult this site.
• Rome2Rio – This website allows you to see how to get from point A to point B the best and cheapest way possible. It will give you all the bus, train, plane, or boat routes that can get you there as well as how much they cost.
• FlixBus – Flixbus has routes between 20 European countries with prices starting as low 5 EUR! Their buses include WiFi, electrical outlets, a free checked bag.
• SafetyWing – Safety Wing offers convenient and affordable plans tailored to digital nomads and long-term travelers. They have cheap monthly plans, great customer service, and an easy-to-use claims process that makes it perfect for those on the road.
• LifeStraw – My go-to company for reusable water bottles with built-in filters so you can ensure your drinking water is always clean and safe.
• Unbound Merino – They make lightweight, durable, easy-to-clean travel clothing.
• Top Travel Credit Cards – Points are the best way to cut down travel expenses. Here’s my favorite point earning credit cards so you can get free travel!
• BlaBlaCar – BlaBlaCar is a ridesharing website that lets you share rides with vetted local drivers by pitching in for gas. You simply request a seat, they approve, and off you go! It’s a cheaper and more interesting way to travel than by bus or train!

Manchester Travel Guide: Related Articles

Want more info? Check out all the articles I’ve written on backpacking/traveling England and continue planning your trip:

The 14 Best Things to Do in Bristol

Where to Stay in London: The Best Neighborhoods for Your Visit

The 8 Best Hostels in London

How to Spend a Week in London

The 9 Best Walking Tour Companies in London

70+ Free Things to Do in London

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• Where To Stay
• Transportation
• Booking Resources
• Related Blogs

The 29 best views, scenic lookouts, and viewpoints in Manchester

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1 National Football Museum

2 IWM North

3 Manchester Museum

4 manchester art gallery, 5 manchester cathedral.

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Plan your trip. Keep your budget organized. Split the cost between tripmates. Wanderlog does it all.

6 Heaton Park

7 fletcher moss botanical gardens, 8 science and industry museum, 9 town hall, 10 people's history museum, 11 chetham's library, 12 salford museum & art gallery, 13 victoria baths, 14 manchester jewish museum, 15 old trafford.

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16 John Rylands Research Institute and Library

17 the lowry, 18 greater manchester police museum & archives, 19 piccadilly gardens, 20 museum of transport, greater manchester, 21 ordsall hall, 22 st mary's rc church (the hidden gem), 23 chorlton water park, 24 alan turing memorial, 25 reddish vale country park.

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26 Alexandra Park

27 beetham tower, 28 royal exchange theatre, 29 manchester city council, top searches in manchester, popular road trips from manchester, what's the weather like in manchester.

It depends on when you visit! We've compiled data from NASA on what the weather is like in Manchester for each month of the year: see the links below for more information.

• Weather in Manchester in January
• Weather in Manchester in February
• Weather in Manchester in March
• Weather in Manchester in April
• Weather in Manchester in May
• Weather in Manchester in June
• Weather in Manchester in July
• Weather in Manchester in August
• Weather in Manchester in September
• Weather in Manchester in October
• Weather in Manchester in November
• Weather in Manchester in December

All road trips from Manchester

• Manchester to London drive
• Manchester to Paris drive
• Manchester to Dublin drive
• Manchester to Edinburgh drive
• Manchester to York drive
• Manchester to Amsterdam drive
• Manchester to Barcelona drive
• Manchester to Rome drive
• Manchester to Birmingham drive
• Manchester to Berlin drive
• Manchester to Prague drive
• Manchester to Glasgow drive
• Manchester to Madrid drive
• Manchester to Brussels drive
• Manchester to Bath drive
• Manchester to Florence drive
• Manchester to Milan drive
• Manchester to Vienna drive
• Manchester to Belfast drive
• Manchester to Budapest drive
• Manchester to Llandudno drive
• Manchester to Cardiff drive
• Manchester to Venice drive
• Manchester to Lisbon drive
• Manchester to Bruges drive
• Manchester to Oxford drive
• Manchester to Scarborough drive
• Manchester to Lincoln drive
• Manchester to Brighton drive

