Manchester has an incredible amount to offer if you’re looking for a break away. This vibrant city is packed with attractions, culture and heritage. There is a great music scene (head down to The Factory), plenty of night life and lots to entertain the whole family!
Football
First thing’s first though – you can’t visit Manchester without noticing the loyalty that not only the locals, but the whole world, have for the resident football teams, Manchester City and Manchester United. The Manchester United Museum and Tour is open every day, apart from Saturday match days. A family ticket will set you back £48, a little on the steep side, but the younger fans in particular will be delighted in seeing the inside of the stadium. Manchester City also offer stadium tours every day at £15 for an adult ticket, or £10 for concessions.
Manchester now even has a dedicated football museum but if you’re looking for a buzzing football experience, book tickets for a United vs City match. The atmosphere at a local derby is fantastic and is not something you’ll get in a museum! The next date is Saturday 8th April 2013!
Skiing
Manchester boasts the longest indoor ski slope in the UK at Chill Factore. You can take part in lessons, or just pop along for the day and try out skiing, snowboarding, extreme sledging and even snow sphereing (getting inside a giant orb and rolling down the slope)! An adult ski ticket is £20, but there are often special offers, particularly during the school holidays. It certainly costs a lot less than a trip to Aspens. Don’t forget to wrap up warm though!
Manchester Canal
The canal that runs through the city is over 35 miles long. As an alternative to the open top bus tours, how about going on a canal tour? Mersey Ferries offer a cruise that takes you all the way from Salford Quays to Liverpool. It costs £38 for an adult and takes around 2.5 hours. You then return by bus, seeing Manchester from a different angle. Oh and did I mention that there is a licensed bar on board?
Pub Staggers
And talking of bars, Manchester is very proud of its beer. Real Ale pubs are thriving in the city and there are plenty to choose from. CAMRA (The Campaign for Real Ale) have put together 5 “pub staggers”, each starting at one of the city’s rail stations. There is no charge (apart from the beer), simply print off your route from www.visitmanchester.com .
Canal Street
Canal Street is in the middle of Manchester’s Gay Village. The city has a thriving LGBT scene and Canal Street has some of the best bars, restaurants and nightclubs in the area. The best time to visit is during Manchester Pride Festival – this year from the 16-26th August. The money raised goes to local LGBT projects. The bars and restaurants have outside seating during the summer months, so grab a cocktail and watch the world go by!
There is much more to do of course and on top of that, there are always ongoing events in Manchester.