Manchester: the home of the Industrial Revolution and the football capital of the world. But there’s so much more to the UK’s northern metropolis. With a lively arts scene, many museums and beautiful buildings, it is an excellent place to visit and an even better one to live in. Manchester has produced such cultural heavyweights as The Smiths, Danny Boyle, The Stone Roses and Joy Division. In this short list, we count down the top ten best things about living in Manchester.

Nightlife

It isn’t just the students that flock to Manchester for its nightlife. With thousands of restaurants, pubs and clubs to choose from, and with nights out costing considerably less than in the South, there’s never a dull moment in England’s second city. Of particular note is Sankey’s, the club that gave Daft Punk and the Chemical Brothers their big break. With non-mainstream DJs spinning the decks nightly, there’s something for everyone in this unique nightclub.

Diversity

With a large sections of the population descended from across the world, there is an exciting energy to life in this city which is reflected in the cities’ arts scene every bit as much as in its culinary delights. Try Yang-Sing Chinese, El Rincon del Rafa Spanish, Shere Khan Indian or the River Bar and Restaurant for a real treat.

The arts scene

Whilst there are many interesting galleries and museums to visit (such as the Whitworth, the Manchester museum and the Museum of Science and Industry to name but a few), it is the truly unique Urbis building which stands out from the crowd. The Urbis is not only home to a permanent collection which describes life in Manchester but also exhibits more cutting edge and provocative temporary collections.

Old Trafford

Admittedly, this might not be a draw for everyone but it is a huge part of Manchester’s heritage and tours of the stadium and museum are a must-see pilgrimage for fans from all over the world.

The Architecture

There are many beautiful buildings worth checking out in Manchester. Ranging from the John Rylands library (replete with beautiful stained glass) to the Town Hall (an example of the beauty of Victorian grandeur at its best), just a casual walk around the city centre is a treat with easy access to 19^th century industrial buildings, bridges and warehouses.

The Lowry Centre

As well as housing collections by Moore, Turner, Hepworth, Constable, Blake and Hogarth, the city also proudly boasts the legacy of its most famous artist LS Lowry. As well as art galleries displaying his work, the Lowry Centre also serves as a performance space for comedy, dance and drama.

The People’s History Museum

A refurbished Edwardian pumping station, this museum covers British social history via a series of interactive exhibits. Punch a time card on a mill clock, look at the table at which Thomas Paine produced his seminal work the Rights of Man and get a sense of local history.

The Trafford Centre

This huge shopping mall is one of the biggest centres in the UK, with nearly three-hundred shops and even places to stay. With many restaurants, a Selfridges and a cinema, it’s the first port of call for locals to spend their leisure time.

Manchester Craft and Design Centre

Located in a restored Victorian fish market, this is a mecca for designers and creative types alike. The ideal place to pick up everything from textiles to jewellery, many up and coming student artists sell here, so this is the place to pick up a real bargain!

Piccadilly Records

The ultimate alternative record store, this is the place that locals go to buy everything from DJ equipment to clothes to books. Well worth a visit, this is a wonderful spot to get a sense of all things Mancunian.

This homage to Manchester comes courtesy of Vivid Photo Visual – the video production Manchester specialists.

If you are visiting England then you definitely have to visit Manchester. After London and Birmingham, Manchester is England’s third largest city with plenty of great restaurants, clubs, and other sights near Manchester City Centre. That is why you are going to want to book your hotel near that area. Hotels in Manchester City Centre are actually not that expensive, so you can get a great deal while still being at a terrific location.

One of the best sights in Manchester is the town hall. Manchester Town Hall is one of the best Victorian landmarks of this city. The architecture is perfect and so are the wonderful paintings and monuments inside the town hall. There is also a gigantic clock tower that stands tall over every other building in the city centre. You can pre book a guided tour, or get a package on the day if they are available. This will give you the best opportunity to really experience the inside of the building.

The Manchester Central Library was recently renovated at the cost of around 150 million pounds. This made an already great building even more appealing to visit. Its circular structure makes it a building that is recognizable from miles away, in addition to the great works that are stored inside. There are thousands of books in the library, as well as a cafe, a reading room, and a basement theatre.

The Free Trade Hall is a building that has been in Manchester since the early 19th century. This hall is built in the palazzo style that is famous in Italy and has hosted many a concert and event in its time. The hall no longer holds concerts, but is the site for the much admired Radisson Hotel. You can also go inside and see the various artifacts from the building’s history as they are on display.

In addition to these great sites around the Manchester City Centre, the city is also a hub for sport in England. The two soccer teams that come from Manchester are now two of England’s best. Both Manchester United and Manchester City fight it out for league titles and European trophies. Their stadiums, Old Trafford and City of Manchester Stadium, are also great sites to visit. You can get guided tours of the stadiums and museums, if you really want to experience the history of these two great club sides from Manchester.

City Breaks and shopping go hand in hand, it’s a fact. You may want to visit famous tourist attractions in the city, wander around the most known parts and so on but eventually you will need to relax and unwind. There is no better way to do this than by visiting few shops and browsing through their collections.

Top shops in Manchester

Manchester is a true city breaks bonanza. Apart from great places to see, free museums, art galleries and much more, the city offers more than you could ask for when it comes to shopping. However, with so much choice it might be quite difficult to choose the best places to visit, hence in this post I will tell you exactly what are the top shops in Manchester.

Manchester is the home to two of the biggest shopping centers in Europe, both easily accessible from the city centre and both practically filled with shops and restaurants, plus more.

1. Trafford Centre

Trafford Centre is by far the biggest shopping centre in Europe. Including over 280 of the top shops in Manchester, spanning 1900000 square foot and welcoming 35 million visitors every year, this is a true gem not to miss on your shopping spree in the city.