Explore nearby places

• Trafford Park
• Wythenshawe
• West Timperley
• Ashton-under-Lyne

All related maps of Manchester

• Map of Manchester
• Map of Salford
• Map of Trafford Park
• Map of Stretford
• Map of Eccles
• Map of Failsworth
• Map of Prestwich
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• Map of Swinton
• Map of Sale
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• Map of Denton
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• Map of Stockport
• Map of Dukinfield
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• Map of West Timperley
• Map of Radcliffe
• Map of Oldham
• Map of Ashton-under-Lyne
• Map of Walkden
• Map of Hyde
• Map of Altrincham

Manchester throughout the year

• Manchester in January
• Manchester in February
• Manchester in March
• Manchester in April
• Manchester in May
• Manchester in June
• Manchester in July
• Manchester in August
• Manchester in September
• Manchester in October
• Manchester in November
• Manchester in December

Looking for day-by-day itineraries in Manchester?

Get inspired for your trip to Manchester with our curated itineraries that are jam-packed with popular attractions everyday! Check them out here:

• 1-Day Manchester Itinerary
• 2-Day Manchester Itinerary
• 3-Day Manchester Itinerary
• 4-Day Manchester Itinerary
• 5-Day Manchester Itinerary

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• Where to eat: the best restaurants in Stockport
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The 8 Best Things to Do in Manchester, England

Posted: December 12, 2023 | Last updated: December 12, 2023

Photo by Billie Cohen

Manchester, England, is gorgeous. It’s a fairy-tale city of spires, red-brick Victorian buildings, squares lined with restaurants and pubs, and old universities accented with pops of modern architecture . A canal runs through most of it, with restored tow-paths alongside. Despite this, the northern England city is mostly associated with a limited range of things: rain, its Manchester United and Manchester City football teams, its industrial economy, Oasis, and rain. And if that’s all you know, you’re missing out. For decades, the university city (it has five!) has been deliberately, intentionally, slowly expanding and elevating its cultural cred—and making a huge effort to support arts and culture. Now, that work is coming to fruition, and there’s never been a better time to visit. That’s one of the main reasons we chose it as one of AFAR’s picks for Where to Go in 2024 . Here are eight more reasons to venture north on the train from London.

Manchester has long been a rich, edgy, history-making music city. In the 1960s, Bob Dylan busted out his electric guitar here; in the 1970s, the Sex Pistols played their first gig outside of London; in the 1980s, the city’s Factory Records label and Haçienda nightclub sparked a massive musical vibe shift as hometown bands New Order, the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, and the Smiths played all-night dance parties and created the “Madchester” era. And in the ’90s, Oasis and the Britpop wave pulled the music world’s attention back to Manchester once again.

Today, the city’s music scene is still rich and thriving. (Even though the Haçienda is now an apartment building, if you walk around the back of the building, you’ll see an art installation: a metalwork timeline of its biggest moments.) Small bands still rock small venues all over the place, and there’s a bigger, more expansive music push, too. The United Kingdom’s largest indoor concert venue, Co-op Live , is set to open in Manchester in 2024. Backed in part by Harry Styles, the arena will fit more than 23,000 people and is being acoustically constructed for music performances specifically (though it’ll also host other types of events). Highlights of the 2024 lineup already include Eric Clapton, Olivia Rodrigo, Britpop darlings James, Jonas Brothers, and Styles’s old bandmate Niall Horan.

“From the minute you walk through the door it will feel different than other spaces,” says Ben Tipple, the head of digital and communications for Co-Op Live. “We have deliberately counteracted the long corridors, the empty spaces, the bad seats. What makes it special is that it’s purpose built for music . . . to provide the backdrop and opportunity for the artist to sound their best.”

Performing arts and theater

Since 2007, the arts organization Factory International (named in honor of the record label of decades past) has been hosting the Manchester International Festival , a biennial, 18-day festival of new works known for pulling artists and ideas from seemingly different worlds into unexpected collaborations, as well as for performances and events that defy easy genre labels. (e.g., Massive Attack once teamed up with documentary filmmaker Adam Curtis). The next festival will be in 2025 and is definitely worth planning a trip around; the big news is that you don’t have to wait that long anymore. At the end of 2023, the organization unveiled a permanent home, not only for the biannual event but also for year-round programming: Aviva Studios at Factory International . In 2024, its usual mix of unusual commissions continues with City of Floating Sounds , composer Huang Ruo’s interactive symphony project (June) and a new multimedia work by Laurie Anderson called ARK .

