Manchester Travel Guide

Get around

Manchester trams

Transport in Greater Manchester is overseen and co-ordinated by TfGM (Information: 0871 200 22 33) [17]. TfGM sells a number of tickets which are valid for multiple operators, such as the any bus day ticket or System One. If you are planning to do a lot of travelling in one day, these might be your cheapest option. Metromax day tickets are good value if using the Metrolink tram network. There are tickets for single people and family tickets. The best value are valid after 9:30 a.m.

Maps

Dotted around the city centre on main streets including Deansgate, Oxford Road, Market Street etc, are the pedestrian-level street maps. They are usually placed in normal advertising hoardings, which can make difficult to spot from a distance. The maps have been updated with different colours for district area of the city centre. Your position is marked by a dark circle. They cover the whole centre down to the university district and also central Salford up to Salford University.

As with any other large UK city, an A-Z map is often handy. These street maps, in book form, are available from newsagents or book shops and, depending on size, cover everything from the city centre to the whole Greater Manchester conurbation.

On foot in the city centre

Manchester city centre's many attractions are easily reached on foot, and walking provides the perfect opportunity to take in the architecture of the city. Manchester walking directions can be planned online with the walkit.com [18] walking route planner.

By bus

Metroshuttle [19] is a FREE bus service run jointly by the local council, National Car Parks Manchester and Allied London Spinningfields. They are operated by First Manchester. It runs three routes which between them cover most of the major areas in the city centre. These bus routes can be caught straight from all city centre railway stations (Piccadilly, Oxford Road, Deansgate, Salford Central and Victoria) as well as many of the larger car parks. Areas on the fringes of the city centre (such as Spinningfields, Petersfield, Oxford Road Corridor, Millennium Quarter) are now easier to access from other parts of the city. Just note, that due to a high-level of pedestrian priority around areas such as Deansgate, traffic in the city centre is often slow at peak times. These buses are now also operated by green hybrid buses in a bid to cut pollution and emissions in the city centre. Each line is colour branded with 1 Orange, 2 Green and 3 Purple.

Most of the buses in North Manchester are operated by First [20] whilst Stagecoach operate in South Manchester [21] and serve most places that you are likely to want to go in the conurbation. The main bus station for the south is Piccadilly Gardensm and a new state-of-the-art £24 million interchange has been built at Shudehill for the north. However buses for Wigan, Leigh, Lowton and Bolton can be found at Piccadilly Gardens as well as for Altrincham and Droylsden at Shudehill. The North/South rule generally applies other than those exceptions.

The South Manchester corridor that begins with Oxford Road and Wilmslow Road is the most-served bus route in Europe. Buses connect the centre with the universities and Rusholme, as often as every one minute. The general rule on this street is to get on any bus that is not operated by Stagecoach and your fare is likely to be under £1. Some buses have a student fare, which they will charge you if you look like a student, regardless of whether you ask for it or not. Be warned, though, during peak hours it can take as long as 30 min to make the relatively short three mile journey from Piccadilly Gardens to Rusholme. The 42 (operated by various companies) is usually the most frequent service, operating through the night from Piccadilly, Oxford Road, Wilmslow Road, Rusholme and beyond.

It is well worth noting that the number 43 bus not only runs all day to the airport but also throughout the night at regular intervals. Train services from Piccadilly also serve the airport all night.

Busses to the Trafford Centre include the Stagecoach-operated Route 250 [22], from Piccadilly Gardens to the Trafford Centre and the First-operated Routes 100 and 110 , from Shudehill, via Blackfriars (the stop is just off Deansgate) and Eccles, to The Trafford Centre. The quickest, most direct option is the Stagecoach X50 bus route.They run every 15 minutes Monday to Saturday daytime and take only 25 minutes. There are other bus services from Central Manchester to The Trafford Centre and additional services from other towns and suburbs in the conurbation. In the evening, or on Sundays and public holidays, your better bet for the Trafford Centre, from the city centre, is the tram and buslink to and from Stretford, as buses are much less frequent at these times.

Bus Tickets are usually purchased directly from the driver. First and Stagecoach both offer day-savers for unlimited travel on their company's buses, which cannot be used on other busses. A FirstDay is currently £4.50. If transfer between different bus companies is required, ask the driver for an "any bus day-saver", emphasising the "any". These '"System One"' tickets can be used on any bus and details of current prices are available at [23]

By tram

Manchester Metrolink Network April 2013

Metrolink [24], also known as the tram or met, is the name for Manchester's local mass-transit system. With a map of the system it is very easy to understand.

As of April 2013, Metrolink runs six lines:

• Altrincham – Victoria - Bury
• Altrincham – Piccadilly
• Droylsden – Piccadilly - Victoria - Bury
• Eccles – Piccadilly
• MediaCityUK – Piccadilly
• St Werburgh's Road – Victoria - Oldham - Rochdale

All trams run every 12 to 15 minutes daily.

Work is underway to extend the system with several new lines, with destinations at Ashton-under-Lyne, East Didsbury, Tameside, and Manchester Airport.

