EnTrip

From Wikitravel

For other places with the same name, see Manchester (disambiguation).

Manchester is a huge city with several district articles containing sightseeing, restaurant, nightlife and accommodation listings — consider printing them all.

Manchester [1] is located in the north west of England. The city proper has a population of around 450,000, while the larger conurbation, called Greater Manchester, has over 2,500,000 inhabitants.

Manchester is known by some for its influence on the histories of industry and music, and for its sporting connections. It has a large number of students. It is seen by many as the "capital" of the north of England, the second city of the United Kingdom and is home to the UK's largest airport in the UK outside London, which is owned by the ten local authorities of Greater Manchester.

Districts

City

Central:

• East central Manchester — Covers the area of the city centre bounded by the A57 (M), Oxford Road, and the A62. It covers the locales of Piccadilly, the Northern Quarter, Chinatown, the Gay Village, and Piccadilly Gardens.

• North central Manchester — Covers the area in central Manchester north of Piccadilly Gardens and east of Quay St and Peter St. It covers the locales of the Millennium Quarter, Deansgate, Albert square, and St. Ann's Square as well as the newly developed business district of Spinningfields.

• West central Manchester — Covers the area in central Manchester west of Quay St, Peter St and Oxford St. It covers the locales of Castlefield and St. Peter's Fields.

Suburbs:

• North Manchester — Covers the area north of the centre as far as the M60. Includes Sportcity.

• South Manchester — Covers the area south of the centre as far as the M60. Includes the neighborhoods of Didsbury, Hulme, Moss Side, and Old Trafford.

• University corridor — Covers the Oxford Rd/Wilmslow Rd corridor from the A57(M) to the bottom of Fallowfield. Includes both universities, Rusholme, and Fallowfield.

• The Quays — The city's uber-fashionable redeveloped docks with award-winning architecture and museums.

Towns within the Greater Manchester Conurbation

• Altrincham, Ashton-under-Lyne, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Sale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside (Stalybridge), Trafford and Wigan

Understand

City information

Manchester is located in the Northwest region of England, about equidistant between Liverpool and Leeds. Due to its proximity to the Pennines ( the range which forms England's spine, from just south of the Scottish border down into the region known as The East Midlands ), which force the prevailing Atlantic westerly clouds to rise, it receives more than its fair share of wet weather. Manchester once had a negative reputation derived from its industrial past. Things have dramatically changed in the last decade and now the city has a vibrant exciting air. Investment in the city's regeneration following the 1996 IRA bomb and 2002 Commonwealth Games have paid off. Manchester is well worth a visit, even if just for a couple of days, or for longer, if you plan to use it as a base to explore northern England and North Wales. It is becoming more and more a city where people are choosing to settle. It is seen by many as young, vibrant and cutting edge with a cool vibe about the place. It is a place where things do happen. Many see their city as a rival to London, albeit on a more human scale perhaps ; never mind the ongoing battle with Birmingham for "The Second City" title. This feud seems to go on and on and hinges on how you add up the numbers, if it based on numbers. The latest is, if you compare Greater Manchester's population to Birmingham's and its neighbouring towns and districts, Birmingham pips Manchester to the post by a 100,000 or so. However if you look at the actual population of the city of Birmingham, which is more than 1 million, it is more than twice as big, in terms of population, as the actual city of Manchester, as opposed to the larger conurbation, with a population of around 450,000 people. But the city argues that population is just one aspect and that history and contributions to the world should also be considered. Over the years, many have moved to Manchester from London for example. These people are by no means all returning to their northern roots. Some are from overseas ,who stopped off down south on their way to a better quality of life! Many have come in search of a more affordable urban existence! Manchester IS a friendly city too. It is not a myth! Northerners do talk to each other and to strangers. Just compare asking for directions in London and Manchester and the difference is often clear! Above all,of late, locals seem even more proud than ever of Manchester and all it offers.

The adjective associated with Manchester is Mancunian or simply Manc. The distinctive linguistic accent of the city's indigenous inhabitants is much more closely related to that of Liverpool with its strong north-Waleian roots than it is to the Lancastrian or Cestrian of the neighbouring cotton towns.

• Manchester Visitor Information Centre, Town Hall Extension, St. Peter's Square, +44 (0) 871 222 8223 (touristinformation@marketing-manchester.com fax: +44 (0) 161 236 9900) [2] Mon-Fri 10AM-5:15PM (recorded information available by phone outside these times). The Visitor Centre has up-to-date lists of places to eat and sleep.

History

Manchester was the site of the Roman Fort Mamucium (breast-shaped) in AD 79 but a town was not built until the 13th Century. A priests' college and church ( now Chetham's School and Library and the Cathedral ) were established in Manchester in 1421. Early evidence of its tendency towards political radicalism was its support for Parliament during the Civil War and in 1745 for the Jacobite forces of the Young Pretender.

It was not until the start of the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th Centuries that this small Medieval town would build its fortune. The presence of an existing cloth trade, coupled with the mechanization of spinning in nearby Bolton, created a thriving cotton industry in Manchester. Though the high and frequent rainfall may lower the spirits of today's inhabitants, the availability of copious supplies of clean, soft, water was of great utility to the various cotton processes particularly in the bleaching, printing, and dyeing of cotton cloth. Water power rapidly gave way here to steam invented by Boulton and Watt and a steam-driven factory was built in the Ancoats Northern Quarter section of the city. By the end of the 19th Century, Manchester was one of the 10 biggest urban centres on earth (even before counting the wider population, within 50 miles of the Northern England region, such as Liverpool, Sheffield, Bradford, Leeds, and Central Lancashire ).

Whitworth, inventor of the eponymous mass-cut screw thread, also manufactured his equally revolutionary rifled guns in huge quantities at his factory on Sackville Street. And after their initial meeting at the Midland Hotel, still one of the city's most luxurious, Rolls and Royce began manufacture of their luxury motor cars in Hulme.

Trafford Park, in Trafford, was to become the first industrial estate in the world, housing the Ford Motor Company and much of the pre-wartime aircraft industry, notably the 'Lancaster' Bombers of the AVRO Co.

Manchester's success during the Victorian era and before is evident everywhere you look. Great Ancoats Street was a source of wonder to Schinkel the neo-classical architect of Berlin. Equally grandiose neo-Gothic buildings line the old Financial District around King Street, and public institutions such as the University and the many libraries are dotted around everywhere. There is even a statue of Abraham Lincoln in Lincoln Square (Brazennose Street, straight across Albert Square from the Town Hall main entrance) commemorating his personal thanks for Manchester's support during a cotton famine created by Britain's refusal to run the Federal blockade of the slave-owning Confederacy during the American Civil War.

Continuing its radical political tradition, Manchester was the home of opposition to the Corn Laws and espoused Free Trade, as well as Chartism and the Great Reform Act. It was instrumental in the establishment of socialism in the UK. Both Engels and Marx frequented the city, where the former conducted his famous inquiry into the condition of the working class; the latter seeking to draw universal rules from the particular circumstances of the early industrial evolution with disastrous consequences for the history of the 20th century. Cleaving to a more gently pragmatic English tradition it was the birthplace of the Trades Union Congress which led to the creation of the Labour Party. It was also home to a number of philanthropists of the industrial age, such as John Owens and John Dalton, who bequeathed large parts of their fortunes to improving the city.

In more recent times, Manchester has been famous for its influence on the UK music scene. The Madchester movement of the early 1980s, started by Factory Records and Joy Division, led to the creation of the Haçienda nightclub (now unfortunately demolished after standing empty for many years) and the birth of modern club culture. Manchester has given life to many hugely successful musicians, among them The Stone Roses, The Smiths, Joy Division/New Order, The Happy Mondays, Oasis, James, and Badly Drawn Boy.

At 11:20AM on Saturday 15th June 1996, Manchester's city centre was rocked by a huge IRA bomb blast. Although preliminary intelligence managed to clear people from the scene enough for there to be no fatalities, the very heart of the city was ripped to shreds. A huge amount of money and effort was put into regenerating this bomb damaged part of the centre, redubbed the Millennium Quarter. The area has renewed interest in the centre and contains the entertainment and shopping heart of the city.

Student life

The City of Manchester is home to two of the largest universities in the UK, The University of Manchester (formerly Owens College and subsequently the Victoria University and its Institute of Science and Technology UMIST) [3] and Manchester Metropolitan University (aka 'Man Met', formerly the Polytechnic, itself a conglomeration of municipal colleges), as well as the Royal Northern College of Music. There is also a university in Salford, within one mile of the city centre, which is renowned as a European Centre of excellence in Media. Together they create a body of over 86,000 students living full-time in the city. There is also now a new university in Bolton, to the northwest of the city.

Manchester is often named 'best student city'. It is very welcoming to the student lifestyle and many establishments in the centre and South Manchester are geared towards students; eating and drinking in Manchester can be very inexpensive due to the high competition that goes on between these establishments.

However, if you don't like hanging around students, there are many places that are not frequented by students, although you may have to be prepared to pay a little extra. Also, some places have a strictly 21-and-over only policy, so take identification with you. Although, the number of bars or clubs that are for 21-and-over is relatively low. When visiting the student areas of Fallowfield and Withington, some venues operate a student only policy, so production of a student card (or something resembling a student card) is necessary.

Sporting

Manchester is famous all over the world thanks to its football clubs, including Manchester United (Old Trafford) and Manchester City (City of Manchester Stadium, Sportcity).

Old Trafford is also home to the Lancashire County Cricket Club.

In 2002, Manchester was the host to the Commonwealth Games and a large area of East Manchester was converted into a new Sportcity, the centre-piece of which is the new athletics and football stadium.

The Manchester Velodrome started off the whole regeneration of East Manchester and formed part of the bid for the 2002 Commonwealth Games (and infact for Manchester's failed bid for the 2000 Olympics). Britain's great success, in the cycling events in the 2008 Olympics, is very much due this venue and most of the medal winners are based in and around the city. However the London-centric authorites, preparing for the 2012 London Olympics, plan to build a venue in the capital and are not seen willing to share events around the country. It is feared Manchester may be sidelined in the future. The UK authorities have always been lukewarm to any olympic bid that was not based on London, claiming only a capital can host a good games. Many cities who have hosted the games are of course not capitals and such only manages to reinforce what a centralised country the UK is. Some reports in the press now suggest the team wish to keep their base in the city as they are also supported by a large admin team. Time will tell. In the Queen's New Year's Honours list, january 2009, some of the cycling heroes were given awards including a knighthood to Chris Hoy.

Cosmopolitan

Manchester is a very mixed city. Many races and religions have communities in the city and it has a long history of being more tolerant than most cities to people of any background. The very large number of British Citizenship ceremonies, held in Heron House by The Town Hall, each year, is testament to this.

Manchester is also very gay-friendly and liberal minded. The Village is an area concentrated around Canal Street and is very popular with people of all sexualities. It is also home to an annual Pride festival. Most Mancunians have grown up with a tolerant attitude towards sexuality.