To find out more about Manchester’s cultural calendar, follow Secret Manchester and Visit Manchester.

From indie boutiques to great record stores to vintage to high-street staples, Manchester has it all. Some of my favorites: Vintage clothes, posters, and even old-style ice cream fill the floors of the former department store Afflecks ; and modern makers line the late-1800s fishmonger stalls of the Manchester Craft and Design Center . Keep room in your luggage for a visit to Piccadilly Records, which has been independent since it opened in 1978 (and continues to earn a spot on “best” lists). And between shopping trips, sample the indie food scene via a few food halls, such as Mackie Mayor , a collection of nine varied cuisines in the grand—and fully intact—1858 Smithfield market building.

Museums and galleries

In 2023, the 135-year-old Manchester Museum , part of Manchester University, reopened following a $18.4 million “hello future” renovation project with a mission to reevaluate Britain’s colonial past and its own role in displaying historical objects and artworks. The new permanent South Asia Gallery is a colorful, invigorating, and at times heart-wrenching example: Cocurated with a group of South Asian community leaders, artists, historians, musicians, scientists, and students, it talks as openly and honestly about partition and South Asian residents’ experiences in Manchester as it does about the joy of Bollywood soundtracks. An exhibit of Egyptian mummies (through April 2024) overtly discusses eugenics and grave robbing, along with the usual, fascinating dose of ancient history. Oh, and the whole museum is free.

The edgy People’s History Museum uses art to talk about democracy, rebellion, and inclusion—a good fit for Manchester. After all, the city has a history of radicalism: this is where Emmeline Pankhurst launched the British Suffragette movement, where mill workers voted to stop using cotton picked by U.S. slaves (prompting a thank-you letter from Abraham Lincoln). The Manchester Jewish Museum just got an expansion, including a renovation of the adjacent Spanish and Portuguese synagogue; browse the exhibits, listen to oral histories of Jewish Mancunians past and present, and talk to the Jewish residents who are docents here—they were wonderful and happy to share. In terms of art, you’ve got the gorgeous Whitworth Art Gallery (on the Manchester University campus) and the Manchester Art Gallery (in a beautiful 200-year-old building). If you’re not into art, there’s always the National Football Museum (pubs on a game day are also something of a cultural experience, especially when Manchester United or Manchester City is playing).

I look for libraries whenever I travel. In my humble opinion, a public library says a lot about a city, its people, its past, and its present. (Plus, they usually have cool architecture and free Wi-Fi.) Now I recognize that not everyone is as into libraries as I am, but, trust me, Manchester has several that even non-nerds will find intriguing. For starters, the oldest surviving public library in the English-speaking world is here: It’s called Chetham’s , it was founded in 1653, it’s located in a former monastery that dates back to 1421, and it’s open for tours.

The neo-Gothic John Rylands Library looks like something out of Harry Potter (and it was founded by a woman in 1900—how boss is that?); stop by for rotating exhibits and to wander through its cathedral-like rooms. The main Manchester Central Library —the city’s plain old regular circulating library—is a site to see, too. It opened in 1930 and was modeled after the Pantheon. It’s not stuck in the past though: Music, art, and literature events are scheduled regularly (the 2024 calendar is not online yet); I passed a foosball table on one floor and a sign for a vinyl listening club on another.

LGBTQ+ pride

Manchester’s LGBTQ neighborhood along Canal Street, affectionately dubbed Gay Village, is home to one of the oldest openly gay venues in the city: New Union dates to the 1860s and is now a bar and hotel. Canal Street is also lined with festive-feeling restaurants and bars and wallpapered with posters for drag brunches and shows. In June, the neighborhood is the epicenter for Manchester Pride , and in July it hosts Sparkle, the national transgender celebration.