In part due to its financial difficulties, Metrolink is quite expensive to travel on and does not really provide good value for money. If you are going to be using it for more than one journey in a day, your best bet is to buy a Metromax ticket. Tickets must be purchased in advance from the automated vending machines at each station. Press the required destination followed by the required ticket type and then insert your money.

Most machines accept notes, but if your note is anything more than even slightly crumpled, it will more then likely be rejected by the machine. Change is not guaranteed over £7 at any machines, or at all, at some machines with the appropriate warning lamp.

The following Central Zone stations might be useful to you:

• Victoria — for Urbis, Chethams Library, Manchester Cathedral Visitor Centre, The Triangle and the Northern half of Deansgate,
• Shudehill — for Bus Interchange, The Printworks, Manchester Arndale and parts of the Northern Quarter.
• Market Street — for the main shopping area, including parts of Manchester Arndale and Affleks Palace.
• Piccadilly Gardens and Mosley Street — for bus station, Coach Interchange from Chorlton Street Coach Station, Chinatown, The Gay Village, Manchester Art Gallery, Cube Gallery and parts of the Northern Quarter.
• Piccadilly — for Rail Interchange and Metroshuttle and Oxford Road Link busses. Manchester Apollo is a 10 minute walk from here.
• St. Peter's Square — for Central Library, The Library Theatre, Bridgewater Hall, The Midland Hotel, The Town Hall and Albert Square. Busses down the Oxford Road corridor to The Palace Theatre, The Green Room, Dance House and Contact Theatres and to the universities and beyond.
• Deansgate-Castlefield — for Rail Interchange from Deansgate Station, Manchester Central (exhibition centre/concert venue), The Manchester International Conference Centre, Beetham Tower, Great Northern, MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry), the southern half of Deansgate and the beautiful canalside area of Castlefield.

Other interesting destinations:

• MediaCityUK — Around 15 minutes from the City Centre on the MediaCity/Eccles line. Closest station at Salford Quays to the Lowry, Lowry Outlet Mall and Imperial War Museum North as well as the new MediaCityUK development for BBC, ITV and University Of Salford. When the weather is fine, if coming from the centre, alight at Salford Quays Station, walk just a few metres in the direction of travel, cross the road, turn left, and enjoy the tree lined waterside walk, past the Salford Rowing club, as far as the bridge linking The Lowry with The War Museum.

• Heaton Park — Around 10 minutes from the City Centre on the Bury Line. Alight here for Manchester's chief parkland. This is the biggest municipal park in the country and a great day out in summer. It has seen much investment of late. Inside you will find a pet zoo, tramway museum, boating lake, stables and golf centre with pitch and putt. The former stately home Heaton Hall is located within the park and is open to visitors in the summer months.

• Old Trafford — Around 10 minutes from the City Centre on the Altrincham Line. For Manchester United Football Club, and the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club.

• Stretford — Around 10 minutes from the City Centre on the Altrincham Line. Alight here for a connecting bus to the Trafford Centre. Joint tickets are available from the usual machines.Take care at night.

• Ladywell — Around 15 minutes from the City Centre on the Eccles Line. There is a large, free car park for the Park and Ride service to Salford Quays and the city.

• Chorlton - Around 15 minutes from the City Centre on the St Werburgh's Road Line. This area of South Manchester has lots to do in summer including the Beech Road Festival in June, The Unity Festival in Chorlton Park and the Big Green Festival as well as the Chorlton arts´ festival. The area is populated with creative people such as artists, writers and actors. Until January 2009 Chorlton was the location for the Cosgrove Hall animation studios where the children's series Chorlton and the Wheelies and Dangermouse were created. The area is used by film crews for TV locations, such as The Second Coming.

By taxi

Taxis are considerably cheaper than in London. As a general rule you should be able to get anywhere you need to go within the core of the city for £5-10. Because of the nature of the tight local authority boundaries within the conurbation, taxis easily cross these, and there are few problems as long as your journey stays within Greater Manchester. As a general rule, taxis are required to put the meter on for journeys within the M60 ringroad (and sometimes little farther). If you are to travel farther, it is best to agree a price in advance. You may flag down only the black cabs (London-style Hackney carriages): other taxis must be booked in advance over the phone and are marked with the yellow Manchester City Council sign on the bonnet, and the firm's phone number (again on a yellow strip) on the sides. These are often called minicabs or private hire cars.

Avoid rogue mini cabs at all costs. Even if the car has a Manchester City Council plate, or one from one of the other metropolitan boroughs, you are not insured if the cab was not booked in advance.

You may find it difficult to get a black cab after the pubs shut on Friday and Saturday nights in the city centre, so it serves to have a backup plan for getting back to your accommodation. Larger groups are most likely to be able to "flag" down a taxi on the road. If you are struggling for a taxi after midnight and don't mind waiting around drunk people, it can often be easier to join a queue outside larger clubs, such as those in The Printworks, as black cabs often stop here. The black cabs with the amber "TAXI" sign illuminated are the ones that are looking for fares. Otherwise, buy something at a takeaway and then ask for a taxi: the employees do that all the time.

