Manchester is one of the biggest cities in the north of England, and one that I’ve been to many times. But all my trips were either for another purpose (ie. visa appointments), or just briefly as a stop before or after flights. I finally had the chance to explore it properly for the day and I jumped at it! Manchester is a big city with a lot to see and do—and it’s definitely worthy of a city break for a day or (much better) for a weekend.

I’d definitely recommend staying at least one night in Manchester. I visited just for the day and didn’t feel like I had quite enough time! You can look up hotels and serviced apartments in Manchester and take a look at the options for where to stay.

What to See in Manchester

There is a lot to see and do in Manchester! There are a lot of museums to visit, as well as some pretty incredible libraries. And of course, as home to Manchester United and Manchester City, there’s loads of football-related activities as well.

Manchester is home to several museums. Best of yet, all of these museums have free entry! Some of the best museums are Manchester Art Gallery, Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester Museum, People’s History Museum, and the National Football Museum. The National Football Museum is free to Manchester residents, otherwise there is an admission charge. If you’re visiting on a Tuesday, you can also visit the Greater Manchester Police Museum (which also has free entry). I definitely recommend the Manchester Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, and the Art Gallery—I’ve been to all of them at some point or another, and they’re all worthy of a visit.

Manchester Cathedral is a beautiful cathedral right in the city center, near Exchange Square. The medieval church underwent extensive renovations in the Victorian period, and became an official cathedral in 1847. It’s free to visit.

Manchester Town Hall is another major Manchester landmark. Unfortunately, the Town Hall was undergoing renovations during my visit, but luckily I’ve seen it before without scaffolding! This is a beautiful building and one of the best examples of Neo-Gothic architecture in the country.

Despite being a big city and center of industry, Manchester is home to some of the most unique libraries I’ve ever visited.  By far the most magnificent is John Ryland’s Library, which is part of the University of Manchester. It’s free to enter and the Historic Reading Room literally feels like you’re in Hogwarts. John Ryland’s Library is probably my favorite place in all of Manchester, and somewhere that I visit on every one of my trips here.

Portico Library is a real hidden gem in Manchester. This is much smaller, but there is still free entry and open reading areas for non-members. They also usually have small exhibits on, and also have a café. It’s been housed in the same building for 213 years! Chetham’s Library is another library to visit in Manchester. Chetham’s Library is part of Chetham’s School of Music (near Manchester Victoria station), and home to a beautiful medieval library. Visits are only possible by guided tour only, which you should book in advance (at the moment, I think tours are usually at 11:00am or 2:30pm). An adult ticket for the tour is £6.50 per person.

While you’re exploring Manchester, you’ll most likely come across some of the Bee Murals or bee symbols. Manchester’s symbol has been the bee (like the worker bee) for years, but it became a big source of pride and community after the Manchester Arena bombings in 2017. One of the best bee murals is on the side of Koffee Pot in the Northern Quarter (the parking lot is being used as a construction site so it’s hard to photograph). You can also see the bee symbol on a lot of the trash cans in the city, and on some of the buildings too.

If you’re coming to Manchester for shopping, you’ll be overwhelmed with choices. I really enjoyed Affleck’s, which is a multi-story building with all sorts of different independent vendors. It’s a bit hipster and a bit just weird, but definitely worth a visit for something unique!

The Northern Quarter in general is home to a lot of independent shops and small businesses. If you’re looking for big brands, Arndale Center is the main shopping center and located right in Manchester’s city center.

Manchester is pretty much synonymous with football. Two of the biggest teams in England (and in the world in general) have their homes in the city. Old Trafford is the stadium for Manchester United, and Etihad Stadium is the stadium for rivals Manchester City. You can do stadium tours at either stadium, although most don’t run on days where there’s a game. Of course, you can always buy tickets to a game and see the action yourself!

Slightly out of the city center is Salford (which is where Old Trafford is located). This old dockways area has had a huge investment and now Salford Quays is a very modern canal area. You can visit the IWM North (Imperial War Museum), an excellent museum with free entry. The Lowry is a theater/gallery with regular shows—I saw the musical Six! here!

Where to Eat in Manchester

There are so many good places to eat in Manchester it can be a bit overwhelming. Here are some of my picks, and places that were recommended to me!

One of the best places for brunch in Manchester is Moose Coffee, which specializes in pancakes and American-style breakfast food. I also had Federal Café Bar recommended to me for brunch—there are two locations, one in the Northern Quarter and one in Deansgate. Black Sheep Coffee is a great place as well—their waffles are delicious, and the bagels looked amazing! Takk is another coffee shop that I didn’t get to, but came highly recommended!

Mackie Mayor is one of the coolest places I’ve been, and definitely somewhere to visit in Manchester. Come hungry and thirsty—this food hall has a lot of different vendors serving up food and drinks. You’ll definitely want to try a few different places! The tacos from Pico’s Tacos looked incredible. The upper level is meant to be used as a workspace, which I loved—there’s free wifi and plenty of plugs!

For something different, stop by Blue Caribou in Arndale Market at the Arndale Shopping Center. This is some of the best poutine I’ve had outside of Canada, so don’t miss it!! I also had a few recommendations for restaurants, like BAB (for delicious kebabs) and Cottonopolis. I definitely want to come back to Manchester to be able to check out a few more restaurants!

Where to Drink in Manchester

Manchester is full of great bars and pubs. If anything, you’ll have too many places you want to visit and not enough time! Here are some of the best places to drink in Manchester.

Temple of Convenience is definitely unique. It’s located in an old public toilets! It’s really small, so be prepared to share space here. Albert’s Schloss is a Bavarian-style beer cellar with a funky interior—they do food here too. I also had Allotment recommended to me for cocktails, and Common is meant to be good as well—especially for happy hour.

Of course, you can also get plenty of drinks at Mackie Mayor. If you want to treat yo’self, Cloud 23 is located in the iconic Hilton hotel on the 23^rd floor. This is a very nice and fancy place to come (great if you’re celebrating a special occasion)—there is a dress code here, so dress to impress. If you’re lucky enough to be staying at King Street Townhouse, they also have a beautiful rooftop terrace. Unfortunately, I think it’s only open to residents staying at the hotel. There are SO many places to go for drinks in Manchester, I’ve really just scraped the surface on my trips here.

Planning Your Trip

Manchester Airport is one of the main airports outside of London, with three terminals. I recommend using Skyscanner to find the best flight deals. It’s easy to get from Manchester Airport into the city – there’s frequent direct trains. I always use Trainline to book my train tickets in the UK. Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.

Manchester is perfect for a city break, with lots of good options for things to do and different places to eat and drink. It’s a lot more than just an industrial city, and a lot more than just football. I’d definitely recommend a weekend here—especially to be able to check out all the different cafes, restaurants, and bars! I hope this helps in planning your trip to Manchester!

Hotels.com gifted me my spending money for the day, but all views are my own.

Have you ever visited Manchester before? What were your favorite things to do around the city?!

You might also like my posts:

Chester: Northwest England’s Hidden Gem

25 Places You Can’t Miss In London

10 Hidden Gems To See In York

Nottingham: An Insider’s Guide

All posts in my England category!

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