Check out the Visit Manchester website for a downloadable LGBTQ self-guided tour , which includes a stop at the Alan Turing memorial. The genius who invented the computer moved here after his code-breaking success in World War II to work at the University of Manchester (the alma mater of Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Turing in the 2014 movie The Imitation Game ). Sadly, Manchester is also where Turing was arrested for being gay and sentenced to chemical castration. He was found dead of cyanide poisoning in his home in 1954, at the age of 41. The Queen pardoned him posthumously in 2013. If you’re in the city on any June 23, stop by his statue in Sackville Gardens; people place flowers there every year for his birthday.

This is England, and this is an old university town, so of course there are many, many pubs. The total number varies depending on the source, but it seems to be somewhere around 650 , which is way more than plenty. They range from cozy neighborhood establishments to modern see-and-be-seen perches, and include a bunch of quirky spots like one that’s more than 500 years old (the Old Wellington ), one in a converted public bathroom ( the Temple ), and my favorite: the tiny, green-and-yellow-tiled Peveril of the Peak , a 19th-century relic with a curved wooden bar, stained-glass detailing, and chatty customers.

Historical surprises

In a city as old as Manchester, there’s technically “history” everywhere you look, but it’s the stories that make it all come alive. If you want a guided time-travel experience, I recommend Free Manchester Walking Tours . Our tour leader Megan rocked us through centuries of pop culture, history, and entertaining anecdotes, and even managed to get us all dancing and singing a few times. By the end of the afternoon, you’ll have the lay of the land and you’ll better understand the city and its significance. If you want to wander on your own, don’t miss these three spots that span the breadth of Manchester’s existence:

• Mamucium fort: Romans basically founded Manchester in 79 C.E. when they built this fort. Today you can visit a re-creation of the fort on its original site, in a small park in the Castlefield neighborhood near the city center.
• Abraham Lincoln statue : Manchester calls itself the first industrial city, because back in the 1800s, it manufactured 80 percent of all the world’s cotton goods and textiles. I’ll say that again: 80 percent. In fact, Manchester was so successful and influential that it was nicknamed Cottonopolis. When the U.S. Civil War broke out, Manchester and other manufacturing cities in Northern England had a choice to make: continue to use cotton grown on plantations that supported slavery, or cut off those ties and risk imploding their economy. Manchester chose the right side of history, standing by the Union army in the North, when a lot of other industrial U.K. cities sided with the South for economic purposes. In answer, then-president Abraham Lincoln wrote the city a letter of thanks—and that’s why there’s a statue of Abraham Lincoln in Manchester , England, today.
• Red mailbox: In 1996, an IRA bombing destroyed a large swath of downtown. Amazingly, the authorities found the bomb early enough to evacuate the area, and no one died. But the explosion caused a lot of damage—so much that the destruction is actually credited with influencing the revival and renovation of the city center. A red post office box still stands on the spot of the explosion—the only thing unharmed. Look for it by the Marks & Spencer department store on Corporation Street .

Read more about Manchester, one of AFAR’s picks for Where to Go in 2024: This Northern English City Has Been Nurturing Its Arts Scene for Years—and It’s Paying Off .

Read the full list of Where to Go in 2024.

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A musical tour of Manchester: from the Hallé to the Happy Mondays

Every genre of music has made its mark on Manchester, including dialect ballads, classical, TV theme tunes and all the strands of post-punk. Welcome to the north-west sound

M yth distorts any city’s musical history, and in Manchester myth looms as large as the new Co-op Live , a £365m, 23,500-capacity mega-venue that opens today and will soon be staging big-name acts, including Take That. So, for every occasion a music fan mentions the hit-making boy band or, for that matter, 10cc or the Hollies, a thousand more bark back: Joy Division, the Fall, Happy Mondays. Not that 10cc were a small Manc band, but they peaked before punk and a wall went up at the end of the 1970s that relegated all that had passed prior to 4 June 1976 – the night the Sex Pistols performed at the Lesser Free Trade Hall – to prehistory, as in dinosaurs, fossils, folk musicians. New hagiographies about music impresario Tony Wilson (1950-2007) are no doubt at the printers as I write. But how about we spend half an hour mooching round the Rainy City aboard the free buses and trams in search of the underplayed, surprising and tangential – with a few Gen X/6 Music standards for when we’re stuck at the lights.