Shops in Trafford Centre are opened from 10am to 10pm during the weekdays, on Saturday they close at 8pm and on Sunday you can shop from 12noon till 6pm.

Restaurants in the centre are usually opened from 10am till Midnight (and beyond during weekends), while the ODEON cinema can welcome you from 9.40am till 1am.

The centre is located in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford and the best way to get there is by Busses, which run from various spots in Greater Manchester Area to a dedicated, on site bus station.

If you want to start from the Piccadilly station, you can jump on the X50 express service, which runs every 15 minutes. For more information on busses and other sourcer of transport to the centre, you can go here 2. Arndale Shopping Centre

Arndale is a large chain of shopping centres in the UK. The one in Manchester is mainly famous for a fatal IRA attack on it in 1996. The bomb planted in the centre was the largest the IRA has ever used in their attacks. Today the centre is fully restored after the attacks and operates normally serving close to 40 million visitors a year.

Arndale features 270 shops and nearly 1500 car spaces for its visitors, making it a perfect spot for family trip by car. However, you can also access it through different ways of transport too.

3. Selfridge and Harvey Nichols

Last but not least are the two classy, boutique style shopping centres in Manchester. These two will certainly satisfy a more demanding visitor, offering top brands. Be aware though that these are the places where you can spend some serious money.

If you are interested in science, technology and industrial developments then there is no better place for you to visit than  the Manchester Science Museum.

Also known as the MOSI, the Manchester Science Museum focuses on  the impact that technlogy, science and industry had on the region over the years but it also aims to present the Manchester’s contributions in those areas.

There are countless sections to the museum. Themes such as transport, railway, aircrafts and even space vehicles are presented there.

One of the most important aspects of the city’s past that’s largely featured in the Manchester Science Museum is the role it played during the industrial revolution. Manchester has become a hub for textile processing and in the museum you can see how the technology behind it was changing.

A great attraction not only for the kids is a chance to ride on a steam locomotive replica, something not many similar places can pride themselves with. (A side note, steam train rides are available only at weekends and bank holidays.)

The Manchester Science Museum History

Manchester Science Museum was originally set up as the North Western Museum of Science and Industry in 1969 in Grosvernor Street. Within the next decade its expositions grew so exponentially that the museum was moved to its current location, right beside the Liverpool Road Station in Castlefield.

Today the museum, after another major expansion occupies the whole of the former road station and is located near the site of the original Roman fort of Mamicium.

Manchester Science Museum Notable Exhibitions

Manchester Science Museum is a true haven for anyone interested in science and technology but I guess everyone can find something of interest to them in there.

The most notable, and often breathtaking exhibitions in the museum include a complete RAF Shackleton plan (which in fact was produced locally in the region). Another famous plane that you can see in the museum is the Supermarine Spitfire. A Hawker hunter is right beside it on the list.

The museum holds a replica of Erricson’s Novelty Locomotive. What’s interesting about it is that parts from the actual model from 1829 (which is also the model used for the steam train ride) have been used to construct the replica. This is a British Rail Class locomotive with a South African Railways GL Class.

Many technical objects and machines from the industrial revolution are also on display. The Power Hall presents machines that were used during that period and the Textile Hall presents how, thanks to many technological advancements, Manchester has become such an important hub of textile manufacturing and processing during the revolution.

If you are into more modern technologies, then you definitely have to see a replica of the Manchester Small-Scale Experimental Machine, the world’s first stored-program computer.

It was constructed only three years after the end of the WWII and turned out to be a testing ground for the early versions of computer memory systems. What’s most important about it is that it was the very first machine in the World to contain all of the elements essential to a modern working computer.

Communication developments are largely covered by the Connected Earth display while the Electricity gallery presents the history of electricity in the region.

One of the most fascinating exhibitions is the collection of cameras from over 170 years of photography in the city. It presents not only factory built models but first attempts to create self made cameras by the people from Manchester.

Manchester Science Museum is by far one of the most intriguing places in the city, whether you are technology oriented person or not. If you are coming to Manchester for a city break, make sure that you visit the museum to discover how technology has shaped Manchester as we know today.

Photo credit: marcusandsue

You have heard a lot of good things about Manchester. You already know that it is known as one of the tourist destinations in UK. But you obviously still want to know more about the top attractions in Manchester. In this post I will try to explain why you should visit Manchester and what you can expect once you get there.

Manchester has plenty to offer for all its visitors. The city is known of its good music and famous music bands just like the Oasis. You can visit many concert halls and music shops in Manchester. It is one of the great places in the world you can visit if you wanted to hear good music. You can also find a lot of famous galleries and museums in Manchester. The city’s museums show the Manchester’s rich history. Its galleries also exhibit the important collection of UK’s art. Wonderful buildings are to be found in the city as well. They display the amazing architecture of the city, just like the medieval Manchester Cathedral.

If you’re into sports, then you have to know that Manchester is also a home to one of the best football teams. That makes a good sense because they now have first class stadiums and great sports facilities. So your visit to Manchester won’t be complete without watching one of the home games. You can also get a good shopping experience in Manchester. You will be able to see lots of shops and designer boutiques depending on your budget. There you can also find second-hand and retail shops best for people who don’t have much to spend.

Manchester is also popular for its amazing nightlife. You definitely don’t want to miss a great night in the city. The city has lots to offer to make your night stay memorable. Pubs, bars and restaurants are everywhere. Dancing the night away with its famous clubs and singing along with some live bands. If you donít have much budget to spend, need not to worry. Manchester has wide range of affordable pubs and restaurants for you.

Manchester is a good city you can visit for a trip. It could give you the best entertainment and fun you wanted. Thus, making your visit a once in a lifetime experience and keeping memories unforgettable.

Photo credit: AtillatheHun