Climate

Manchester has a temperate maritime climate and rarely gets too warm or too cold. The city receives below average rainfall for the UK. It is not significantly far behind London in terms of the average number of hours sunlight per day (within nine minutes per day, based on the last 100 years data from Met office) it does have a few more days with rain. However, as a result of relatively mild winter conditions, there is never a period where one should avoid visiting due to extreme weather conditions.

Get in

By plane

Manchester International Airport (IATA: MAN) (ICAO: EGCC). [4] in the South of the city is the largest airport in the UK outside of London and is in the largest 50 airports in the world. Nearly 100 operators fly to and from hundreds of locations worldwide, including most major cities in Europe, along with services from North America, South America, Africa, and Asia.

Notable services include:

• Dubai - Emirates
• Islamabad - Pakistan International Airlines, Airblue
• Karachi, Lahore - Pakistan International Airlines
• New York - Delta (JFK), Continental (Newark Intl)
• Vancouver, Toronto - Air Canada, Air-Transat, FlyGlobespan
• Paris - Air France, FlyBE
• Madrid - BMI (operated by BMI Baby)
• Doha - Qatar Airways
• Abu Dhabi - Etihad
• Istanbul - Turkish Airlines
• Chicago - American Airlines
• Dublin - Aer Lingus, Ryanair
• Amsterdam - KLM
• Frankfurt - Lufthansa
• Singapore - Singapore Airlines
• Philadelphia - US Airways

The airport also offers flights to many European cities with Easyjet, Jet2.com and Ryanair.

Direct trains run from the airport station (reached by Skyway, between terminals 1 and 2) to Piccadilly and Oxford Road stations about every 20 minutes and cost no more than £3. Taxis are available from outside each terminal, costing about £15 and taking about 30-45 minutes. You can also catch a coach/bus to Manchester Central Coach station.

John Lennon Airport, [5] in Liverpool is a budget airline airport with Easyjet [6] and Ryanair [7] serving it and is also relatively conveniently located for access to Manchester. A coach service runs connecting the airport to Manchester's central coach station and takes about 45 minutes. There is now a direct train link between Liverpool Parkway (i.e. the station near John Lennon Airport) and Manchester Oxford Road Train Station (in the city centre). Services currently run once per hour, but are planned to increase to every half hour.

By train

Manchester city centre is served by two major railway stations, Victoria in the north (the area around the station has recently undergone extensive redevelopment with much more to come) and Piccadilly(transformed in recent years and voted the UK's most popular station in 2007!) in the south. These stations are well-connected with the rest of the UK, although it is more likely that you will arrive at Piccadilly as it deals with the most services in and out of Manchester. Fares vary dramatically depending on time of day and rail operator.

Other stations in the city centre are Deansgate/G-Mex, Oxford Road, and Salford Central, but generally only local services will stop at these stations.

Connections from London Euston to Piccadilly are run by Virgin Trains. The journey on the West Coast Mainline takes just over 2hrs in Pendolino trains that do not need to slow down when going round bends. Online Virgin Value fares can dramaticaly reduce the cost of this trip [8] if you book well enough in advance (at least 14 days is advisable), purchase two single tickets (one for each leg of the journey) and/or travel outside of peak times (after 9AM and before 3PM during the day, after 6:30PM in the evening).

By car

The outer ring road of the Manchester conurbation is the M60. It is accessible from Leeds or Liverpool by the M62 and from Scotland and the South by the M6. From the North and Scotland follow the M6 and then the M61. From the South take the M6 and the M56. The most direct route from the M6 to the M56 and South Manchester is to take the A556 leaving the M6 at junction 19, but note this has a 50mph speed limit for most of its length and can be somewhat congested at busy times of the day. It is signed Manchester and Manchester Airport. Another route would be to carry on northbound up the M6, taking you directly to the M6/M62 interchange. Here you would follow signs for Leeds and Manchester North. This can, however, seem a longer way round, but it does also give you access, via the M60 orbital road, to places around the conurbation and is a much better option if you wish to access the northern part of Greater Manchester.

If a little lost in the city centre follow signs for the inner ring road. Off this most destinations are signed.

Bear in mind that parking in the city centre of Manchester can be very expensive. Avoid the multi-storey car parks if you can and look for some open-air car parks. There are good ones by Salford Central Station, behind Piccadilly Station and opposite the cathedral.

If you have to use a multi-storey, the one by The Coach Station and The Village is handy. This is fine as a last resort, if you have been driving around for an hour, looking for a place to park, after the introduction of more and more double yellow lines, which mean no parking at any time.

Ladywell Park & Ride [9] is situated near Eccles (M602, Junction 2); the car park is free and there is a tram station. Similarly, parking at the Trafford Centre (M60, junctions 9 and 10) is free and there are buses to the city centre and Stretford tram station.

A tip worth noting is that on Saturday from 12:30PM to Monday morning, just over from the city centre into Salford, you can park on a single yellow line (remember in The UK you can never park on a double yellow line!) or in a designated space without paying, unlike in the city centre where restrictions apply even during weekends. Streets like Chapel Street, Bridge Street, and the areas around them are a good bet and much safer now with all the new housing developments. There you are just a short walk from Deansgate. Problems are rare as long as you take the usual precautions and do not leave valuables on display. Try not to put things in the boot (trunk) if people are watching, after a shopping spree. Avoid parking under the bridges, at all costs, and try the main roads, just off one or next to one of the many new blocks of flats where it is well lit. Watch out on Bank Holidays around here. Sometimes these are treated like a sunday in the centre, but people have been known to get parking tickets on the Salford side. If in doubt treat a holiday, on the Salford side, as a normal day of the week or ask a warden if you can find one!

Also check out Parkopedia.com [10], a website that allows users to search and compare parking rates and locations for commercial and private parking facilities in Manchester.

By bus

Chorlton Street Coach Station is the central coach station in Manchester, located close to the centre, between Chinatown and The Village on Chorlton Street. Coaches run from all over the country and are generally the most reasonably-priced way to get into Manchester. London to Manchester on the coach can take about four hours, but it depends on the time of day and number of stops.

• National Express [11] is a comfortable and frequent service which runs 24 hours a day from some cities, including London.
• Stagecoach Megabus [12] is less comfortable, but can be very cheap (some cities have buses to Manchester for as little as £1). You must book in advance over the web.

Get around

Transport in Greater Manchester is overseen and co-ordinated by the GMPTE (Information: 0871 200 22 33) [13]. GMPTE sells a number of tickets which are valid for multiple operators, such as the any bus day ticket or the Wayfarer. If you are planning to do a lot of travelling in one day, these might be your cheapest option. Metromax day tickets are good value if using the tram network. There are tickets for single people and family tickets. The best value are valid after 9:30AM.

Maps

Dotted around the city centre in all the places you wouldn't look for them are the pedestrian-level street maps. They are usually placed in normal advertising hoardings, which makes them all the more difficult to spot. From a distance, the map looks like a light-brown horse's head on a blue background. Once found your position is marked by a blue circle. They cover the whole centre down to the university district.

As with any large UK city an A-Z map is often handy. These street maps, in book form, are available from newsagents or book shops and, depending on size, cover everything from the city centre to the whole Greater Manchester conurbation.

By bus

Metroshuttle [14] is a FREE bus service run jointly by the local council, National Car Parks Manchester and First. It runs three routes which between them cover most of the major areas in the city centre. These bus routes can be caught straight from all city centre railway stations (Piccadilly, Oxford Road, Deansgate/G-Mex, Salford Central and Victoria) as well as many of the larger car parks. Areas on the fringes of the city centre (such as Spinningfields, Petersfield, Oxford Road Corridor, Millennium Quarter) are now easier to access from other parts of the city. Just note, that due to a high-level of pedestrian priority around areas such as Deansgate, traffic in the city centre is often slow.

Most of the buses in Greater Manchester are operated by First [15] (mainly in North Manchester) or Stagecoach (mainly in South Manchester) [16] and serve most places you are likely to want to go in the conurbation. The main bus station for the south is Piccadilly Gardens and a new state-of-the-art £24 million interchange has been built at Shudehill for the north.

The South Manchester corridor that begins with Oxford Road and Wilmslow Road is the most-served bus route in Europe. Buses connect the centre with the universities and Rusholme, as often as every one minute. The general rule on this street is to get on any bus that is not operated by Stagecoach and your fare is likely to be under £1. Some buses have a student fare, which they will charge you if you look like a student, regardless of whether you ask for it or not. Be warned, though, during peak hours it can take as long as 30 minutes to make the relatively short three mile journey from Piccadilly Gardens to Rusholme. Route number 42 (operated by various companies) is usually the most frequent service, operating through the night from Piccadilly, Oxford Road, Wilmslow Road, Rusholme and beyond.

It is well worth noting that the number 43 bus not only runs all day to the airport, but also throughout the night at regular intervals. (Train services from Piccadilly also serve the airport all night).

Busses to the Trafford Centre include the Stagecoach-operated Route 250 [17], from Piccadilly Gardens to the Trafford Centre and the First-operated Route 100 , from Shudehill, via Blackfriars (the stop is just off Deansgate) and Eccles, to The Trafford Centre. The quicker, more direct but less frequent option is the 100 bus route.They run about three buses an hour peak times. There are other bus services from Central Manchester to The Trafford Centre and additional services from other towns and suburbs in the conurbation. In the evening, or on sundays and public holidays, your better bet for the Trafford Centre, from the city centre, is the tram and buslink to and from Stretford, as buses are much less frequent at these times.

Bus Tickets are usually purchased directly from the driver. First and Stagecoach both offer day-savers for unlimited travel on their company's buses, which cannot be used on other busses. A FirstDay is currently £4.00. If transfer between different bus companies is required then you can ask the driver for an "any bus day-saver", emphasising the "any"! These '"System One"' tickets can be used on any bus, details of current prices are available at http://www.systemonetravelcards.co.uk

By tram

Metrolink [18], also known as the tram, is the name for Manchester's local mass-transit system. With a map of the system it is easy to understand.

Currently, Metrolink runs two lines, Altrincham-Bury (every 6 minutes at peak times, every 12 minutes off-peak, and Piccadilly-Eccles (every 12 minutes at peak times, every 15 minutes off-peak). At peak times trams run either Bury or Altrincham to Piccadilly, via Piccadilly Gardens, where you can change, or direct Bury to Altrincham. Off peak there are no direct Bury-Altrincham trams and your only option is to change at Piccadilly Gardens. A small part of the city centre from Piccadilly to Cornbrook is shared between the two lines. Metrolink stops serve major areas of the city centre and Central Zone tickets are cheap.

There are plans to extend the system to five lines, with the three new destinations at Oldham/Rochdale, Ashton-under-Lyne/Tameside, and Manchester Airport. This expansion will be carried out in two phases, with work on the first phase expected to commence once the current round of track renewals on the Bury/Altrincham lines is completed.

In part due to its financial difficulties, Metrolink is quite expensive to travel on and does not provide good value for money. If you are going to be using it for more than one journey in a day, your best bet is to buy a Metromax ticket. Tickets must be purchased in advance from the automated vending machines at each station. Press the required destination followed by the required ticket type and then insert your money. Most machines accept notes, but if your note is anything more than even slightly crumpled, it will more then likely be rejected by the machine. Change is not guaranteed over £7 at any machines, or at all, at some machines with the appropriate warning lamp.