You might not think Coronation Street a promising departure point, but it gives us an in to Bowton’s Yard. It’s one of those ditties that may prompt unpleasant memories of the BBC TV series Sit Thi Deawn, but listen carefully and you’ll hear it is in fact a Victorian reality show made song. Written by Marsden-born, Stalybridge-based Samuel Laycock, it inspired Tony Warren when he was devising the characters for his Weatherfield/Salford-set soap opera. Granada Studios on Quay Street also played a leading role in disseminating the north-western sound, from regional accents to theme tunes to the Beatles’ first TV appearance , in October 1962.

Dialect ballads spoke truth to power after Peterloo – memorialised in 2019 by Jeremy Deller’s burial mound-like stone tump – and during the cotton famine . To spread the word, broadsides were run off at printers around the Oldham Street-Swan Street junction. Lancashire songs were central to the folk revival of the 1960s. Harry Boardman, a singer and collector from Failsworth, unearthed many anonymous songs of protest and historical record. Edward II has recorded a reggae version of the Great Flood, about the time the Medlock burst its banks in 1872. Jennifer Reid , from Middleton, performs The New Poor Law Bill a cappella on her album Gradely Manchester.

The most famous folk number, Ewan MacColl’s Dirty Old Town , alludes to a “gasworks wall” or “gasworks croft”, depending on the version. The works were in Ordsall, bounded by West Egerton Street, Liverpool Street and Regent Road. Prior to their demolition in 2019, a prosaic infographic (not quite a “ muriel ”) was placed on the West Egerton Street wall. The Working Class Movement Library is a repository of MacColl’s work and life and has significant holdings of sheet music and song lyrics.

The Hallé Orchestra was founded by Sir Charles Hallé, who was conductor for the first concert at the Free Trade Hall on 30 January 1858. The Hallé premiered Elgar’s Symphony No 1 and Vaughan Williams’s Symphony No 8. The latter, dedicated to the orchestra’s celebrated conductor John Barbirolli, took place at the Kings Hall , a converted tea house at Belle Vue (demolished to make way for a car auction centre) on 2 May 1956. The BBC recorded it a few days later. The third movement, a cavatina, is a swirl of lark-like ascents and descents.

Since 1996, the orchestra’s HQ has been the purpose-built, vibration-proof Bridgewater Hall , with former St Peter’s church in Ancoats, a hulking redbrick Romanesque building, used for rehearsals, recordings and intimate shows. Manchester has an opera house , originally known as the New theatre. Recent shows include The Full Monty and Peppa Pig’s Fun Day Out, but it may get weightier fare as the ENO relocates to Manchester over the next five years. The region’s greatest opera singer was, like so much Manchester talent, from way outside town. Tom Burke, a miner from Leigh, was known as the “ Lancashire Caruso ”. What used to be the city’s Hippodrome is now a Wetherspoons named after him.

The Manchester School includes Accrington-born Harrison Birtwistle, Salford’s Peter Maxwell Davies and German immigrant Alexander Goehr, who met at the Royal Manchester College of Music in the 1950s. They founded the New Music Manchester group with pianist John Ogdon, who had attended Manchester Grammar School, and trumpeter Elgar Howarth. Exponents of avant-garde experimentation, they shunned cotton-themed concertos and any kind of parochialism.

If Unesco dispensed rosettes for demolition, Manchester would have many. Most of the old taverns that hosted turns, popular dance salons and music hall venues have been razed, together with mills, warehouses and factories. Concert halls and fun palaces were removed to make way for multistorey car parks and office blocks. The Free Trade Hall , where locals including Gracie Fields, Van der Graaf Generator and James played, as well as Dylan (AKA “ Judas ” as he was called at a gig there in 1966 ), Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and Genesis, is now a hotel . Does a ribald, rollicking spirit live on from the boozy days of industrial Manchester? Certainly the refurbished Band on the Wall – which reopened in March – celebrates its location on the foundations of the George & Dragon and nearby Rising Sun pubs.

Every genre of popular music surfaced in Manchester between 1950 and the present, including big band, beat, rhythm and blues, soul, chart-oriented pop, punk, goth and all the strands of post-punk. There are not as many landmarks as songs, partly because, as mentioned, the wrecking ball is unsentimental and also, because pop stars have generally used their art to get away – lyrically first, and then physically. The Bee Gees, who claimed to have practised harmonising at their childhood home at 51 Keppel Road , Chorlton-cum-Hardy, never knowingly screamed a word about the town.

