Find your bearings
Top Recommendations
Uncover the secrets of bustling Bangkok via bicycle and boat
Experience a paradise in Bend, for those seeking an outdoor lifestyle while travelling
Trace the footsteps of brown bears in the wilderness of Sweden
Discover a small American desert town posed as the future stepping stone to space
Experience breathtaking sights in northern Peru away from crowded tourist paths
Before delving into Manchester's contemporary facets, it’s essential to understand its rich historical heritage.
Every day at 11 am, the "Discover Manchester" walking tour run by Manchester Sightseeing opens up the historical secrets of Manchester, from the grand steps of Central Library on St Peter’s Square. This 90-minute stroll guided by knowledgeable experts delves into Manchester's transformation during the Industrial Revolution from a mere town into a thriving hub of the textile industry, fondly known as Cottonopolis. You'll visit intriguing sites like the Midland Hotel, a historical landmark where Rolls had his famous meeting with Royce, and The Royal Exchange, which once governed the global cotton trade.
Entry Ticket: £10 per person.
Experience a Michelin-starred culinary journey
Industrial desolation is slowly becoming a part of Manchester's vivid past, specifically in the bustling and vibrant district named Ancoats. Previously characterized by empty warehouses, today, Ancoats boasts of a flourishing food scene, brimming with innovative independent diners, among them, the popular pizzeria, Rudy’s.
Ensuring the food scene remains hot and exciting is Mana, a unique gastronomical venture led by the prodigious Simon Martin, a chef who honed his skills at Noma. Mana proudly carries the distinction of being the first Manchester establishment to earn a Michelin Star in over four decades. A visit to Mana promises a transformative dining experience, with each multi-course meal being a work of art – Ardent food lovers can look forward to delicacies such as langoustine head and verbena served on white truffle toast, and a fusion of pine cone with dark chocolate Æbleskiver.
Get a culture fix
Ahead of a regeneration project that will create a community park and business spaces at historic former railway yard, Depot Mayfield, Broadwick Live are putting the astonishing 10,000 capacity industrial venue to good use.
A successful run of Warehouse Project club nights in 2019 will continue into 2020. Site-specific artwork by Es Devlin will arrive, and a series of summer concerts in outdoor area, The Yard, are on the cards.
Architecture buffs should head to the Modernist Gallery and Shop, a newly-opened space in the Northern Quarter from the not-for-profit Modernist Society, which celebrates 20th century design through events, exhibitions and literature. Expect gorgeous architecture coffee-table books and cool exhibitions. It’s also the place to get the inside track on Manchester’s most interesting modernist buildings – ask the staff for their favourites as you browse.
Gen up on gin
After meeting over a G&T in Manchester in 2013, Seb Heeley and Jen Wiggins fell in love and realised they were as passionate about gin as they were each other. A micro distillery in their dining room later and Manchester Gin was born. Their signature gin was a hit and scaling-up (100,000 bottles in 2019), accolades and new blends followed.
Their latest venture is a smart gin-focussed bar and restaurant, Three Little Words – hello brunches where citrussy breakfast gin cocktails are paired with nutmeg drop scone pancakes – and the Spirit of Manchester distillery, both housed in a series of Grade II-listed arches in the city centre.
Their distillery masterclass is a rip-roaring ride through the history of Mother’s Ruin and the brand, as well as a tasting session and blend-your-own gin class. Guide James is akin to a Willy Wonka of booze, picking botanicals to suit individual tastes, magicking up measurements, and instructing how to use mini copper stills. It’s the most fun science class you’ll ever take.
Distiller’s Masterclass (2.5 -3 hours, includes two G&Ts, tour, tasting and blend-your-own session, a 500ml bottle of your gin) £85.
Indulge in the luxury of the repurposed Stock Exchange
Football stars from the golden days of Old Trafford, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs, have ingeniously converted the Edwardian-era Stock Exchange into an opulent hotel with forty rooms. The interior, designed by Autobahn, is a striking blend of new-age grandeur and vintage charm – think lush, forest green decor juxtaposed with dark woods and gleaming accents, all set against a backdrop of checkerboard floors, bountiful amounts of marble, and painstakingly restored stained glass windows. The rooms, replete with technologically advanced TV-systems built into cabinets at the foot of the bed, custom-designed nest chairs, and subtly-colored vintage photographs from its stock trading past, offer an unparalleled lodging experience.
Ground floors of this architectural marvel house The Bull & Bear, a restaurant already causing a sensation in Manchester, helmed by Tom Kerridge, a renowned master in traditional British cuisine. Among the comforting dishes served beneath an extraordinarily stunning dome of the erstwhile trading room are whole stuffed quail with black pudding, a tantalizing steak and blue-cheese demi pie, and a vibrant beetroot salad accompanied by feta and hefty chips. Screens on the walls provide a relaxed and entertaining vibe, a surprising yet delightful contrast to the building's overall grandiosity.