There are a number of taxi ranks within the city centre, which are staffed by security/logistical staff during busy periods. These ranks are serviced only by black cabs, but there are also private hire taxi/minicab companies that you can walk to and then wait (inside or usually outside) until a car becomes available.

Manchester Taxi (44+ 161 401 1234) and Manchester Cars Taxis (+44 161 228 3355) are based in the city centre and Manchester Cars is located conveniently behind the Chorlton Street coach station.

By train

Local rail services run regularly and to most places in the surrounding area and beyond. Most trains will pass through Piccadilly or Victoria, but it will do to call National Rail Enquiries (08457 48 49 50) [25] to find out which one before setting off. If you plan to take several off peak journeys within Greater Manchester, you could consider a "Rail Ranger" ticket, which, as of March 2011, costs £4.40 per day for adults and £2.20 for children under 16 (accompanied children under 5 are free). An "Evening Ranger" is also available for just £2.20. This is a large area and means you could travel as far north as Bolton and Rochdale, as far south as the airport and Stockport, as far west as Wigan and as far east as The Peak District. They also include free travel on the metrolink within the central zone. These can be bought at ticket offices or on the train.

TfGM [26] has a "London tube-style" map of the Greater Manchester rail network, including Metrolink.

It is worth remembering that train services from Piccadilly serve the airport all night.

See

Piccadilly Gardens

Cosmopolitan Manchester

The Imperial Chinese Archway in Manchester's Chinatown

• Manchester's Chinatown around George Street and Faulkner Street has been a feature of Manchester since the late 1970s. Of late there is much talk of its decline, as many middle aged people are taking their business to the suburbs rather than the centre, which many see as a place for younger people at night. AS a whole the area seems slightly run-down but interesting. You will find people on the streets of Chinatown speaking Chinese to each other and most of the signs are bilingual. It is home to many of Manchester's east-asian restaurants as well as many traders in Chinese food and goods. There are a couple of good Chinese supermarkets. As night falls upon Chinatown, the neon lights come on, adding to the ambient feel of the area. There many eateries to try too, ranging from Chinese to Japanese; reaching out to a wide spectrum of tastes. There are also Chinese shops for the locals to buy items imported directly from China, such as newspapers, magazines, DVDs and medications. It also serves as a magnet for the Chinese population, from around the city region and beyond.

• The Village, also known as the Gay Village, has built up around Canal Street out of the many cotton warehouses in the area. It is home to one of the oldest and most-established gay communities in Europe and is known for its tolerance toward all kinds of people. Many of Manchester's most famous bars and clubs are to be found here, most of which are as popular with heterosexual party-animals as they are with the gay crowd. The Village hosts a major Pride festival every year (August Bank Holiday; the last weekend of the month), when this part of town is closed to the public for a charity fundraising weekend for gay and gay-friendly people. Many thousands of pounds are raised, each year, for various charities. There is a moving memorial service on the Monday evening to round the weekend off. Entrance is by wrist band. These are valid for the whole weekend or part of it, if required.

Check out the restaurants in The Village too. The best and longest established has to be Velvet, on Canal Street. Friendly staff, good food, and a cosmopolitan environment make it a hip and popular restaurant, bar, and hotel. Art works are also on display.

• Check out the Curry Mile, a 800 metre-long stretch of curry restaurants, sari shops, and jewellery stores in Rusholme.

• If you have time and want to mix with trendy, monied residents try an evening out in the very upmarket southern suburb of Didsbury. This is a popular nighttime destination for many from across the conurbation. "The village" as it is known is too far from East Didsbury station for comfort, but a taxi is possible from the city centre or there is a good bus service. On the all too rare, warm and fine Saturday evenings in summer, Didsbury can put on a good show with upmarket restaurants, where you can eat outside at the many great pubs and bars. Think London's Hampstead and Islington with similar media types and many others from elsewhere in town, who just want a piece of the action. This was THE place to live in Manchester, for many years, before the rebirth of the centre, and still is, for many, with very high property prices and a certain cachet!

Historical Manchester

• Castlefield is the site of the original Roman settlement Mamucium and has been known as Castlefield since Medieval times. The walls that still stand over two metres high are from as late as the 16th Century. It is the centre of Manchester's canal network and a transport nexus of unique historical importance. The Castlefield Basin joins the Rochdale and Bridgewater canals, the latter being the first cut canal in Britain. The nearby Museum of Science and Industry contains Liverpool Road station, the first passenger railway station in the world. Very important in industrial times, it became run down in post-war times until it was completely regenerated in the 1990s and designated Britain's first Urban Heritage site. These days the area is like a small country oasis in the heart of the city, with regular events and a handful of great pubs around the canals and the neighbouring streets. It is also the only place to see wildlife in Manchester's centre.