The following Central Zone stations might be useful to you:

• Victoria — for Urbis, Chethams Library, Manchester Cathedral Visitor Centre, The Triangle and the Northern half of Deansgate,
• Shudehill — for Bus Interchange, The Printworks, Manchester Arndale and parts of the Northern Quarter.
• Market Street — for the main shopping area, including parts of Manchester Arndale.
• Piccadilly Gardens and Mosley Street — for Coach Interchange from Chorlton Street Coach Station, Chinatown, The Gay Village, Manchester Art Gallery, Cube Gallery and parts of the Northern Quarter.
• Piccadilly — for Rail Interchange and Metroshuttle and Oxford Road Link busses. Manchester Apollo is a 10 minute walk from here.
• St. Peter's Square — for Central Library, The Library Theatre, Bridgewater Hall, The Midland Hotel, The Town Hall and Albert Square. Busses down the Oxford Road corridor to The Palace Theatre, The Green Room, Dance House and Contact Theatres and to the universities and beyond.
• G-Mex — for Rail Interchange from Deansgate Station, Manchester Central (exhibition centre/concert venue), The Manchester International Conference Centre, MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry), the southern half of Deansgate and the beautiful canalside area of Castlefield.

Other interesting destinations include:

• Harbour City — Around 10 minutes from the City Centre. Closest station at Salford Quays to the Lowry, Lowry Outlet Mall and Imperial War Museum North. When the weather is fine, if coming from the centre, alight at Salford Quays Station, walk just a few yards in the direction of travel, crossing road, turn left, and enjoy the tree lined waterside walk, past the Salford Rowing club, as far as the bridge linking The Lowry with The War Museum.
• Heaton Park — Around 10 minutes from the City Centre. Alight here for Manchester's chief parkland. This is the biggest municipal park in the country and a great day out in summer. It has seen much investment of late. Inside you will find a pet zoo, tramway museum, boating lake, stables and golf centre with pitch and putt.The former stately home Heaton Hall is located within the park and is open to visitors in the summer months.
• Old Trafford — Around 10 minutes from the city centre. For Manchester United Football Club, and the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club.
• Stretford — Around 10 minutes from the City Centre. Alight here for a connecting bus to the Trafford Centre. Joint tickets are available from the usual machines.Take care at night.
• Ladywell — Around 15 minutes from the City Centre.There is a large, free car park for the Park and Ride service to Salford Quays and the city.
• Altrincham — 25 minutes from the City Centre. The end of the line is the interchange for trains to Knutsford and Chester. The quaint 'WAG' ( wives and girlfriends of footballers ) village of Hale is around 5 minutes walk from Altrincham and has many trendy restaurants and bars. There is also a lot of old money around here and it is home to some of Greater Manchester's wealthiest people.
• Bury — 25 minutes from the City Centre. Bury's World Famous Market is next to Bury Interchange station. It is open on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. This is visited by people from far and wide; many on day trips by coach. There is also the Millgate Shopping Centre and many retail parks linked by walkways from the Market/Main Shopping Area. Bury is a little worn around the edges, in places, but purely innocent, with an elderly demographic of shopper. Much money is now being invested in a new shopping district.It is a good place for a bargain and a good northern pie, pasty or breakfast and a chance to see real people on their own patch. Check out Bury Museum and Art Gallery too.

By taxi

Taxis are considerably cheaper than in London. As a general rule, you should be able to get anywhere you need to go within the city for £5-10. You may only flag down the black cabs (London-style Hackney carriages) — other taxis must be booked in advance over the phone and are marked with the yellow Manchester City Council sign on the bonnet, and the firm's phone number (again on a yellow strip) on the sides.

You may find it difficult to get a black cab after the pubs shut on Friday and Saturday nights in the city centre, so it serves to have a back-up plan for getting back to your accommodation. The black cabs with the amber "TAXI" sign illuminated are the ones that are looking for fares.

There are a number of taxi ranks within the city centre, that are staffed by security/logistical staff during busy periods. These ranks are serviced only by black cabs, but there are also private hire taxi companies that you can walk to, and then wait (inside or usually outside) until a taxi becomes available.

By train

Local rail services run regularly and to most places in the surrounding area and beyond. Most trains will pass through Piccadilly or Victoria, but it will do to call National Rail Enquiries (08457 48 49 50) [19] to find out which one before setting off. If you plan to take several, off peak journeys , by train, within Greater Manchester, you could consider a "Rail Ranger" ticket ,which, as of January 2009, costs £4 per day. An "Evening Ranger" is also available for just £2. This is a large area and means you could travel as far north as Bolton and Rochdale, as far south as the airport and Stockport, as far west as Wigan and as far east as The Peak District. These can be bought at ticket offices or on the train.

GMPTE has a "London tube-style" map of the Greater Manchester rail network, including Metrolink.

It is worth remembering that train services from Piccadilly serve the airport all night.

See

• The Manchester Wheel, in Exchange Square in the Millennium Quarter. This is a good way of seeing Manchester from an elevated height! You can even hire an extra luxurious gondola with champagne for a special treat.

Cosmopolitan Manchester

• Manchester's Chinatown around George Street and Faulkner Street has been a feature of Manchester since the late 1970s. You'll find people on the streets of Chinatown speaking Chinese to each other and most of the signs are bilingual. It's home to the bulk of Manchester's east-Asian restaurants as well as many traders in Chinese food and goods. As night falls upon Chinatown, the neon lights come on, adding to the ambient feel of the area. There many eateries to try too. All of them have an astounding quality, ranging from Chinese to Japanese; reaching out to a wide spectrum of tastes. There are also a Chinese shops, for the locals to buy items imported directly from China, such as newspapers, magazines, DVDs; even specialized medications.

• The Village, also known as the Gay Village, has built up around Canal Street out of the many cotton warehouses in the area. It is home to one of the oldest and most-established gay communities in Europe and is known for its tolerance toward all kinds of people. Many of Manchester's most famous bars and clubs are to be found here, most of which are as popular with heterosexual party-animals as they are with the gay crowd. The Village hosts a major Pride festival every year (August Bank Holiday; the last weekend of the month), when this part of town is closed to the public for a somewhat expensive and exclusive charity raising weekend for gay and gay-friendly people. Many thousands of Pounds are raised, each year, for various Aids charities. There is a moving memorial service on the Monday evening to round the weekend off. Entrance is by wrist band. These are valid for the whole weekend or part of it, if required.

Check out the restaurants in The Village too. The best and longest established has to be Velvet. Staff are friendly and the food is good. It has a cool vibe on a sunday afternoon. There is a bar and a new restaurant space to enjoy. Art works are also on display.

• Check out the Curry Mile, a mile long stretch of curry restaurants, sari shops, and jewelery store in Rusholme.

• If you have time and want to mix with trendy, monied residents try an evening out in the very upmarket southern suburb of Didsbury. "The village" is too far from East Didsbury station for comfort, but a taxi is possible from the city centre or there is a good bus service.On the all too rare,warm and fine saturday evenings, in summer, Didsbury can put on a good show with upmarket restaurants,where you can eat outside, and great pubs and bars. Think London's Hampstead and Islington with similar media types and many others from elsewhere in town ,who want a piece of the action.This was THE place to live in Manchester, for many years, before the rebirth of the centre,and still is, for many, with very high property prices!

Historical Manchester

• Castlefield is the site of the original Roman settlement Mamucium and has been known as Castlefield since Medieval times. The walls that still stand over two metres high are from as late as the 16th Century. It is the centre of Manchester's canal network and a transport nexus of unique historical importance. The Castlefield Basin joins the Rochdale and Bridgewater canals, the latter being the first cut canal in Britain. The nearby Museum of Science and Industry contains Liverpool Road station, the first passenger railway station in the world. Very important in industrial times, it became run down in post-war times until it was completely regenerated in the 1990s and designated Britain's first Urban Heritage site. These days the area is like a small country oasis in the heart of the city, with regular events and a handful of great pubs around the canals and the neighboring streets. It is also the only place to see wildlife in Manchester's centre.

• The University of Manchester, on Oxford Road, where amongst other things, the atom was first probed by Rutherford, the first computer was built, and where radio astronomy was pioneered. It was here too that the element Vanadium was first isolated. The architectural style of the new curved visitor's centre contrasts with the old buildings on the opposite side of Oxford Road, within which Manchester Museum is nestled.

• Manchester Cathedral, near the Millennium Quarter. The widest cathedral in England with important carved choir stalls (school of Lincoln) and pulpitum. The recently finished Visitor's Centre provides an initmate experience for newcomers to the cathedral. This is near to Harvey Nichols, Urbis and Victoria Station.

• Manchester Town Hall, near Albert Square. This imposing and beautiful neo-Gothic masterpiece by Alfred Waterhouse is a symbol of the wealth and power of Manchester during the Industrial Revolution. Tours can be arranged and the state rooms are generally open to visitors (and free) when not otherwise in use. The Great Hall contains a series of pre-Raphaelite wall paintings by Ford Maddox Brown depicting historical scenes (some rather fanciful) from Manchester's past. The corridors are often seen on television dramas standing in for the Palace of Westminster, although the Commons chamber itself is usually depicted in a permanent set at Granada TV studios. The Town Hall is located on the wide cobbled area of Albert Square, which is all accessible from St Peter's Square Metrolink station.

• John Rylands Library, on Deansgate. The bequest to the people of Manchester by who was once the world's richest widow, Henriquetta Rylands, in memory of her husband John, but now administered by the University of Manchester. It Contains the 'Manchester Fragment' the earliest known fragment of the New Testament, part of St. John's gospel found near Alexandria and dating from the first part of the second century, shortly after the gospel itself was first written. Tours can be booked around lunchtime. The library was designed by Basil Champneys and is the last building built in the perpendicular gothic style.

• St Ann's Church is on one side of St Ann's Square and offers a quiet refuge from the noise of the city. There is always a warm welcome inside.

Cultural Manchester

There are many theatres and concert venues in Manchester, (The Opera House, Palace Theatre, Royal Exchange, Green Room, Dancehouse Theatre, Library Theatre, and The Contact, not forgetting The Lowry at The Quays, which has two theatre spaces). Further afield, The Bolton Octagon, Bury Met, Oldham Coliseum, The Garrick in Altrincham, The Gracie Fields Theatre in Rochdale and Stockport Plaza are worth a mention, as are university and RNCM (Royal Northern College of Music) venues. You can catch the likes of Madonna and Kylie at The MEN Arena, which is the largest of its kind in Europe and seen as one of the best such venues in the world. Other such venues include the Apollo, Bridgewater Hall, and the revamped Manchester Central.

• Central Library & Theatre, near Albert Square. As mentioned above. This interesting, 1930's building is round.

• The Cornerhouse on Oxford Road. This excellent art house cinema has three screens, three floors of exhibition space and a great bar,on the ground floor, with a trendy cafe above. It is located around the former administrative and goods areas of Oxford Road station. This is the gateway to the University Area.