A single night's stay comes with a price tag starting from £200.
Stay in a home away from home
Of late, aparthotels – which cross self-catering facilities with hotel services – are all the rage.
Just-opened Native Manchester is the UK’s largest to date, spread across eight floors of a Victorian warehouse on Ducie Street, a five minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly station. Spacious rooms have exposed barrel brick walls, slick furniture by Conran and a kitchen, ideal for long stays. Many interior features in the Grade II-listed building have been retained, including cast-iron columns and painted features in baby blue and red, which some like to think of as a fortuitous, albeit unintentional, homage to the city’s much-loved football teams.
On the top level are elegant, two-bedroom split-level apartments with balconies, Dali-inspired cushions on comfy beds, and kitchen-meets-lounges as suitable for hosting business meetings as they are for cocktails and canapés with friends.
If one's travels take them further north, seeking ocean views and a seaside ambiance, the park hotel in redcar could be the perfect coastal counterpart to Native Manchester's urban charm. Conveniently situated in Yorkshire, with the seafront just a short stroll away, guests can enjoy a different kind of stay that complements their city adventures with tranquil sea breezes and panoramic views of the coastline.
Rooms from £95.
The Ultimate Workspace Goes Glam
If you're looking to blend work, socialisation, and culture, the Ducie Street Warehouse houses the impressive CULTUREPLEX. This high-ceilinged, visually stunning meeting place has been transformed into a hybrid workspace by renowned designers David Waddington and Pablo Flack, the brains behind London's famous Bistroteque. In this space, innovative minds are fueled by full-bodied Ancoats coffee while brainstorming in comfortable seating arrangements or flicking through the latest editions of independent magazines.
Adding to the appeal, a branch of Bistroteque offers delectably hearty dishes like farinata smothered with savoury garlic mushrooms to satisfy your midday cravings in the shared area. As evening falls, the exclusive rear area comes to life. But that's not all - CULTUREPLEX offers more than just food and work space. It also comprises an on-site mini cinema and a dynamic events schedule. One day, you might find a classical quartet giving their take on pop music in the lobby; the next day, you could stumble upon a compelling spoken word workshop.
Party at an affordable poshtel
Selina, a Latin American start-up who specialises in boutique poshtels, have chosen Manchester’s lively Northern Quarter for their UK debut, Selina NQ1. Design blends pastel colour pops with tropi-cool murals, and plants hung in macramé cocoons. Rooms range from fuss-free dorm rooms attached to a funky communal kitchen-lounge to swankier private rooms and spacious loft affairs. A global crowd ranges from those on girls’ weekends, to football fans and flashpackers.
Downstairs there’s Wilson’s Social, where rose and raspberry Collins are served with buttermilk chicken burgers and pan-fried halloumi with whipped avocado. Things are particularly lively come evenings, and weekends, when a DJ spins floorfillers in one corner. There’s also basement nightclub Cotton, set inside a former printing factory – it’s an inclusive space that focuses on gender and LGBT+ balanced line ups.
Colourful digs at Selina Manchester
Another new property to watch in the city is Hotel Brooklyn, a classy joint across town on Portland Street with 189 loft-look-inspired rooms, a tenth of which will be fully accessible.
Shared rooms at Selina NQ1 from £15pp per night, loft rooms from £70pp. Rooms at Hotel Brooklyn from £145.
Explore Creative Mixology
Sharing its abode with Selina, Double Down, a speakeasy inspiring intrigue, is the brainchild of the creators of the famous Speak in Code. Its offerings are imbued with imaginative ingredients like chipotle-infused agave or coconut halva orgeat that together formulate unique, tastebud-tickling cocktails. These drinks are elegantly presented from a bar with a distinct cassette-front style, in harmony with throbbing hip hop rhythms and a fanciful vegan hotdog menu featuring the likes of Snoop or Big Daddy Kale.
A stone's throw away, just five minutes by foot, you will discover Wolf at the Door, an establishment envisaged by the creatives of the Wilderness Record Store. On the first level, you'll be treated to delectable modern European fare, highlights of which include a succulent hen of the woods mushroom swimming in fresh lemon thyme broth and the irresistible grilled sourdough complemented by sweet onion butter. Expect these culinary delights to be paired with a curated selection of natural wines and ever-flowing on-tap mimosas. On the upper level awaits your tranquil cocktail haven, sporting a full-sized wooden canoe suspended in mid-air as its centerpiece. The meticulous conception of their cocktail menu is an irresistible lure for those thirsty for dynamic flavors. In fact, their blend named Nebula, a concoction of barsol pisco, bitter orange, raspberry, lemon, clarified milk, and pastis, owes its inspiration to ethyl formate's occurrence in the heart of the Milky Way - this chemical compound is what lends our earthly raspberries their distinctive flavor.