• The University of Manchester, on Oxford Road, where amongst other things, the atom was first probed by Rutherford, the first computer was built, and where radio astronomy was pioneered. It was here too that the element Vanadium was first isolated. The architectural style of the new curved visitor's centre contrasts with the old buildings on the opposite side of Oxford Road, within which Manchester Museum is to be found.

• Manchester Cathedral, in the Millennium Quarter. The widest cathedral in England with important carved choir stalls (school of Lincoln) and pulpitum. The recently finished Visitor's Centre provides an initmate experience for newcomers to the cathedral. This is near to Harvey Nichols, Urbis and Victoria Station.

Manchester Cathedral

• Manchester Town Hall, on Albert Square. This imposing and beautiful neo-Gothic masterpiece by Alfred Waterhouse is a symbol of the wealth and power of Manchester during the Industrial Revolution. Free tours can be arranged and the state rooms are generally open to visitors when not otherwise in use. The Great Hall contains a series of pre-Raphaelite wall paintings by Ford Maddox Brown depicting historical scenes (some rather fanciful) from Manchester's past. The corridors are often seen on television dramas standing in for the Palace of Westminster, although the Commons chamber itself is usually depicted in a permanent set at Granada TV studios. The Town Hall is on the wide cobbled area of Albert Square, which is all accessible from St Peter's Square Metrolink station. There is now a tea rooms in the sculpture hall overlooking the square. It is directly to the right as you enter the building. Service is excellent and attentive, but what on offer a little limited.

• John Rylands Library, on Deansgate. The bequest to the people of Manchester by who was once the world's richest widow, Henriquetta Rylands, in memory of her husband John, but now administered by the University of Manchester. It Contains the 'Manchester Fragment' the earliest known fragment of the New Testament, part of St. John's gospel found near Alexandria and dating from the first part of the second century, shortly after the gospel itself was first written. Tours can be booked around lunchtime. The library was designed by Basil Champneys and is the last building built in the perpendicular gothic style. There is a good cafe on the ground floor.

• St Ann's Church is on one side of St Ann's Square and offers a quiet refuge from the noise of the city. There is always a warm welcome inside. It is very popular for weddings on Saturdays.

Cultural Manchester

There are many theatres and concert venues in Manchester, (The Opera House, Palace Theatre, Royal Exchange, Green Room, Dancehouse Theatre, Library Theatre, and The Contact, not forgetting The Lowry at The Quays, which has three theatre spaces). Further afield, The Bolton Octagon, Bury Met, Oldham Coliseum, the lovingly restored 1930's Stockport Plaza with a wonderful 1930's tearoom overlooking Mersey Square are worthy of note.The Plaza shows films and hosts theatre productions and stages what are becoming very popular pantomimes at Christmas. The Garrick in Stockport as well as The Gracie Fields Theatre in Rochdale are all worth a mention too, as are university and RNCM (Royal Northern College of Music) venues. You can catch the likes of Madonna and Kylie at The MEN Arena, which is the largest of its kind in Europe and seen as one of the best such venues in the world. Other such venues include the Apollo, Bridgewater Hall, and the revamped Manchester Central.

• Central Library & Theatre, near Albert Square. As mentioned above. An interesting, round building from the 1930s. This is closed for renovation and is scheduled to reopen in December 2013.The theatre company will cross the road, in due course, to The Theatre Royal building when it will end its time as a night club and be a home to live performances once more. Meanwhile the company plans to stage produtions elsewhere in the city.

• Contact, on Oxford Road, is a brilliant theatre which often focuses on more contemporary productions than other theatres in the centre. These shows range from drama and physical theatre to music, circus and puppetry. It also features a lounge area serving great food as well as alcoholic, hot and cold drinks throughout the day/evening.

• The Cornerhouse on Oxford Road. This excellent art house cinema has three screens, three floors of exhibition space and a great bar on the ground floor, with a trendy cafe above. The house festivals, courses, and a bookstore as well. It is located around the former administrative and goods areas of Oxford Road station. This is the gateway to the University Area.

• Imperial War Museum North [27], at The Quays. Great museum with fantastic architecture, located in Trafford Borough, across the water from The Lowry, near Manchester United's Stadium, and designed by Daniel Libeskind, who also designed The Jewish Museum in Berlin. The museum focuses on the people involved in war, whether it's the people who worked in the factories in World War two, or the soldiers who suffered in the battlefield. Tours are offered and displays are updated on a regular basis.

The award winning architecture of the Imperial War Museum North at the Quays.

• The Lowry, at Pier 8 on the The Quays Home to the City of Salford's collection of the paintings of L.S. Lowry. The centre also contains two theatres and a drama studio which put on everything from "Opera North" productions to pantomime, local works and quality touring productions.

• Manchester Art Gallery, near Chinatown. Designed by Sir Charles Barry architect of the Houses of Parliament. The gallery has a particulary fine collection of pre-Raphaelite paintings.

• Manchester Museum, on Oxford Road. Highlights include a fossil skeleton of Tyrannosaurus Rex and Egyptology, including painted mummy masks of the Roman era.

• Gallery of English Costume, in Platt Hall Rusholme is now open once more and well worth a visit.