• Imperial War Museum North, at The Quays. Great museum with fantastic architecture, located in Trafford Borough, across the water from The Lowry, near Manchester United's Stadium, and designed by Daniel Libeskind, who also designed The Jewish Museum in Berlin. The museum focuses on the people involved in war, whether it's the people who worked in the factories in World War two, or the soldiers who suffered in the battlefield. Displays are updated on a regular basis.

• The Lowry, at The Quays Home to the City of Salford's collection of the paintings of L.S. Lowry. The centre also contains two theatres. Everything from "Opera North" productions to pantomime at Christmas and touring productions of quality.

• Manchester Art Gallery, near St. Peter's Square. Designed by Sir Charles Barry architect of the Houses of Parliament. The city has a particulary fine collection of pre-Raphaelite paintings.

• Manchester Museum, on Oxford Road. Highlights include a fossil skeleton of Tyrannosaurus Rex and Egyptology, including painted mummy masks of the Roman era.

• Gallery of English Costume, in Rusholme.

• The Museum of Science and Industry, in Castlefield. This is very popular with families and school groups and offers a vast number of displays. The first ever railway station is part of the museum.

• People's History Museum, on Bridge Street between Deansgate and the now much improved Salford Central Station. On Bridge Street, to the left, fans of modern architecture should look out for the new Manchester Civil Justice Centre. It is slowly becoming known to Mancunians as "the filing cabinet". You will see why! For a better view, take it in from the new square, on the other side, into the Spinningfields district, itself worth a detour.

• Urbis, in Millennium Quarter. A "museum of the modern city" in its unmistakable all-glass building. Exhibitions change regularly, so check ahead to see what's on.

• The Whitworth Art Gallery on Oxford Road. During the summer, forget the bus and walk down Oxford Road through the University area, looking out for The Aquatics Centre (a legacy of The Commonwealth Games) and The Royal Northern College of Music. Walk even further and seek out The Museum of Costume at Platt Fields, near the famous Curry Mile in Rusholme, which is unique in Britain. At the Whitworth The Gallery Cafe has been declared "Best Family Restaurant" by the prestigious "Which?-Good Food Guide 2009". It has been described by its owner as "a fresh food cafe" with food of "restaurant quality". The menu is simple with an emphasis on seasonal, local produce.

• Bridgewater Hall, near St. Peter's Square and Manchester Central Exhibition Centre, was completed 1996 and is the home of the Halle Orchestra, the world's first municipal symphony orchestra. The centre piece of the hall is the 5,500 pipe organ by Rasmussen. An elegant bistro and restaurant are open at normal meal times to the general public. There is also a bar next door down the wide steps, overlooking a pleasant water feature. Look out, too, for the polished stone sculpture outside!

• Manchester Jewish Museum, 190 Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester. This is a safe, 10-15 minute walk up the road behind The MEN Arena. You can also catch any bus that goes up Cheetham Hill Road from the stop by the side of the Urbis, opposite The Printworks. The 135 bus is an option; a reliable service running at least every ten minutes. It is about three or four stops from the Urbis, but it is best to ask the driver when to alight. Open Mon-Thu 10:30AM-4PM, Sun 11AM-5PM. Closed on Jewish holidays. Tells the story of the large Jewish population in Manchester. Adults £3.95, concessions £2.95. The museum is in the former Spanish-Portuguese synagogue in what was once the heart of the old jewish quarter. The community has long since moved up the road to Cheetham Hill and Higher Broughton and, in later years, many less orthodox people have moved to Prestwich and Whitefield.

Sporting Manchester

• Lancashire County Cricket Club, located in Old Trafford.

• Manchester City FC, located in Sportcity.

• Manchester United FC, located in Old Trafford.

• Sportcity is located to the east of the city centre, about 45 minutes' walk from Piccadilly Station. It was built to host most of the events for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and is home to the National Cycling Centre, Manchester City FC, and other important sporting venues, as well as tallest sculpture in the UK.

• Manchester Phoenix Ice Hockey Club, located in Altrincham, are the newly formed (2003) team to replace the once most supported team in European Hockey, Manchester Storm. The Phoenix also host the UK's most sucessfull ice hockey player in the form of Tony Hand the team's player/manager.

Hidden Manchester

• Chetham's Library is Manchester's best kept secret - even most residents of the city are largely oblivious to its existence. Europe's oldest Public Library is tucked away next to the futuristic Urbis just off Millenium Square. One of Manchester's oldest buildings it still has the original collection of books, all chained to their shelves. This is where Karl Marx and Frederick Engels would visit while in Manchester and where Engels wrote the world-changing book 'The Condition of the Working Classes in England', a key influence on the development of Communism. You can still sit in the window seat where they would talk. The 15th century structure is part of Chetham's Music School - despite the lack of signs, simply ask at the security hut and they will happily let you in for free.

• St. Mary's, The Hidden Gem, near Albert Square. The oldest post-Reformation Catholic church in the country, dating from 1794. Contains one of the greatest pieces of art in Manchester. The altar is quite magnificent. This is a quiet refuge from the noise of the city.

• The futuristic Trinity Bridge, designed by the Spaniard Santiago Calatrava, who was heavily involved in the designs for the Olympic village in Barcelona, is located in the Chapel Wharf Area. This links the twin cities of Manchester and Salford, leading to the five star Lowry Hotel on the Salford bank. It is all a block behind Kendals, near The Freemasons' Hall. A nice pleasant view.

• The Hulme Bridge in Hulme and The Merchant's Bridge in Castlefield, by Catalan Square, are also worth a look.

• Parsonage Gardens is at the back of the House of Fraser (Kendals) Department Store. This is a quaint garden. Nice to relax in when the weather is fine and to read a book. Nearby there is also an observation platform which looks over the River Irwell. It is a little hidden away but you access this by 20 St Mary's Parsonage, which runs along one side of the gardens.

• Portico Library and Gallery, near Piccadilly Gardens. Home of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical society. Speakers here have included Dalton, the father of Atomic theory and describer of his own colour blindness, the Salford physicist Joule for whom the S.I. unit of energy is named and Roget (who compiled his celebrated Thesaurus here). The Austrian Philosopher Wittgenstein here claimed to have attempted to repeat Franklin's celebrated kite and lightning experiment in the Peak District while employed at Manchester University.

• Midland Bank Building (was the King Street branch of HSBC) is a domineering piece of architecture, reminiscent of Dublin's General Post Office. Go inside for a look if you can once it reopens. It is located at the upper end of King Street near Armani and Vivienne Westwood, towards Mosley Street.

Buy

Manchester's shopping district is as diverse as London's, but it is much less spread out and the vast majority of city centre shops are within walking distance of each other. Even in the most upmarket stores you are treated in a friendly manner. The same can not be said of the capital! The recently redeveloped Arndale Centre is a large 1970's city-centre shopping mall, with 280 stores, including the largest Next store in the world. The place retains some of its 1970's concrete charms and STILL some of the infamous yellow tiles that are a testament to bad urban planning of that era. Part awaits an update to the exterior, but the section modernised after the 1996 bomb is a great improvement, although not quite up to the standards of The Trafford Centre. The inside has had a total revamp. It does get very busy at weekends and, unlike at The Trafford Centre, there are far too few places to sit down.

There are a lot of large shops aimed at lower income families ,including the largest Primark in the country, which is great for a bargain and much loved by US cabin crew when in town, and an Aldi food hall , on Market Street (just off Piccadilly Gardens).

The Millennium Quarter (at the back of the Arndale Centre) is now quite smart and good for shopping. There's The Triangle, an upmarket shopping centre based in the beautiful old Corn Exchange, worth a visit for the building alone and Selfridges, with its large Louis Vuitton concession and fantastic food hall in the basement! You will find everything from sushi to fine chocolates, kosher foods, to a juice bar, etc... Harvey Nichols, opposite the Triangle, offer luxury fashions and produce to Manchester's rich and famous. The centre of Manchester's shopping area has traditionally been St. Ann's Square, and there are many shops nearby. King Street and Spring Gardens city centre offer a Vivienne Westwood store (a local girl, from the nearby Peak District), Joseph and DKNY, as well as Emporio Armani and Collezione; these catering for, amongst others, the city's Premiership footballers, soap stars ("Coronation Street" has been produced in the city since the early sixties!), and the many media types who can also be found in the area!

Deansgate has a fair number of decent shops, as do some of the roads off it. The House of Fraser store, considered by many to be the top people's shop, ( still known as "Kendals" to most Manchester people and "Kendal Milne's" to an even older generation ) is on Deansgate and has been on roughly the same site since the mid-19th century. It is somewhat old school and the eating places are worth a visit. One of central Manchester's few quiet green squares is just behind the store. This is Parsonage Gardens.

There is also an outlet mall at The Lowry, in Salford, near the proposed site of a new media village and BBC development.

The Trafford Centre is a huge out-of-town shopping centre and accessible by car, taxi, or a bus/tram journey. It does not yet have a tram station of its own. It has been designated the Temple to Consumerism, and is one the largest, and possibly the grandest, such centres in Europe. It has its own branches of Selfridges, Debenhams and the best of Greater Manchester's two John Lewis stores.( The other is in suburban Cheadle.) The centre is spectacular, luxurious, and 'posh' inside and out. Look out for the biggest chandelier in Europe, near the eating places! If confused how to get there by bus and not too worried about the cost, opt for a through ticket on the tram and catch the link bus from Stretford station on the Altrincham line, (turn right out of station and take the first right for the bus stop). If you already have a Metromax day ticket for the tram, just pay extra on the link bus. You can catch the same bus back to the station from a couple of stops around the centre or from the centre's own bus station. The cinema is also one of the best in the area and has even hosted some UK premieres in the past. The centre is now also linked to an annexe offering homewares and furniture, built in an italianate style around a very large outdoor fountain. With supermarkets and DIY outlets nearby, mancunians can buy everything in this area without venturing into the city or any other town centre.

Of particular interest

• Merchandise from the football club Manchester United is popular with some tourists. There is a dedicated superstore in the stadium at Old Trafford.
• Manchester City FC also has its own dedicated retail outlet at the City of Manchester Stadium in Sportcity, as well as in the Arndale Centre.
• Afflecks Palace in the Northern Quarter is a shopping arcade in a five story Victorian building, featuring a range of 50+ independent stalls catering to a young alternative crowd. It's a lot of fun: strange costumes, lots of goths, punks, and teenagers. Saved from closing in April 2008, it is now simply known as Afflecks.
• The Northern Quarter is Manchester's answer to Soho, and there is a mishmash of stores which sell music, art, and clothing. More and more bars and cafes are opening too.
• Every Christmas time, continental style Christmas markets take place in Albert Square, in St. Ann's Square, and along both New Cathedral Street and Brazennose Street. You can buy all the usual continental and British Christmas curios as well as various foodstuffs. Good fun and very atmospheric at night when it's all lit up.

• Also at Christmas, into the new year, there are open air skating rinks in Piccadilly Gardens and, for the first time in 2008, at Spinningfields infront of the new Justice Centre and The Royal Bank of Scotland building. There is also a bar at the Spinningfields location.

