Attractions in Manchester
All high-cultural excuses have excused us, because in Manchester football is the biggest attraction. At the center, though not geographically, stands the theater of dreams, Old Trafford. However, there are a number of other attractions and sights as well. So you don’t actually have to be a sports idiot to visit Manchester!
Old Trafford
Manchester United’s home ground Old Trafford has almost become a pilgrimage destination for millions of supporters from around the world. The track was used during the World Cup in 1966, the European Championships in 1996 and the Champions League Final in 2003, and has a capacity of 76,000 spectators. Every ten minutes, guided tours start around the stadium area, and the ticket for around $ 100 includes a visit to the club’s own museum, where you can see, among other things, the trophies and jerseys of the most famous players such as David Beckham, George Best, Sir Bobby Charlton and Eric Cantona. Open from 2 pm 0930 to 1700. More information about Old Trafford here.
Imperial War Museum North
The War Museum Imperial War Museum North opened in July 2002 and is housed in an award-winning and complex architectural building with sloping floors and uneven surfaces, intended to remind of the catastrophic effect war can have. The exhibitions are constantly changing, with elements from both the World Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, the Palestine conflict and the Balkan conflict. The museum has free admission and is open daily from 7 am to 6 pm. 1000 to 1700. The address is Quay West, Trafford Wharf Rd
Lowry Center
In Salford Quays outside the city center you will find an architectural masterpiece of glass and polished metal that houses several galleries and restaurants, a large theater, bars and a gift shop. At the top is a gallery dedicated to local artist LS Lowry (1887-1976), where the largest collection of his paintings is on display for free. Here you can also relax with a drink in the Lyric Circle Bar with a nice view of the square below. The Lowry Center Museum is open daily from 6 p.m. 1000 to 2000, but closes at. 1800 on Sundays. Tel +44 (0) 870 787 5788.
People’s History Museum
In Bridge Street is this museum that revolves around the industrial revolution, the working class and their strikes, unions and the generally tough life of the last hundred years. It may not sound particularly fun, but the People’s History Museum is actually a surprisingly interesting and educational experience. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 6 p.m. 1100 to 1630, free admission.
Manchester Cathedral
The Deansgate cathedral dates from 1215 and is built in Gothic style. The cathedral has England’s widest midship of 35 meters, and an interior wooden ceiling with intricate carvings. If you walk up the claustrophobic spiral staircase to the tower, you have a great view of Manchester. Free admission, open from 6pm. 0800 daily. The cathedral closes at 1900 on weekdays and at 1700 on Saturdays.
The Jewish Museum
The Manchester Jewish Museum tells the story of the Jewish community in the city over the last two hundred years. Open Monday to Thursday at. 1030 to 1600, Sundays at 1 p.m. 1100 to 1700. The address is 190 Cheetham Hill Road.
The Manchester Museum
The Manchester Museum is housed in a neo-Gothic university building and has exhibited over six million objects from around the world. The museum’s collections began as early as 1821, and the pride is an almost complete skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, built up in continuous pose.
Open Tuesday to Saturday at. 1000 to 1700, Sunday and Monday from 1 to 1600.
Tourist in Manchester
Manchester city center is relatively compact, and most of the sights and attractions are within walking distance of a fairly diverse person. If you prefer to have a guided tour around the city, there are plenty of opportunities.
An easy and inexpensive alternative to seeing most attractions, while getting relevant information and transport, is to use the Hop On – Hop Off buses. The ticket costs around 90 kroner and can be used for 24 hours. The buses pass their fifteen regular stops once or twice an hour.
Day 1 in Manchester
After a late and hearty English breakfast at the hotel, we start today’s round in Manchester in the north of the city center. Just off Victoria Station, in Cathedral Gardens, you’ll find a magnificent Urbis [see photo first in article]. Here you could previously get to know all aspects of life in Manchester, both the sun side and the shadow side, from past, present and future.