• The Museum of Science and Industry [28], in Castlefield. This is very popular with families and school groups and offers a vast number of displays. The first ever railway station is part of the museum. Currently they are celebrating the centenary of the first all-British flight in 1909.

• People's History Museum, on Bridge Street between Deansgate and the now much improved Salford Central Station. On Bridge Street, to the left, fans of modern architecture should look out for the new Manchester Civil Justice Centre. It is slowly becoming known to Mancunians as "the filing cabinet". You will see why! For a better view, take it in from the new square, on the other side, into the Spinningfields district, itself worth a detour. There is a good cafe on the ground floor of the museum with a view of the river. Look out too for the now renovated Doves of Peace Statue outside the museum. This was first erected in 1986 to celebrate Manchester's decision to promote itself as a nuclear free city.

• Urbis, in Millennium Quarter. A "museum of the modern city" in its unmistakable all-glass building. This is no more, however the building is, and it recently re-opened as the National Football Museum after all the exhibits were transferred from Preston

• The Whitworth Art Gallery on Oxford Road. This gallery houses modern and historic art, prints, and a collection of rare wallpapers. During the summer, forget the bus and walk down Oxford Road through the University area, looking out for The Aquatics Centre (a legacy of The Commonwealth Games) and The Royal Northern College of Music. Walk even further and seek out the above mentioned Gallery of English Costume near the famous Curry Mile in Rusholme, which is unique in Britain. At the Whitworth The Gallery Cafe has been declared "Best Family Restaurant" by the prestigious "Which?-Good Food Guide 2009". It has been described by its owner as "a fresh food cafe" with food of "restaurant quality". The menu is simple with an emphasis on seasonal, local produce.

• Bridgewater Hall, near St. Peter's Square and Manchester Central Exhibition Centre, was completed 1996 and is the home of the Halle Orchestra, the world's first municipal symphony orchestra, and also houses traveling famous musical acts. The centrepiece of the hall is the 5 500 pipe organ by Rasmussen. An elegant bistro and restaurant are open at normal meal times to the general public. There is also a bar next door down the wide steps, overlooking a pleasant water feature. Look out, too, for the polished stone sculpture outside!

• Manchester Jewish Museum, 190 Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester. This is a safe, 10-15 minute walk up the road behind The MEN Arena. You can also catch any bus that goes up Cheetham Hill Road from the stop by the side of the Urbis, opposite The Printworks. The 135 bus is an option; a reliable service running at least every ten minutes. It is about three or four stops from the Urbis, but it is best to ask the driver when to alight. Open Mon-Thu 10:30- 16:00, Sun 11:00- 17:00. Closed on Jewish holidays. Tells the story of the large Jewish population in Manchester. Adults £3.95, concessions £2.95. The museum is in the former Spanish-Portuguese synagogue in what was once the heart of the old Jewish quarter. The community has long since moved up the road to Cheetham Hill and Higher Broughton and, in later years, many less Orthodox people have moved to Prestwich, Whitefield and parts of Radcliffe and Sunnybank as well as to some desirable parts of south Manchester.

Sporting Manchester

• Lancashire County Cricket Club, located in Old Trafford.

• Manchester City Football Club, [29]located in Sportcity. Compared to their more-illustrious neighbours, Manchester City have enjoyed less success and are hence regarded as the second team of Manchester. However they were recently acquired by ADUG (Abu Dhabi United Group) and their new found wealth is expected by many to bring a return of the success that the club enjoyed back in the late 1960s/early 1970s.

The B of the Bang - the tallest sculpture in the UK. Sadly dismantled for reasons of safety in 2009. It may be put elsewhere in the future.

• Manchester United Football Club [30], the self-proclaimed world's most popular Football Club, located in Old Trafford. The club is one of the most succesful in England, and are the first English club to become European champions when they did it in 1968. They have a very heated rivalry with Liverpool FC, considered by most football fans to be the biggest rivalry in all of England; a rivalry which stems from the traditional city rivalry between Manchester and Liverpool since the Industrial Revolution, and further fuelled by the fact that both clubs are the most successful English clubs in European competition. Matches between the two sides are always very charged affairs which attract sell-out crowds. Crowd violence is rare though, as there is always a strong police presence at big matches to keep things in order.

• Sportcity is the "largest concentration of sporting venues in Europe." It is located to the east of the city centre, about 30 minutes walk from Piccadilly Station. It was built to host most of the events for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and is home to the National Cycling Centre, Manchester City FC, and other important sporting venues, as well as the tallest sculpture in the UK, which is to be dismantled in spring 2009, for reasons of safety. Some are happy but many will miss it, it is reported.

• Manchester Phoenix Ice Hockey Club, located in Altrincham, are the newly formed (2003) team to replace the once most supported team in European Hockey, Manchester Storm. The Phoenix also host the UK's most sucessfull ice hockey player in the form of Tony Hand the team's player/manager.