Northern soul, which arrived via Liverpool docks and Burtonwood airbase, drew large followings in Stoke, Wigan, Blackpool and, before any of those , Manchester. The Twisted Wheel on Brazennose Street and, later, Whitworth Street, had gigs by the Hollies and Freddie and the Dreamers, and less well-known bands such as Powerhouse 6 , but is best known for its legendary northern soul nights. The building has gone but Twisted Wheel “lives on”, according to a members-only Facebook page , at Area, 50 Sackville Street. The Ritz, on Whitworth St, survives as an O2 franchise. Originally opened as a dance hall (with a sprung floor) in 1927, it hosted a Dancing in the Dark evening in the 50s and 60s, fronted by Crumpsall’s Phil “King of the Ritz” Moss and his Band (which later became a stalwart on TV’s Come Dancing), and went on to transition through beat, northern soul, disco and mainstream rock scenes. The mobile phone firm also owns the famous art deco-style Apollo , long a fixture for bands on tour. Stockport’s MoR hitmakers 10cc were a classic art school, let’s-go-to-London-asap outfit, but they played here when they came home, as did Sad Café.

The Pistols concert in 1976 made the Lesser Free Trade Hall a holy-of-holies in Manc muso circles, but the Electric Circus , in Collyhurst (birthplace of pianist and crooner Les Dawson), earned its credentials through many seminal punk performances, including the first gig by Warsaw (Joy Division’s first name), and shows by Buzzcocks, John Cooper Clarke, the Fall, the Nosebleeds and Slaughter and the Dogs, among others. The fact it had previously been a cinema, Bernard Manning’s Top Hat club and a bingo hall should surely have made it one for the heritage buffs to list.

Richard Boon and Howard Devoto launched the New Hormones label in 1977 at a then ramshackle, now listed former hat merchants’ warehouse at 50 Newton Street . The first release, the Spiral Scratch EP , was a punk watershed and a declaration that bands needed neither London nor major labels. In 1980, Boon and others started up The Beach Club (a reference to the Situationist slogan “Under the pavement, the beach!”) at Oozits on Newgate Street. In 1978, Factory Records began as a WFH DIY disruptive startup at Alan Erasmus’s first-floor flat at 86 Palatine Road (now blue plaqued), only moving to a proper HQ on Charles Street in 1990 – where it was officially incorporated with the catalogue number FAC 251 (the name of a venue for cover bands on the site, part owned by Peter Hook). The Factory was the name of a night at the Russell Club on Royce Road in Hulme that ran from 1978-80; two years later the Haçienda (FAC 51) opened in a former yacht builders’ shop and warehouse on Whitworth Street West, beside the Rochdale Canal. The site is now occupied by “ iconic ” apartments.

The last Factory catalogue number, FAC 501, was used for the plaque on Wilson’s coffin, and no number adorns designer Peter Saville’s headstone for his business partner in Southern Cemetery . Fabled producer Martin Hannett is also buried at the necropolis – said to be entered via the Smiths’ Cemetry Gates.

There’s no better terminus than a musical graveyard. Inevitably, dozens of Manchester music sites are missing from this hop, skip and jump, including Rochdale’s recording studios, Festival of the Tenth Summer venues and countless bedrooms, garages and rave locations. But most tell versions of the same story, just as some songs seem like Venn diagrams of influence; Oasis by Happy Mondays sounds like New Order with lyrics by Morrissey or Ian Curtis, on a bad day (“You went too far, and it’s gone all the wrong way”). If you want to aurally vacuum up every Manc motif in a single song, steam on in to Mike Garry and Joe Duddell’s St Anthony: An Ode to Anthony H Wilson (Andrew Weatherall Remix; lyrics here ), perhaps while walking from the thrusting Aviva Studios/Factory International behemoth to the Epping Walk Bridge to search hopelessly – à la 80s – for Hulme Crescents and the dead souls of yesteryear.

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Politics live: Sunak accused of 'hiding from voters' - as SNP names new leader without contest

The SNP has named John Swinney as its new leader to replace Humza Yousaf. Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak has insisted the general election is "not a foregone conclusion" despite the Tories taking a hammering in last week's local polls. While you scroll, listen to a new Politics At Jack And Sam's.