• The small, but perfectly stocked, food section of Harvey Nichols has a particularly fine wine department. Wines range from relatively inexpensive to the highest levels, e.g Chateau Latour, vertical ranges of Petrus, Vega Sicilia, etc. They are still remarkably good value in context, e.g. 1990 Krug Clos de Mesnil 1990, arguably the greatest Champagne ever made and incomparably finer than the footballer's wildly over-rated Crystal is about £150.00 cheaper than usually quoted elsewhere.

• Of late, there is a flower market at the Market Street corner of Piccadilly Gardens during the weekends.

• Also hunt out the Crafts Centre, in the old Smithfield Market Building, in The Northern Quarter.

• There are regular events in both Albert Square and St Ann's Square, all year around, where you can buy art, listen to music and sample foods from far and wide.

• If catering for yourself, there are several Sainsbury's Local stores located around the city centre (at Oxford Road, Mosley Street, Quay Street, Bridge Street, Piccadilly Station). Tesco Metro supermarkets can be found on Market Street (the largest supermarket in the centre), on Piccadilly and on Quay Street, which is near the aforementioned Sainsbury's and Granada TV. There is also a Somerfield at Piccadilly Gardens. M&S food outlets are located within the M&S store next to Selfridges and there are also M&S Simply Food stores at Piccadilly Gardens and within Piccadilly Station.You will find Coop foodstores near both Victoria, by the movement's headquarters, and just outside Piccadilly station. For more upmarket food products, Harvey Nichols has a deli and foodhall as does Selfridges. At the other end of the spectrum there is a large Aldi store in the Arndale Centre, which is, in common with most UK outlets, much more upmarket than the stores in Germany. This is also accessible from Market Street. There is also a Lidl on Oxford Road near Manchester Royal Infirmary.

• For something a little bit different, the newly refurbished Manchester Arndale Market features many food stalls, including a rather large fish store and a butchers. Chinatown has many specialist shops and the landmark Wing Yip superstore on Oldham Road in the Northern Quarter is excellent for everything oriental.

• There are various mini-markets and late night stores around the city centre and in Piccadilly station. There is at least one 24 hour Spar opposite the BBC Studios on Oxford Road. Just out of the centre are a large Sainsbury's, in Regent Retail Park, Salford, an Asda store in Hulme, a Tesco Extra Hypermarket in Cheetham Hill and a Wal*Mart Supercentre in Sportcity.

• Not of particular interest maybe, but it is worth knowing where the main public toilets are about town! Clean conveniences can be found at Piccadilly station (less reliable ones are to be found at Victoria) and there are a few pods around the centre (one is on the corner of John Dalton Street and Deansgate). There are pay toilets in the basement and on the top floor of The Triangle Centre, Exchange Square. You can also find FREE toilets in The Arndale Centre and at the following locations;
• Kendals House of Fraser, Deansgate, (basement, 3rd, and 6th floors).
• Selfridges,Exchange Square. (basement ,in the corner, near TV department).
• M&S, St Mary's Gate. (basement, near the food hall).
• Harvey Nichols, New Cathedral Street (Near the food hall, bar, and restaurant).
• Debenhams, Market Street. (Near cafe, top sales floor).
• Royal Exchange Theatre, St. Ann's Square. (by bars and restaurant — not available to public during performances).
• Town Hall. (entrance opposite Beluga restaurant, on Mount Street, just off Albert Square).
• Central Library, St Peter's Square (in the basement, by the Library Theatre)

Most museums and galleries include free toilets. There is nothing stopping you popping into any busy pub to us their conveniences! At busy times you would hardly be noticed!

• Free copies of The Manchester Evening News are given out, around the city, monday to friday. There is a charge of 40 Pence for saturday's edition, as fewer office workers are in town. This is very good for listings especially on a friday.

Do

• Visit the Trafford area and take a 90 minute Tourist Tracks MP3 walking tour (can be downloaded here , free) of this area of fascinating industrial heritage. Includes information on Old Trafford Cricket Ground and Manchester United FC.

• Manchester has a couple of big multi-screen cinemas located centrally, AMC off Deansgate (as cheap as £3.20 if you're a student), and Odeon in the Printworks show the usual Hollywood fare, The Cornerhouse on Oxford Road tends to show smaller, independent, art house and foreign language movies. There is an IMAX inside The Odeon in the Printworks.

• Gay Manchester (Online Guide), [20]. Details of all Manchester gay and lesbian bars, clubs, saunas and events.  edit

Festivals & Special Events

• Manchester International Film Festival [21].
• Manchester International Festival [22], a culture and arts festival of new work.
• Manchester Comedy Festival [23].
• MAPS Music Art Poetry &Stuff, Northern Quarter.
• Manchester Irish Festival, main events around March, St Patricks Day Parade.
• Gaypride, around The Gay Village in August.
• Manchester Jazz Festival
• Sounds from the Other City, around Chapel Street, Salford

Learn

There is no doubting that Greater Manchester's universities continue to be a big draw. More and more language schools are also now opening and offer a more reasonable option than the likes of London and other southern venues.

Work

There are numerous temp agencies in the city and there is work in the hospitality industry to be had. There have been reports, of late, of teacher shortages (though not quite on par with London) and this could be of interest to overseas candidates with the relevant qualifications. It is worth remembering UK schools, and in particular those in the big cities, are one removed from a mad house in many cases!

If qualified to work in Britain, work can be found. Many thousands of east europeans have been drawn to the city in recent years, but if we believe the press reports a great number are now returning due to perceived job insecurity and the falling value of the Pound, as a result of the economic downturn. Many, to date, have found work in the building trade, where there has been a boom as of late. In some areas of employment you could find yourself competing with the many students who need to finance their studies.

Manchester is an important financial centre and the media are also well represented, as can be seen in the BBC's forthcoming partial move to The Media City at Salford Quays and the ITV-Granada ( makers of Coronation Street ) presence on Quay Street. The BBC already has a strong foothold at Broadcasting House on Oxford Road. This is home to BBC Radio Manchester, BBC North West Tonight (regional tv news) and The Religious Affairs Department of The BBC.

Retail is a large employer, in and around the city, and there are many gyms in need of trainers for the growing city centre population.

Eat

As you would expect from such a cosmopolitan city, Manchester has a huge selection of restaurants and eateries that serve a vast array of cuisines. Look hard enough and you will be able find any type of international food. It is also worth exploring some of the suburbs for superb, small independent bistros / restaurants. West Didsbury and Chorlton are noted for their large number of great eateries. The usual, well established british chains like Cafe Rouge, Pizza Express, Bella Italia etc are all to be found in the centre and out of town too.

Free

Revolution on Oxford Road has a policy where your food is either ready within a 15 minutes wait or it's free. Worth going at busy times of the day!

Budget

There are hundreds of kebab and pizza shops on Oxford Road and in Fallowfield and Rusholme. A listing of takeaways in Manchester can be found here. In Rusholme, in particular, locals speak of the £10 curry. Where if you bring your own drinks into the curry house, you should leave with change from a ten pound note.

Some of the cheapest, long-established curry cafes, though, are still to be found in the back streets of the Northern Quarter. The Little Aladdin cafe at 72 High St (on the corner of Turner St, near Arndale centre) is a tiny little curry house with real charm. They serve a range of delicious curries and kebabs for £3-£4. Here's the menu: [24].

On John Dalton Street, on the left, just up from Deansgate, going to Albert Square, is a gem of a cafe,Essy's, (imagine a cross between an American diner and an old style British "cafe"). It is run by a group of Iranians, for whom nothing is too much trouble. You can be satisfied for under £5. Clean, welcoming table service. There are a couple of other similar places around town; in the Northern Quarter and one just behind Kendals, on King Street West.

Chinese

There are plenty of all-you-can-eat buffets in Chinatown for less than £10.00 (€ 13.00). Prices tend to change with the time of day and likely demand. If you eat earlier in the day, you can have a full all you can eat meal, including soup starter and desert for around £5. Really cheap and clean Chinese buffets include Number 1's on Whitworth Street (between Oxford Road Station and the Gay Village) Tai Wu on Oxford Street next to McDonalds.

Wing's Dai Pai Dong in the Arndale Market city centre is set around a sushi counter. It serves a variety of mainstream Cantonese (Hong Kong), Thai, and Japanese dishes. The Hong Kong style roasting dishes are particularly good value and well-made. Typically any mixture of Char Sui, Duck, Belly Pork, Jelly Fish, and Cold Cuts can be paired with Rice, Soup Noodle, or other fried noodles, typically for around £4.50 for a very large and filling bowl/plate. Teamed with a bottle of Asahi Beer, the bill per person will be well under £10. It is difficult to think of anywhere in the city that offers better value.

Mid range

Chinese

Amongst the enormous range of Cantonese restaurants in Chinatown, the Great Wall on Faulkner Street offers authentic, reasonably priced food, including many one bowl/plate dishes (Roast Pork and Roast Duck in soup noodle is particularly popular). The only downside is that the service charge increases the bill.

• Red Chilli on Portland Street is of a very good standard and is unusual in Manchester in specializing in Beijing and the very spicy Szechuan cooking. It has a large Chinese following, which is always a good sign.

Outside Chinatown, there is also Moso Moso on Oxford Road and the increasingly esteemed Tai Pan on Upper Brook Street and Brunswick Street.

• Fusion Noodle Bar in Fallowfield has very good noodles.

Indian

Rusholme's Curry Mile is, as the name suggests, home to a lot of Indian restaurants! Due to the high concentration of curry houses, and all the competition, you should be able to get a really good curry in just about any restaurant.

In the centre Shimla Pinks is upmarket as is a new venture by the side of The Museum of Science and Industry. This is Akbar's on Liverpool Road and they claim, on the side of buses, to be "probably the best Indian Restaurant in the North of England". Also popular in town are the two EastEast; the original is under the Ibis Hotel, behind The BBC building, and the new, very luxurious one is on Bridge Street, opposite The Manchester Central Travelodge, off Deansgate. Look out for the doorman at the riverside location. There they also offer free valet parking to all guests. These two are classy but not overpriced. Some have claimed the menu could be a little more adventurous, in view of all they seem to have invested. The riverside branch seems popular for asian weddings, lately, which must say something about the quality of the venue.

At the top of King Street on Spring Gardens is Karims. They occupy a fine, old bank building. This too is a classy joint, but by no means over priced.

Further out, Moon in Withington and Third Eye in Didsbury, both in south Manchester, are excellent. Individual takes on traditional dishes are served alongside local specialities, and cost about £6 a dish.

Korean

• Yechan Foods, 95 Mauldeth Road, Manchester M14 6SR, ph: (0161) 225 4447.

• Koreana Restaurant — A Long established Korean Restaurant on King Street West in city centre just off Deansgate. A regular stop for Man Utd's Korean football star Ji-Sung Park.

Japanese

• Wagamama's, (located in the Printworks), is one of the chain of Japanese restaurants popping up all over the country. Wagamama's serve the best ramen, ebi gyoza, and many other different Japanese cooked dishes... perfect with a hot flask of sake! Their second venture in town is into the Spinningfields district just off Deansgate.

• New Samsi, Whitworth Street, city centre. A great sushi restaurant that also caters well for those that don't like raw fish. With a well-stocked, but small Japanese supermarket below (accessed from inside the restaurant) [25].