Today, Urbis houses the National Football Museum. And is there any better place to start your day in Manchester than right here?
From the most modern in the city to the oldest in the city, the road is short. Gothic-style Manchester Cathedral has a wider hub than any other church in England, all 35 meters away. Notice the carvings in the wooden ceiling, which are known for their very unconventional motifs. You can reach the church tower with a narrow and claustrophobic spiral staircase, and you will be rewarded with a magnificent view of Manchester.
If you’re getting ready for lunch already, the city’s oldest pub is right next to Shambles Square Cathedral. The Wellington Inn dates back to the mid-1500s and has retained its distinctiveness very well. Food is served on the first two floors and on the third floor it is a popular pub. If it’s full here, try the about-as-old Sinclair’s Oyster Bar close by, which is a favorite of locals.
Millinnium Quarter and shopping in Manchester
Southeast of the cathedral is Manchester’s Millennium Quarter, the city’s new shopping district that grew up where an IRA bomb destroyed several blocks in 1996. The huge Arndale Center is one of Europe’s largest shopping malls, passing a futuristic glass walkway into the world’s largest Marks & Spencer store. All of Market Street and the nearby pedestrian streets of King Street and New Cathedral Street are teeming with shops and specialist shops. Once you have finished shopping in this area, continue west until you reach the busy thoroughfare and Deansgate shopping street.
Through Deansgate, there is regularly a so-called Green Line, a free downtown bus that takes you south to the much quieter Castlefield area. Along the canals and jetty promenades you will find many small cafes and pubs, most of them with outdoor terraces where you can have a refreshment. Bring the world’s oldest train station from 1830 on Liverpool Street. The origin of the area’s name is in a green setting close by. The ruins of the ancient Roman fort, which was abandoned in the 400s, were originally called Castle-in-the-Field and later abbreviated to Castlefield. The area is now a listed heritage park.
After dinner, try Manchester’s famous Curry Mile. In the Rusholme district, there are around 60 Indian and Pakistani restaurants in succession, and the competition between them has meant that those who do not achieve quality goals, the doll goes quite fast. The price level is also very acceptable.
Day 2 in Manchester
Today we start the tour west of the Irwell River, in the Salford district, which you can reach by Metrolink or bus from both Castlefield and Piccadilly Gardens. A return ticket costs approx. 30 kroner. Here you will find the modern building The Lowry, which was built for the turn of the millennium. Within the fascinating glass-and-steel facade there are theaters, restaurants, galleries and bars. At the top you will find a gallery with free entrance, where there is a large collection of paintings by Manchester’s greatest local artist, LS Lowry. Have a coffee in The Lyric Circle Bar, where you have a nice view of the square outside.
Afterwards, stroll across the magnificent Lowry Bridge walkway that crosses the canal and you will come to yet another modern architectural eye-catcher, the dramatic Imperial War Museum. Here, too, there is free entry. The exhibitions focus on the different aspects of war, and emphasize this with sharp edges, uneven surfaces and slightly sloping floors. Here you will find both objects and pictures from both the World Wars, the Balkan conflict, the Palestine conflict, the Falkland war and the Napoleonic wars.
Back in the center you can stroll down to Manchester’s big Chinatown, located southwest of Piccadilly Gardens and north of Portland Street. Here you will find countless Chinese eateries, exotic shops, health food stores selling Oriental medicine, herbs and ginseng, Chinese signage and incense pagodas. If you pass one of the two most popular restaurants, Yang Sing or Little Yang Sing, you may want to stop by and reserve a seat for dinner later tonight.
If at night you want to experience some of Manchester’s famous nightlife and maybe catch up with celebrities, try Bar Ca on Catalan Square in Castlefield, owned by Mick Hucknall of Simply Red. The classic Dry Bar in Oldham Street is also popular, but here you will not meet Liam Gallagher of Oasis, he is denied lifetime access. But maybe Manchester United star players are stopping by?