Hidden Manchester

• Chetham's Library is Manchester's best kept secret - even most residents of the city are largely oblivious to its existence. Europe's oldest English language Public Library is tucked away next to the futuristic Urbis just off Millenium Square. One of Manchester's oldest buildings, it still has the original collection of books, all chained to their shelves. This is where Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels would visit while in Manchester and where Engels wrote the world-changing book 'The Condition of the Working Classes in England', a key influence on the development of Communism. You can still sit in the window seat where they would talk. The 15th century structure is part of Chetham's Music School - despite the lack of signs, simply ask at the security hut and they will happily let you in for free.

• St. Mary's, The Hidden Gem, near Albert Square. The oldest post-Reformation Catholic church in the country, dating from 1794. It contains one of the greatest pieces of art in Manchester, and the altar is quite magnificent. This is a quiet refuge from the noise of the city.

• The futuristic Trinity Bridge, designed by the Spaniard Santiago Calatrava, who was heavily involved in the designs for the Olympic village in Barcelona, is in the Chapel Wharf Area. This links the twin cities of Manchester and Salford, leading to the five star Lowry Hotel on the Salford bank. It is all a block behind Kendals, near The Freemasons' Hall. A nice pleasant view.

• The Hulme Bridge in Hulme and The Merchant's Bridge in Castlefield, by Catalan Square, are also worth a look.

• Parsonage Gardens is at the back of the House of Fraser (Kendals) Department Store. This is a quaint garden. Nice to relax in when the weather is fine and to read a book. Nearby there is also an observation platform which looks over the River Irwell and is ideal for taking photos of Trinity Bridge and The Lowry Hotel. This does also serve as a carpark, on an overhang, for one of the office blocks, but you may use it. It is a little hidden away but you access this to the right of 20 St Mary's Parsonage, which runs along one side of the gardens.

• Portico Library and Gallery, near Piccadilly Gardens. Home of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical society. Speakers here have included Dalton, the father of Atomic theory and describer of his own colour blindness, the Salford physicist Joule for whom the S.I. unit of energy is named and Roget (who compiled his celebrated Thesaurus here). The Austrian Philosopher Wittgenstein here claimed to have attempted to repeat Franklin's celebrated kite and lightning experiment in the Peak District while employed at Manchester University.

• Midland Bank Building (was the King Street branch of HSBC) is a domineering piece of architecture from 1928, reminiscent of Dublin's General Post Office. Go inside for a look if you can once it reopens. It is located at the upper end of King Street near Armani and Vivienne Westwood, towards Mosley Street.

Buy

Manchester's shopping district is one of the most diverse shopping districts in the UK and the majority of city centre shops are within reasonable walking distance of each other (15 minutes at most) and most are served by a metroshuttle service. Even in the most upmarket stores you are treated in a friendly manner, which many think is not the case in the capital. The recently redeveloped Arndale Centre is a large 1970's city-centre shopping precinct, with 280 stores across just under 185 000 m² of retail space making it the largest city centre shopping centre in Europe, including the largest Next store in the world. The place retains some of its 1970's concrete charms and STILL some of the infamous yellow tiles that are a testament to bad urban planning of that era. It is connected via link bridge to the Marks and Spencer and Selfridges department stores adjacent in Exchange Square. Part awaits an update to the exterior, but the section modernised after the 1996 bomb is a great improvement, although different to that of The Trafford Centre with a more modern simplistic feel compared with the grand exterior of the Trafford Centre. The inside has had a total revamp. It does get very busy at weekends and, unlike at The Trafford Centre, there are far too few places to sit down. If you do need to sit down there are a few benches on the lower floor around the staircase near the market.

There are a number of large shops aimed at bargain hunters ,including the largest Primark in the country, which is great for a bargain and much loved by US cabin crew when in town, and an Aldi food hall on Market Street (just off Piccadilly Gardens).

The Millennium Quarter (at the back of the Arndale Centre) is now quite smart and good for shopping. There's The Triangle, an upmarket shopping centre based in the beautiful old Corn Exchange, worth a visit for the building alone and Selfridges, spread across 5 floors with its large Louis Vuitton concession and fantastic food hall in the basement. You will find everything from sushi to fine chocolates, kosher foods, to a juice bar, etc. Harvey Nichols, opposite the Triangle, offers luxury fashions and produce to Manchester's rich and famous. The centre of Manchester's shopping area has traditionally been St. Ann's Square, and there are many shops nearby. King Street and Spring Gardens city centre offer a Vivienne Westwood store (a local girl, from the nearby Peak District), Joseph and DKNY, as well as Emporio Armani and Collezione; these catering for, amongst others, the city's Premiership footballers, soap stars ("Coronation Street" has been produced in the city since the early sixties!), and the many media types who can also be found in the area.

Deansgate has a fair number upmarket stores, as do some of the roads off it. The House of Fraser store, considered by many to be the top people's shop, (still known as "Kendals" to most Manchester people and "Kendal Milne's" to an even older generation) is on Deansgate and has been on roughly the same site since the mid-19th century. It is somewhat old school and the eating places are worth a visit. The new Champagne bar, on the third floor, is the latest addition. One of central Manchester's few quiet green squares is just behind the store. This is Parsonage Gardens. Deansgate is also home to Ed Hardy, The General Store, Edwards as well as some high end restaurants.