• Selfridges Food Hall has a YO! sushi bar.

Greek

• Kosmos in Fallowfield.

Splurge

• Search out the upmarket restaurants in the city's top hotels (The Lowry Hotel, The Midland, SAS Radisson, and Hilton, Deansgate to name just four). Less grand, but very popular, is the restaurant in The Malmaison hotel, by Piccadilly station. The restaurant at the top of the Urbis building,The Modern , reopened at the end of 2007 to much acclaim. It also has a great bar which shares the good view of the city's skyline. The Market Restaurant, in The Northern Quarter, is long established and has an excellent reputation. Heathcote is well represented with a place off Deansgate and a new, modern, Spanish-style venture behind Piccadilly Gardens on New York Street called Grados. Abode on Piccadilly is also believed to have brought something new to the Manchester scene!

Harvey Nichols restaurant and cocktail bar, with views onto Exchange Square, are hard to beat if you like rubbing shoulders with Manchester's wealthy set. When the store is closed there is a dedicated entrance and lift at the side of the building. Their afternoon tea is worth a try, but you may prefer the older style version at The Midland Hotel or a new take on the theme at The Lowry Hotel.

Chinese

• Yang Sing on Princess Street at the south-western edge of Chinatown has long been considered the best Cantonese restaurant in the country (and perhaps in Europe).

Spanish

There are the usual chains to be had on Deansgate, but try to search out El Rincon de Rafa, hidden away behind Deansgate, near St. John's Gardens. This is an authentic Spanish restaurant, established many years, and popular with Spanish and South American people, based in the city. It is a stones throw from The Cervantes Centre!! Good on a Sunday.

On Deansgate, opposite The Cervantes Centre, is Evuna. This newish venture has had very good revues.

Armenian

The Armenian restaurant, very long established, hidden in a basement on Albert Square (by the Town Hall) is good. It's to the left with the Town Hall facing you.

Drink

Manchester has a diverse nightlife and can offer a wide range of night-time activities. It has a vibrant and varied nightlife scene, including numerous clubs as well as a huge range of drinking establishments from traditional pubs to ultra-chic concept bars. The best of these, of late, has to be the Cloud Bar on the 23rd floor of The Hilton, Deansgate. Pricey maybe, with attentive table service, yet worth it for the views alone. To avoid the queues, try it during the week! The bars in The SAS Radisson and The Aurora Hotel are also upmarket. For other upmarket venues ( there are some very discrete ones catering for the most privileged in town ), your hotel concierge should be of help in pointing you in the right direction.

Famed for its musical past, the University of Manchester Student's Union on Oxford Road hosts almost nightly gigs in its three venues on Oxford road ranging from local unsigned bands to international superstars. The Manchester Apollo in Ardwick is a slightly bigger venue having boasted appearances from Blondie to new-comers like Kasabian. Smaller bands can also be seen at a range of excellent venues in the city including the Roadhouse, Night and Day, both in the Northern Quarter, and Jabez Clegg, off Oxford Road.

The club scene in Manchester is varied with the dance-orientated clubs you'd expect from a city setting alongside indie, rock, and gay clubs. For the commercial dance music fan, the "place to be" would be Deansgate Locks in Peter's Fields where the clubs and bars can be expensive, but are always full of fashionable types and members of the local student population. More eclectic dance music styles are played at the Music Box and The Phoenix, both on Oxford Road.

For fans of rock music, Jillys on Oxford Road is something of an institution. On a Thursday, it costs just £1 to get in, while Fridays see them open until 6 or 7AM. It has three rooms incorporating punk, ska, metal, goth, and everything in between. Also check out Rock Kitchen on a Saturday night at the Manchester Metropolitan University Student's Union, again on Oxford Road. More rock can be found at the weekly Caged Asylum night, at Club OHM. Next door to Jilly's is Music Box, home to the very good (and increasingly famous) Mr. Scruff. Come here once a month to have a good dance and a cup of tea!

For fans of indie and alternative music, there are a whole host of new exciting clubs opening. Any late evening walk up Oxford Road should enable you to collect a variety of fliers for club nights. The Friday edition of The Manchester Evening News has a good listings section, which is handy for the weekend. Papers are handed out free of charge Mon-Fri, at various points in the centre and at some newsagents.

Successful nights that were championed by City Life include Killing Fantasy on the last Thursday of the month at the Retro Bar on Sackville Street, with a play list that includes Blondie, The Ramones, and Le Tigre. Invest in Property at Joshua Brooks on Charles Street is also another of these nights, falling on the last Friday of the month. Again, expect a mix of indie, electro, punk, and rock. Weekly, Smile at the Star and Garter [26] in East Manchester is something of a local indie institution with a great play list. Be warned, it sells out very early and can often be unbearably busy as a result of this. Saturday's also play host to Tiger Lounge near the Town Hall. This plays more in the way of lounge alongside experimental and indie sounds.

If you want to hear music by Manchester bands like The Stone Roses, visit Fifth Avenue on Princess Street, often brimming with students — unsurprising when you see the cheap drinks prices! However, the best city centre club for indie music is 42nd Street, just off Deansgate. It plays a mixture of classic and modern indie, 60's pop, and 70's funk and soul.

To enjoy Gay Manchester, it is probably best to visit Canal Street with its concentration of bars and clubs and visit places that appeal along the way. Just off Canal Street, the most popular gay clubs are Essential, a multi-floor super-club open until the early hours (sometimes as late as 8am), Cruz 101 and Poptastic, a two-room pop and indie club held at Alter Ego every Tuesday and Saturday night. Although entry can be expensive, this is usually reflected in a reduced price bar inside the club.

For bars, try the cocktail lounge Socio Rehab in the Northern Quarter (ask a taxi driver where it is) and Tribeca on Sackville Street (in the popular Gay Village). Trof, a funky student bar in Fallowfield, has recently opened a second venture, Trof North, on Thomas Street in the Northern Quarter.

Although there are still plenty of cafes and traditional pubs in Manchester, bars and restaurants with much more bohemian and cosmopolitan feels to them are now dominating. The better traditional pubs include:

• Lass O'Gowrie on Charles Street.
• Salisbury on Oxford Road.
• Peveril of the Peak. Behind The Bridgewater Hall.
• Britons Protection. Behind the stage door entrance of the Bridgewater Hall. It is here where many a poor mug "took The King's Shilling" and found himself pressganged into the army.
• Sinclairs. This is just by Harvey Nichols store.
• Grey Horse Inn.
• The Old Wellington Inn, the oldest pub in Manchester. It was opened in 1552. Along with Sinclair's the whole place was moved, a couple of hundred yards down the road, as part of the development of New Cathedral Street, after the IRA bomb of 1996.
• The Marble Arch Inn, Rochdale Road. Real ale brewed on the premises and cask ale from micro-breweries nationwide.

Comedy wise, Manchester has a fair number of offerings: The Frog and Bucket on Oldham Street offers student friendly prices and The Comedy Store at the Deansgate Locks is the largest comedy venue in town. XS Malarkey in Fallowfield is cheap but good.

Sleep

Mid Range

• Arora International Manchester, 18-24 Princess Street Manchester, M1 4LY (http://www.arorainternational.com/manchester/location.html), ☎ +44 (0) 161 236 8999 (fax: +44 (0) 0161 236 3222), [27]. A modern hotel inside a fine old building with restored facade. Rooms are reasonably spacious for the UK, bathrooms modern and there is air conditioning. The beds are comfortable and the rooms have irons, safes, fridges and heated bathroom mirrors. It is very centrally located in the Manchester city centre, being just across the road from the Manchester Art Gallery, close to China Town and a wide variety of entertainment venues and restaurants. Even reluctant walkers will not need wheeled transport to get around. The staff are friendly and helpful. Residential floors are secured; access requires your room key card. Breakfast has a good selection and may be included in the room rate. It is eaten in the hotel's own Obsidian Restaurant and Bar located in the basement and accessible by lift if you don't want to leave the hotel. The Obsidian also has its own separate street entrance. In room broadband internet is available for a fee. The reception area is modest. Parking is a few hundreds of yards away in a multi-storey public park; the hotel has none of its own. £130.  edit

There are thousands of hotel beds in the city ranging from 5 star establishments to bed and breakfast. If in doubt consult the tourist office, behind the Town Hall on St Peter's Square. See City Information section for contact details and address.

Contact

Although you will find a whole bunch of available wi-fi hot spots in central Manchester, they can be very expensive. Until the free municipal wi-fi network comes live in a few years, make best use of the free wi-fi available at:

• Cornerhouse, 70 Oxford Street - art gallery, cinema, bar.
• Oklahoma Cafe, 74 - 76 High Street - coffee shop.
• The Castle Pub, Oldham Street - traditional pub.

Stay Safe

If you're uncomfortable around thousands of intoxicated young people, then you should probably avoid Friday and Saturday night taxi queues in the city centre. You should also avoid any conflict with door staff at bars, clubs and pubs.

Manchester is generally quite a safe place, especially in commercialised and tourist orientated areas, but is however prone to trouble due to the large number of people that inhabit the city. It is by no means uncommon to encounter or witness trouble in daylight hours within the city centre. It is a very large and generally deprived city and certain areas have high crime rates, common in outer districts of other UK cities. It is unlikely to affect tourists, but if you should wander into a less desirable area you should be very wary of street gangs hanging around. Should you encounter a group which looks suspicious, either avoid them all together and walk the other way, or try to walk past them quickly (at a distance if possible) and don't behave in a way that they may perceive as disrespectful or confrontational. This can include eye contact or accidently brushing past them with your shoulder.

Caution would be advised in the following areas:

• Longsight. This is a somewhat rundown residential area in the shadow of the city centre, which has as yet avoided the gentrification of nearby Hulme.
• Moss Side. This area has a notorious reputation, but it is very multicultural and worth a visit if you looking for something different, but only during the day. At night the area can be very dangerous. This area is renowned for gang warfare and knife and gun attacks on youths are not uncommon although recent police operations have been reducing this.
• Parts of Hulme. Although this young, trendy, regenerated area would be of interest to many with its new town houses, quirky architecture and blocks of flats; just a stones throw from the centre!
• Cheetham Hill. Not at night maybe, but during the day this suburb, to the north of Victoria Station, is a lively, colourful mixture of cultures: Jewish, Asian, and newer arrivals to the city from various parts of the world! The shopping area around "The Village" is very much like an inner London high street.
• Wythenshawe. Much of this is a vast public housing district out towards the airport.
• Ordsall. This area is on the up and following the example of Hulme with lots of new developments.
• Parts of East Manchester, particularly Beswick.
• Salford. Unless you have good reason, do not wander too far on foot at least, over the river Irwell, into Salford, from the city centre. With the great number of new residential developments in the area, it does feel more relaxed, of late, and should continue to improve over time. The straight route from Manchester centre, via Salford Cathedral along Chapel Street, to Salford University is safe.

Cope

Many countries have consulates and commissions in Manchester. For others, you may have to travel to London.

