Manchester City Guide

Manchester has always punched well above its weight. This is the city that gave the world the Industrial Revolution, the suffragette movement, and some of the most influential music of the past fifty years — from The Smiths and Joy Division to Oasis and The Stone Roses. That restless creative energy is still very much alive, thrumming through the Northern Quarter's independent bars, the Warehouse Project's legendary club nights, and the theatres and galleries that line every other street.

The Northern Quarter is the beating heart of the city's independent scene — vinyl shops, craft breweries, vintage clothing stores, and cafes that take their flat whites very seriously. But Manchester's cultural life extends far beyond one neighbourhood. The Lowry in Salford Quays, HOME cinema and theatre, the Royal Exchange, and the Bridgewater Hall all offer world-class programming, while Band on the Wall has been hosting live music since 1935.

Manchester is a proper food city too. Curry Mile in Rusholme is legendary, the Arndale Market food hall is a multi-cultural feast, and the restaurant scene around Deansgate and Spinningfields has exploded in recent years. On weekends, Altrincham Market and Mackie Mayor draw crowds who take their eating and drinking seriously.

The city is wonderfully walkable, with the Metrolink tram filling in the gaps. And the people are famously warm — Mancunians have a dry wit and a genuine pride in their city that makes visitors feel welcome from the moment they arrive.