Monday 6 May 2024 18:00, UK

• New SNP leader reiterates independence aim
• Ex-candidate 'has big role to play' | What happens next?
• Connor Gillies: The big questions facing John Swinney
• PM insists general election 'not a foregone conclusion'
• Sunak accused of 'hiding from voters' by not setting poll date
• Exclusive:   UK 'considered using Iraq in Rwanda-type asylum deal'
• Politics At Jack And Sam's: Listen above and tap here to follow. 
• Vote 2024:   Council results in full  |  Mayoral results in full

The Sky News live poll tracker - collated and updated by our Data and Forensics team - aggregates various surveys to indicate how voters feel about the different political parties.

With the local elections complete, Labour is still sitting comfortably ahead, with the Tories trailing behind.

See the latest update below - and you can read more about the methodology behind the tracker  here .

The results of the local elections made for grim reading for the Conservative Party.

Last Thursday, polls opened in 107 English councils, with thousands of seats up for grabs. Ultimately, the Tories lost 474 seats and 12 councils, while Labour gained 186 and eight respectively.

You can see the results in full below:

There were also a number of mayoral elections.

In total, 11 mayors were elected. Here are the results in full:

• Tees Valley, Conservative Ben Houchen re-elected
• York and North Yorkshire, Labour's David Skaith 
• North East, Labour's Kim McGuinness 
• East Midlands, Labour's Claire Ward
• Liverpool City Region, Labour's Steve Rotheram re-elected
• South Yorkshire, Labour's Oliver Coppard re-elected 
• Greater Manchester, Labour's Andy Burnham re-elected 
• West Yorkshire, Labour's Tracey Brabin re-elected 
• London, Labour's Sadiq Khan re-elected 
• Salford, Labour's Paul Dennett re-elected 
• West Midlands, Labour's Richard Parker defeats Conservative incumbent Andy Street

Two of Westminster's best-connected journalists, Sky News's Sam Coates and Politico's Jack Blanchard, guide you through their top predictions for the next seven days in British politics. 

Following the local and mayoral elections, Jack and Sam discuss how Rishi Sunak will try to get back onto the front foot and whether the Conservative rebels will continue to plot against him.     

They also predict that the country will come out of recession and look forward to a new SNP leader in Scotland following the resignation of Humza Yousaf. 

 Email with your thoughts and rate how their predictions play out:  [email protected]  or  [email protected]          

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has joined his shadow foreign secretary David Lammy in warning against an Israeli offensive in Rafah ( see 14.12 post )

Israel has repeatedly been urged by Western allies not to go ahead with the operation, but it looks set to take place in what the country's government has described as "specified areas".

It is telling Palestinians sheltering in Rafah, many of whom have already evacuated from their homes elsewhere, to move to a "humanitarian area".

Sir Keir said: "With more than a million Palestinian civilians sheltering in Rafah, an Israeli offensive must not go ahead.

"There must be an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages, and unimpeded aid into Gaza that can be delivered regularly, quickly and safely."

You can follow more on this in our Middle East live blog:

Andy Street, the defeated former West Midlands mayor, has thanked people for their support since losing his job over the weekend.

He was beaten by Labour's candidate in one of the most bruising results for the Tories across last week's elections.

Mr Street was quick to warn his party not to take the wrong message from his defeat, telling Rishi Sunak to guide the Conservatives back towards the centre rather than further to the right.

Posting on X (formerly Twitter) today, Mr Street said he had been "slightly taken aback by the number of messages" he'd received.

"Your support means a lot to me at a testing time," he said.

Labour has told Rishi Sunak to "grow a backbone" and set a date for the general election after the Tories took a battering in last week's council and mayoral votes.

Polls suggest the Conservatives, who also lost the Blackpool South by-election to the main opposition, are on track to be out of government the next time the country gets a say.

But there's no imminent sign Rishi Sunak will call an election, with most still expecting him to old out until at least October.

He has insisted the Tories still have a chance (see previous post).

A Labour spokesperson said: "The local elections sent a clear message that people across the country are demanding change, and only the Labour Party will deliver that. 