• Australian Consulate, Chatsworth House, Lever Street, Manchester M1 2QL. Tel. 0161 228 1344 Fax: 0161 236 4074.
• Consulate of Belgium, 76 Moss Lane Bramhall, Stockport SK7 1EJ. Tel. 0161 439 5999.
• Consulate General of The People's Republic of China, Denison House, Denison Road, Rusholme, Manchester M14 5RY. Tel.0161 248 9304.
• The Royal Danish Consulate, Century Buildings, St. Mary's Parsonage, Manchester M3 2DD. Tel: 0161 214 4370.
• Trade Commission of France, 24th Floor, Sunley Tower, Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester M1.
• Consulate of France, Davis Blank Furniss, 90 Deansgate, Manchester M3 2QJ. Tel. 0161 832 3304.
• Trade Board of Ireland, 56 Oxford Street, Manchester M1.
• Consulate of Italy, Rodwell Tower, 111 Piccadilly, Manchester M1.
• Consulate of Monaco, Dene Manor, Dene Park, Manchester M20.
• The Royal Consulate of the Netherlands, 123 Deansgate, Manchester M3.
• Vice-consulate of Pakistan, 4th Floor Hilton House, 26/28 Hilton Street, Manchester M1.
• Consulate General of Spain, La Brook House, 70 Spring Gardens, Manchester M2 2BQ.
• Consulate General of Switzerland, 24th Floor, Sunley Tower, Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester

M1.

• Swedish Consulate, Lincoln House, 1 Brazennoze Street, Manchester M2 5FJ. Tel. 0161 834 4814.
• Norwegian Consulate, International Trade centre, Churchgate House,6 Oxford Street,Manchester M60 7HF. Tel. 0161 236 1406.
• Consulate of Iceland, 28 Macclesfield Road, Wilmslow SK9 2AF. Tel. 01625 524133.
• Consulate of Finland, 5 Bramway,High Lane, Stockport SK6 8EN.Tel. 0161 376 4799.
• Consulate of Czech Republic, 20 Stamford New Road,Altrincham WA14 1EJ. Tel(mob).07729834759.
• High Commission of Cyprus, 304-306 Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9NS. Tel. 0161 276 5013.

Get Out

Manchester is well placed at the heart of Northern England. Everything is within an hour away of Manchester's Piccadilly and Victoria stations; major cities, National Parks, picturesque scenery, seaside resorts and swanky suburbs can all be reached by train, usually for under/around £10 return.

Seaside

• Blackpool — Around 1 hour by train. Previously known as 'The Playground of England'. Famed for a wild night out and favoured by Stag and Hen parties. An education, with some fantastic gay clubs to rival those anywhere! Blackpool's attractions including Britain's busiest theme park Pleasure Beach, Blackpool and the famous "Lights" from end of august to the first weekend in november.
• If you want a quiet day by the seaside try Southport, north of Liverpool, and the North West's best kept secret! Lord Street is a must. Upmarket shopping and tea rooms combine with the beach to make Southport a nice relaxing day out. Accessible by train from Manchester in around one hour.
• The North Wales seaside resorts of Rhyl , Prestatyn and Llandudno are around an hour and a half to two hours away from Manchester.
• Formby near Southport is a nice day out. Some picturesque sand-dunes, red squirrel preservation area, an ice cream van and a lovely beach, without the usual british seaside resort junk (arcade games, amusements etc). A change of train is required, so journey times are over an hour away. You can access the northern end from Southport quite easily.

City

• Leeds — Post industrial city now a major financial centre, home to Leeds United who are traditional rivals to Manchester United. Get there by coach/bus from Manchester Central Coach Station, Chorlton Street (cheaper by far and as many locals will confirm, often more reliable than the train).
• Bradford with the fabulous Alhambra Theatre and National Museum of Film and Photography.
• Liverpool was 2008 European Capital of Culture, and is booming again, being seen by many in The North West as a strong rival to Manchester. Often seen as quicker than the train is the hourly coach service to Liverpool from Chorlton Street Coach Station. A day return is a real bargain and you are in Liverpool in about an hour. This can be a little longer, at times, but the friendly staff at the coach station can advise you how long the trip takes at busier times. The River Mersey and Liverpool's Albert Dock along with the city's unforgettable skyline and cosmopolitain nature make it definately worth a visit.
• Chester — Take a Direct train from Manchester Piccadilly or Oxford Road stations to this compact Roman city. Old buildings and cobbled streets will greet you. You can walk around the city centre on the Roman Walls. Listen out for all those welsh accents mixed with the voices of nearby Liverpool, Manchester and beyond! All Manchester-Chester via Stockport/Altrincham trains call at Hale and Knutsford. It is worth checking out these posh Cheshire villages on the way for a drink in a trendy bar.
• Preston — It still retains an "old northern" culture and is the UK's newest city, having been at last granted that status. The city centre is currently undergoing a £700 million redevelopment project. Preston is about a 40 minute drive north of Manchester and also accessible by train or coach. Preston is well worth a visit. It is the administrative centre of the County of Lancashire and home to County Hall, The National Football Museum and one of the region's newer universities.

Country

• Peak District for grass and hills. About 15 miles to the east of the city. A National Park and one of the most beautiful parts of the country. Buxton and the villages around are worth a look. Hadfield and Glossop are around 30 minutes train ride away from Piccadilly. Edale and Buxton are under an hour away.
• The Lake District — For a bit of greenery in a National Park, go to the north. Of international poetic repute and one of the most beautiful parts of England. About an hour away.
• Heaton Park — Ok, not exactly deep countryside but the nearest suburban Manchester can offer. Heaton Park is served by Metrolink trams around 10 minutes away from Manchester Victoria on the Bury Line, so it is great if you want a break from the city but are short on time! You could easily spend a whole day in this expansive park, with loads of attractions including pitch and putt, the boating lake, the tramway museum, former stately home "Heaton Hall". Finish off with the excellent views of the City and surrounding countryside from the highest point in Manchester "Heaton Park Temple".
• Delamere Forrest and Tatton Park are beautiful areas of Mid-Cheshire on the Manchester-Chester via Stockport line. Alight at Delamere and Knutsford stations respectively.

Suburban and beyond

• Huddersfield — A solid Victorian gem! Around 30 minutes away by Transpennine Express. This fine town is in West Yorkshire.
• Salford is part of Greater Manchester and home to The Lowry and other attractions. The Roman Catholic Cathedral, here, is well worth a visit, and just minutes walk from Manchester centre. Also of note is the charming village suburb of Worsley.
• Wigan — The western part of Greater Manchester, home to the 1970's Northern Soul scene, famous for it's rugby league team and Pies. Wigan is around a 35 minute train ride away from central Manchester.
• Rochdale — Also within Greater Manchester and home town of Gracie Fields, boasting a Victorian Gothic town hall to rival Manchester's. The town is around a 15-20 minute train ride from Victoria or bus from Shudehill Interchange. The Cooperative movement started here and there is a dedicated museum.
• Stockport is in the south of the conurbation and boasts the Hat Museum and the 1930's Plaza cinema/theatre. Trains from Piccadilly take around 13 minutes and there are also excellent bus links. You can visit the underground, former World War II bomb shelters..
• Bury, Oldham, Ashton-under-Lyne, Bolton and Altrincham are all satellite towns, within Greater Manchester, each with their distinct feeling and market-town atmosphere. They are all under 25 minutes way from the city centre by train or Metrolink tram or a little more by bus.

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!

From Wikitravel

For other places with the same name, see Bradford (disambiguation).

Bradford [1] is a city in West Yorkshire, a county in the north of England, in the United Kingdom.

Understand

Bradford is one of the ten largest cities in Britain with a population of over 450,000 people. Originally founded by the Saxons, the name is a corruption of "Broad Ford", reflecting the watercourse which ran through the fledgling town.

Water would continue to be of vital importance to the growing city, providing one of the raw materials needed for the wool trade as well as, via the canal, a way of transporting new goods off to market.

At the beginning of the 19th century Bradford had grown to be a rural market town of 16,000 people centre around spinning and cloth weaving. The following 100 years saw massive expansion of these humble beginnings into comprehensive industry and Bradford become the wool capital of the world. By 1850 the population had grown to 100,000 and there were around 40 mills in the city producing cloth. On the 9th of June 1897 the town became a city.

I love Visit Bradford.

Get in

By plane

• Leeds-Bradford International Airport [2] - a Metro bus connection runs roughly every half hour during the day between the airport and Bradford Interchange bus station (£1.80)

By road

• The M62 motorway crosses the Pennine belt and Bradford's own motorway the M606 is a spur off it. Originally planned to go right through the city centre, the M606 was thankfully never completed, and as such is one of Britains shortest motorways at only just over 2 miles long.

By train

Bradford city centre has two railway stations. If travelling from most places in the UK, the easiest option is to travel into Leeds, and then catch a connecting service into one of the Bradford stations (journey time from Leeds of about 20 minutes).

• Bradford Forster Square - trains from Bradford Interchange going west head to Manchester Victoria station and Preston (for connections to Carlisle and Glasgow). Another option for journeys from Glasgow is to change at Carlisle for the historic and scenic Settle-Carlisle line. All trains on this line call at Shipley (north of Bradford) for connecting trains into Forster Square.

• Bradford Interchange - trains from Bradford Interchange also head into the Wharfedale and Airedale valleys to Ilkley and Skipton.

Get around

By taxi

• Bradford Town Taxis, 78 Morley Street, ☎ +44 (0)1274 636293 or +44 (0)1274 638751. 24/7. No call out charge.  edit

By bus

• West Yorkshire Metro [3] - Bus timetables and journey planner.

See

• Bronte Country.  edit

• Five Rise Locks.  edit

• Little Germany. Stunning architecture - especially the area known as Little Germany - a unique collection of 85 buildings constructed between 1855 and 1890, during the peak of Bradford's wool textile industry, now a popular residential and business area. 55 of the 85 buildings are listed because of their architectural and historical importance.  edit

• Saltaire. Saltaire. A well-preserved mid 19th century industrial town, which is located within Bradford. The site is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In the mill itself you will find a large David Hockney exhibition, two restaurants and numerous shops - well worth a visit.  edit

Museums

• National Media Museum, [4]. The wonderful museum - as featured so memorably in Bill Bryson's book Notes from a Small Island. A wealth of information and exhibits from the history of photography, film and television, as well as the IMAX cinema. Free.  edit

• Colour Museum, [5].  edit

• Industrial Museum, [6]. Early museum with displays of owrking textile machinery. Also working horse museum and mill manager's house on the same site.  edit

• Peace Museum, [7].  edit

• Bolling Hall Museum - a beautiful hall, partly going back to medieval times, comes as quite a surprise on the ring road only about a mile from the centre.

Do

Theatre

Bradford has a wealth of theatres and performing companies to enjoy, watch, and participate in, both amateur and professional. Theatre venues include the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford University's Theatre In The Mill, the Priestley Centre, and St George's Hall. Theatre companies to get involved with, include Lost Dog at Theatre in The Mill, the Asian Theatre School (also at Theatre In the Mill, though operated by Red Ladder from Leeds), Page to Stage at the Priestley Theatre, and madcap theatre/caberet, and comedy promoters/performers (specialising in new writing), Komedy Kollective Theatre Company.