Just off Deansgate is The Avenue a luxury designer shopping destination set to open in Autumn 2010 in the Spinningfields district of the city centre. It will be the home to stores such as Flannels, Mulberry, Emporio Armani and Armani Collezioni, Brooks Brothers, Ermenegildo Zegna, Oliver Sweeney and Joseph. Combined with some of the new cafe's and restaurants this is set to become a top retail and leisure venue.

There is also an outlet mall at The Lowry, in Salford, near the future site (2011) of Media City: UK housing the BBC North project to relocate almost 3000 posts and 5 departments from London as well as BBC Manchester and Salford University's school of Media and Performance.

The Trafford Centre is a huge out-of-town shopping centre and accessible by car, taxi, or a bus/tram journey. It does not yet have a tram station of its own. It has been designated the Temple to Consumerism, and is one the largest, and possibly the grandest of such centres in Europe. It has its own branches of Selfridges, Debenhams and the best of Greater Manchester's two John Lewis stores. The other is in suburban Cheadle. The centre is spectacular, luxurious, and 'posh' inside and out. Look out for the biggest chandelier in Europe, near the Great Hall! If confused how to get there by bus and not too worried about the cost, opt for a through ticket on the tram and catch the link bus from Stretford station on the Altrincham line, (turn right out of station and take the first right for the bus stop). If you already have a Metromax day ticket for the tram, just pay extra on the link bus. You can catch the same bus back to the station from a couple of stops around the centre or from the centre's own bus station. The cinema is also one of the best in the area and has even hosted some UK premieres in the past. The centre is now also linked to an annex offering homewares and furniture, built in an italianate style around a very large outdoor fountain. With supermarkets and DIY outlets nearby, mancunians can buy everything in this area without venturing into the city or any other town centre.

Of particular interest

• Merchandise from the football club Manchester United is popular with some tourists. There is a dedicated superstore in the stadium at Old Trafford.
• Manchester City FC also has its own dedicated retail outlet at the City of Manchester Stadium in Sportcity, as well as in on Market Street.
• Afflecks Palace in the Northern Quarter is "an emporium of eclecticism, a totem of indie commerce," and a shopping arcade in a five story Victorian building, featuring a range of 50+ independent stalls catering to a young alternative crowd. It's a lot of fun: strange costumes, lots of goths, punks, and teenagers. Saved from closing in April 2008, it is now simply known as Afflecks.
• The Northern Quarter is Manchester's answer to Soho, and there is a mishmash of stores which sell music, art, and clothing. More and more bars and cafes are opening too. At night look out for the illuminated, public art attraction on top of the Church Street car park.It was put up in 1999 at a cost of £35 000, but the lights went out for some five years until a deal was struck in July 2010, by the city council, with the NCP carpark company who will pay the bill for the 12-metre light tower. It is lit from 21:00 to 01:00.
• Every Christmas time, continental style Christmas markets take place in Albert Square, in St. Ann's Square, and along both New Cathedral Street and Brazennose Street. You can buy all the usual Continental and British Christmas curios as well as various foodstuffs. Good fun and very atmospheric at night when it's all lit up.

• Also at Christmas, into the new year, there are open air skating rinks in Spinningfields as well as a snow slide and other attractions at Piccadilly Gardens. There is also a winterbar at the Spinningfields location.

• The small but perfectly-stocked food section of Harvey Nichols has a particularly fine wine department. Wines range from relatively inexpensive to the highest levels, e.g Château Latour, vertical ranges of Petrus, Vega Sicilia, etc. They are still remarkably good value in context, e.g. 1990 Krug Clos de Mesnil 1990, arguably the greatest Champagne ever made and incomparably finer than the footballer's wildly overrated Crystal is about £150 cheaper than usually quoted elsewhere.

• Of late, there is a flower market at the Market Street corner of Piccadilly Gardens Thursday through Saturday from 10:00- 18:00. Some food stalls and craft stalls can be found there too.

• Also hunt out the Craft and Design Centre, in the old Smithfield Market Building, in The Northern Quarter. The complex is full of artist studio space and boutiques, as well as a cafe.

• There are regular events in Albert Square, St Ann's Square and on New Cathedral Street, all year around, where you can buy art, listen to music and sample foods from far and wide.