"Rishi Sunak should stop hiding from voters and allow them an opportunity to cast their verdict on 14 years of Tory failure."

The Liberal Democrats have today said they will try to force the issue by going for a vote of no confidence in the government ( see 12.45 post ).

But as they're not the main opposition, this motion would need to be granted parliamentary time by the government.

Sky News understands there are no plans to give it time.

 Rishi Sunak has spoken on camera for the first time since all the results from last week's elections filtered through.

Despite losing hundreds of council seats, several mayors, and a parliamentary by-election he said he's "determined more than ever" to show the country "we are making progress on the areas that matter".

He pointed to the national insurance tax cuts and the Rwanda deportation scheme.

And he insisted the general election "isn't a foregone conclusion", pointing to a Sky News forecast suggesting a hung parliament is the most likely outcome - not a Labour majority.

"And that's why I'm absolutely determined to fight incredibly hard for what I believe and for the future country that I want to build," he said.

"And that's what I'm going to do fight for this country, fight for the things I believe and deliver for every one of the things that matter to them."

New SNP leader John Swinney will "create division" in Scotland.

That's the view of the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, the government's official opposition at Holyrood.

Douglas Ross told Sky News that Mr Swinney, who is set to replace Humza Yousaf as first minister, would not deliver on the country's priorities because of his "nationalist" stance.

"The slogan for his campaign was 'uniting for independence' - not for improving the NHS, our education system…. No, John Swinney has decided he wants to unite for independence because as a nationalist he wants to separate Scotland from the rest of the UK and create division."

Tories will be 'strong opposition'

Mr Ross said Scotland's public services had "suffered" during the SNP's 17 years in power, most of which Mr Swinney was in the cabinet.

He said the incoming first minister should remove the government position of minister for independence, and also called for him to show more support for the oil and gas industry.

Mr Ross was also bullish about the Tories' election hopes in Scotland, saying the party has a "strong record" and has been a "strong opposition" that will rival the SNP in a number of seats.

Polls suggest Labour are on course for a significant recovery in Scotland, potentially helping Sir Keir Starmer become prime minister.

New SNP leader John Swinney has taken questions from the media in Glasgow, including our  Scotland correspondent  Connor Gillies .

He asked him how he'll seek to unify the SNP, and also about what role Kate Forbes will play in his government.

Ms Forbes ran against Humza Yousaf in last year's contest and was widely expected to take on Mr Swinney this time, but chose not to.

On the first point, Mr Swinney vows his government will host "proper discussions" to best take on the "complex policy challenges we face".

He adds: "I want to make sure I have a strong team able to lead the Scottish government."

Ms Forbes, a former finance minister, "will have a big role to play".

The new cabinet will be "individually and collectively responsible for the prospects of the SNP government, the SNP, and the country, and that's a great privilege, and we all share it".

Answering a later question about Humza Yousaf, he refused to confirm whether the outgoing first minister will be offered a new cabinet job.

John Swinney has given his first news briefing since being named as the SNP's new leader this lunchtime ( see 12.16 post ).

He was elected without a contest as no other candidates stood.

Here are the key points from his speech:

• He began by paying tribute to Humza Yousaf, saying he has "conducted himself with grace and dignity", highlighting his "moral leadership" on the Israel-Gaza conflict;
• Mr Swinney noted the "controversy" around him being the sole candidate to replace Mr Yousaf, but claimed it's a sign the SNP is "coming back together";
• He vowed to appoint "an inclusive and unified team" that will help the party recover from "a rough time";
• But he pointed to the party's record in government, including free university tuition and a "massive expansion" of childcare;
• Mr Swinney said he will lead for everyone in Scotland and wants to create a country with good jobs, climate protections, and one where vulnerable people are protected;
• He said he is willing to work with opposition parties, but the SNP still has a mandate to govern following calls for him to call an election;
• And he reiterated his commitment to independence, citing the cost of living crisis and Brexit as "examples of Westminster decisions that are bad for Scotland", and wants to "persuade" people to the cause;
• But his priority will be "the economy, jobs the cost of living, the NHS, schools, public services, and the climate crisis", and calls on "everyone in our country" to "join me" to help deliver.

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