• If catering for yourself, there are several Sainsbury's Local stores located around the city centre (at Oxford Road, Mosley Street, Quay Street, Bridge Street, Piccadilly Station). Tesco Metro supermarkets can be found on Market Street (the largest supermarket in the centre), on Piccadilly and on Quay Street, which is near the aforementioned Sainsbury's and Granada TV. M&S food outlets are located within the M&S store next to Selfridges and there are also M&S Simply Food stores at Piccadilly Gardens and within Piccadilly Station. You will find increasingly popular Coop food stores near both Victoria, by the movement's headquarters, opposite the Arndale Market, at Piccadilly Gardens and just outside Piccadilly station. For more upmarket food products, Harvey Nichols has a deli and foodhall as does Selfridges. The city centre's first'Waitrose store opened near The Avenue development, with another expected to open in Piccadilly Gardens in the near future. At the other end of the spectrum there are the Arndale Market and a large Aldi store in the Arndale Centre, which is, in common with most UK outlets, much more upmarket than the stores in Germany. This is also accessible from Market Street. There is also a Lidl and a Tesco on Oxford Road near Manchester Royal Infirmary.

• For something a little bit different, the newly-refurbished Manchester Arndale Market features many food stalls, including a rather large fish store and a butchers. Chinatown has many specialist shops and the landmark Wing Yip superstore on Oldham Road in the Northern Quarter is excellent for everything oriental.

• There are various other mini-markets and late night stores around the city centre and in Piccadilly station. There are three 24-hour Spar's, one in Piccadilly gardens, one on Piccadilly station approach and the third opposite the BBC Studios on Oxford Road. Just out of the centre are a large Sainsbury's, in Regent Retail Park, Salford, an Asda store in Hulme, a Tesco Extra Hypermarket in Cheetham Hill.

• Not of particular interest maybe, but it is worth knowing where the main public toilets are about town! Clean conveniences can be found at Piccadilly station (less reliable ones are to be found at Victoria) and there are a few pods around the centre (one is on the corner of John Dalton Street and Deansgate). There are pay toilets in the basement and on the top floor of The Triangle Centre, Exchange Square. You can also find FREE toilets in The Arndale Centre and at the following locations;
• Kendals House of Fraser, Deansgate, (basement, 3rd, and 6th floors).
• Selfridges,Exchange Square. (basement ,in the corner, near the alcohol section).
• M&S, St Mary's Gate. (basement, near the food hall).
• Harvey Nichols, New Cathedral Street (Near the food hall, bar, and restaurant).
• Debenhams, Market Street. (Near cafe, top sales floor).
• Royal Exchange Theatre, St. Ann's Square. (by bars and restaurant — not available to public during performances).
• Town Hall. (entrance opposite Beluga restaurant, on Mount Street, just off Albert Square).

From summer 2010 the City Council is working with retailers who are to display a sticker in their window offering free use of their toilet facilities.

Most museums and galleries include free toilets. There is nothing stopping you popping into any busy pub to use their conveniences! At busy times you would hardly be noticed.

• Free copies of The Manchester Evening News are given out, around the city and available at the airport, on Thursday and Friday, as well as inside and outside some selected newsagents in town. There is a charge of 47p for the other days of the week including Saturday's edition. This is very good for listings, especially on a Friday, with the City Life pull out section. The free Metro newspaper is handed out in the mornings. This too has some listings.

Do

• Free Go to Cloud 23 bar on the 23rd floor of The Hilton, Deansgate. A pricey bar, but you can have a look at the skyline for free if you ask.

• Visit the Trafford Area of this area of fascinating industrial heritage.

• Manchester has a couple of big multi-screen cinemas located centrally, AMC off Deansgate (as cheap as £3.20 if you're a student) and Odeon in the Printworks show the usual Hollywood fare; the Cornerhouse on Oxford Road tends to show smaller, independent, art house and foreign language movies. there is an Imax inside the Odeon in the Printworks.

• Shows in Manchester [31], Manchester has many theatres and live music venues so see what's on when and where.

• Hire a supercar in Manchester [32]; Northern Ferrari hire offer self drive supercar hire in Manchester.

Learn

There is no doubt that Greater Manchester's universities continue to be a big draw. The University of Manchester is the most over subscribed university in Europe. More and more language schools are also now opening and offer a more reasonable option than the likes of London and other southern venues.

Work

There are numerous temporary agencies in the city and there is work in the hospitality industry to be had. There have been reports, of late, of teacher shortages (though not quite on par with London), and this could be of interest to overseas candidates with the relevant qualifications. Manchester has the highest job ratio of the eight English Core Cities and is therefore a very good place to find work. It could also be seen as a good alternative to London for employment opportunities.

If you are qualified to work in Britain, work can be found. Many thousands of East Europeans have been drawn to the city in recent years, but according to the press reports, a great number are now returning due to perceived job insecurity and the falling value of the Pound, as a result of the economic downturn. Many, to date, have found work in the building trade, where there has been a boom as of late. In some areas of employment, you could find yourself competing with the many students who need to finance their studies.

Manchester is an important financial centre and the media are also well represented, as can be seen in the BBC's forthcoming partial move to The Media City at Salford Quays and the ITV-Granada (makers of Coronation Street) presence on Quay Street. The BBC already has a strong foothold at Broadcasting House on Oxford Road. This is home to BBC Radio Manchester, BBC North West Tonight (regional TV news) and The Religious Affairs Department of The BBC.

Retail is a large employer, in and around the city, and there are many gyms in need of trainers for the growing city centre population.

Eat