Cinema

Bradford is blessed with a useful number of film venues ranging from "arthouse" to "mainstream" flicks, and is also the home to many budding filmmakers, some of whom are based at Bradford University, and offer opportunities for students to get involved. The National Media Museum also operates two film festivals, the Bradford Film Festival, and the the Animation Festival (Bradford Film Festival [8]).

• National Media Museum. 2 screens.  edit

• Cineworld.  edit

• Odeon, (X6, 15, 72 or 636 bus from Bradford Interchange).  edit

Live Music

All styles of music are available in Bradford, from rock, pop, indie, jazz, opera, to dance, and the latest listings can be found at alive.co.uk. Live venues include the Gassworks, St George's Hall, the University Union bars, and the Beehive. The Bradford Mela takes place every summer at Peel Park. Formally part and parcel of the now defunct Bradford Festival, this is now a free-standing gypsy event, fusing both Eastern musical influences with Eastern Commercialism.

• Skewed Circus, Hilton Hotel, [9]. Skewed Circus aims to recreate the vibrancy of the Bradford Festival, combining stand-up, breakdancing, rock, dance music, hip hop, juggling, fire-eating, facepainting, and not-for-profit/charity info stalls. Music and comedy will take place once a month.  edit

Sport

Bradford City AFC and Bradford Bulls RLFC represent the city at football and rugby league respectively.

Learn

• Bradford University [10] - one of the best schools for optometry, pharmacy and digital media in England.

Buy

Eat

• Chowdreys Restaurant (Chowdreys Restaurant), 342 Great Horton Road, Bradford, BD7 1QJ, ☎ 01274 579374, [11]. Seating two hundred people Chowdreys Restaurant serves the best in Indian / Kashmiri food, with a wide variety of meat & non-meat dishes - see our new menus online on our website.  edit
• Kebabish Original, 49 Great Horton Road. Serves curries and grills. Meat and fish is cooked over a charcoal grill and is without doubt one of the top restaurants in the UK. The grilled food is superior to the curry. Try the Chicken Tikka  edit

Once famous for its woolen textile manufacture, Bradford is now known as one of the best cities in Britain to eat a curry.

• Akbars, [12]. A modern style curry house with contemporary feel and superb value for money. The restaurant is always packed - always book as far in advance as possible to avoid disappointment. £10.  edit

• Karachi Restaurant, 15/17 Neal Street, ☎ +44 (0)1274 732015, [13]. M-Th 11AM-1AM F-Sa 11AM-2AM. This cheap and cheerful Pakistani/Indian restaurant is a Bradford institution. Mains roughly £4.50..  edit

• Kashmir Restaurant, 25/27 Morley Street, ☎ +44 (0)1274 726513. 11am - 3am. . Excellent. Not just cheap - a main meal will cost including starter will cost about £6 per person. The oldest established curry cafe in Bradford. Absolutely phenomenal food. Recommended in the Rough Guide to Britain. [14][15]Known to locals. Easily the best curry in the UK  edit

• The Love Apple, [16]. Quality food and drink with full table service in a relaxed atmosphere, art exhibitions, music, dance and funky loving people.  edit

• Mumtaz - Great Horton Road - a very good up-market Pakistani restaurant, whose 'out' department has supplied Harrods among others. [17]

• Nawaab's, 32 Manor Road, ☎ +44 (0)1274 720731. Very average curry restaurant in Bradford, just up from Valley Parade. Portions are thankfully small but dull. Never packed. Relaxed atmosphere and good people watching; try the Nirali special. * Omar Khan's, 30 Little Horton Lane, ☎ +44 (0)1274 720030.  edit  edit

• Omar's, 45 Stony Lane, ☎ +44 (0)1274 641321. Renowned for its "family sized naan" and "naan & curry challenge".  edit

Drink

• Cock & Bottle, Barkerend Road (near cathederal), [18]. Newly refurbished in 2005 after several decades of dereliction. Oldest pub in Bradford now serves thirteen guest Ales.  edit

• Fighting Cock, 21-23 Preston Street, [19].  edit

• Sir Titus Salt, Unit B Windsor Baths, Morley Street. Good decor and a selection of ales available. Full of deadheads though!  edit

• Sun Hotel, 124 Sunbridge Road. Long established gay pub. Gay clubs and gay nights in other clubs change on a regular basis. Consult Yorkshire's gay paper Shout! [20] for the latest listing. The most amaing gay club you could ever go to! It's the most popular gay club in Braford.  edit

• Walkabout, Glydegate Square.  edit

Sleep

There is a wide range of accommodation options in and around Bradford. Whether it is student accommodation for the college and university or businessmen and women.

Stay Safe

The city has a fairly high rate of crime, so be very careful if you decide to wander off the beaten track. If you come to an area that is rundown/derelict, heavily vandalised and gangs of young males hanging around, you're in the wrong place.

Get out

The Pennines and the Yorkshire Dales are all within reach of the Bradford district, with plenty of hotels available for people to check into. The nearby spa town of Harrogate is also within reach and well worth a visit

This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!

From Wikitravel

Liverpool [1] is a city in Merseyside, England, famed for its music, sports and nightlife.

For other places with the same name, see Liverpool (disambiguation).

Understand

Liverpool is a city with great cultural heritage and was awarded the title of European Capital of Culture 2008, with the famous Pier Head Waterfront being a UNESCO World Heritage site [2] since 2004. Liverpool is home to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and is also renowned for being the birthplace of a wide range of popular musicians including The Beatles, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Frankie goes to Hollywood, Echo & the Bunnymen and many more. The city possesses the largest national museum collection outside of London and has a fascinating and turbulent history as a great world maritime centre. Liverpool is home to Europe's oldest Chinatown. The famous Grand National Horse Race takes place in the outskirts of the city (Aintree). As well as that Scousers are famed the world over for their generosity, wit, sense of humour and accent. People in the city will welcome you with open arms, only too pleased to show off their city to a visitor [3].AQIB

Get in

By plane

Liverpool John Lennon Airport (IATA: LPL) (ICAO: EGGP), [4]. Around one hundred flights arrive daily from within the U.K. as well as mainland Europe. The airport is well-served by low-cost airlines including Easyjet and Ryanair. For a complete listing of airlines and destinations, see the Summer [5] and Winter [6] timetables.

The airport offers a Fast Track service, which for a charge, means you can bypass the queue at security. Though this tends to only be worthwhile for first flights of the day or if you risk missing your flight.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport is located in the suburb of Speke around 11.5km to the south of the city centre. Immediately outside the arrivals area you will find a taxi rank and bus stops. Taxis to the city centre cost around £12 (Approx. €16, US$24) for the 20 minute journey.

Several bus routes go directly to the city centre from the airport:

• The No. 500 Airport Express runs every 30 minutes and takes about 45 minutes to reach the city centre. Cost is £2.60/€4 Adults, £1/€2 Children and £5/€10 Families. Student discount: £1.40. It should be said, that it is as quick to use the service buses (listed below) and it is significantly cheaper.

The following local buses cost £1.60 to get into the city centre (£1.40 for students). As discussed above, they're as quick and cheaper to use:

• The No. 80A, run by Arriva, runs every 15 minutes and takes 45 minutes to the city center.

• The No. 82A, also run by Arriva, runs every 30 minutes and takes around 40 minutes to the city center. This runs direct to Paradise Street interchange without stopping elsewhere in the city center.

• The No. 86A (Arriva) runs every 15 minutes during the day and now runs through the night, every half hour. This takes a little less time than the 80A as it is a more direct route down Smithdown Road. Journey time is 40 minutes but may be longer at peak traffic times.

• The No. 81A also serves the airport, but does not go into the city center. It may prove useful if you want to visit Woolton or the north of the city, as the route goes round the city ring road, Queens Drive, and terminates in Bootle.

The 80A and 86A also stop at Liverpool South Parkway station. It's a 10 minutes journey from where a frequent train service runs to the city centre in about 15 minutes. This may be a better option at times of peak road traffic (8AM-9AM, 5PM-6PM).

Manchester Airport (IATA: MAN) (ICAO: EGCC) can also be used and may be a better option. It is about a 45-60 minute drive away from Liverpool. Direct train services also run between Liverpool Lime Street Station and Manchester Airport operated by Northern Rail. Manchester Airport serves a variety of long haul destinations in North America and Asia, as well as short haul services throughout Europe.

By train

Liverpool is served by Liverpool Lime Street station which is located in the heart of the city center. Trains arrive frequently from all parts of the U.K.

Liverpool is only about two-and-a-half hours from London by train. There's a train about every hour, and it's not too expensive to get there. You can get a saver ticket for £60 on the day of travel, or for as little as £12.50 if you book a couple of weeks in advance.

There is a direct train from Manchester Airport to Liverpool every hour at peak times (around 6:30AM-7:30PM). In addition, it is possible to reach Liverpool by changing at Manchester Piccadilly or Manchester Oxford Road.

Other main services

Birmingham, 1 hr 45 minutes, hourly Manchester, 50 minutes, frequent Leeds, 2 hours, hourly

By bus

• National Express [7], the U.K.'s largest scheduled coach company has a bus station a short walk from Liverpool City Center. London is four to five hours away by coach and is served by a half a dozen services per day. Manchester is served by an hourly service taking a similar time to the train (except at rush hour). Manchester Airport can be reached by coach in under one hour, six coaches run per day.

• Megabus [8] operates a fleet of ex-Hong Kong buses on its network across the U.K. There is one bus daily from London to Liverpool. Journey time 4-5 hours. Prices range from £1 (€1.46) to £11 (€16) depending on how far in advance you book.

Over the next 10 years a Park and Ride scheme will be developed, with easy access to the city center, for more information see National Park and Ride Directory [9].

• Liverpool One Executive Travel [10] Provides an executive 16 seat minibus service from all airports, seaports and other locations. Prices vary depending on distances. Call 07761042952 or visit the website for further information.

Get around

Liverpool City Center is small enough to walk around, but black cabs are plentiful if you are feeling lazy. Buses run out from the center regularly from Paradise Street Interchange (mainly to the south) and Queen Square (mainly north/east). Both bus stations have travel centers with sometimes helpful staff who will assist with which bus to get and from which stand. At these, Saveaway, Solo and Trio travel passes can be purchased. The Saveaway presents a good value for the visitor, at £3.30 for unlimited off-peak travel for one day in 'Area C' (includes city center, west out to Huyton, north to Crosby and south to Speke), including trains. All-zones saveaways can be obtained for about a pound more and will take you through the whole of the Merseytravel area. Perfect for visiting the Wirral ,and as far as Chester, or Southport, these include train and ferry services as well as buses. Trio (train, bus and ferry) and Solo (bus only) tickets require a photo, but have no peak-time limitations and can be bought for a week, month or year. This is ideal for visitors staying longer or working and therefore requiring more flexible travel. A Trio for one week costs about £14.70 for one zone, a Solo about the same for one area.

The train service in Liverpool is quite reliable and efficient these days (having once been nicknamed 'Miseryrail' and 'MerseyFail' by commuters). The main stations in the city center are Central, Lime Street, Moorfields and James Street. Lime Street is the terminus for many national lines and the local city line to Manchester. Moorfields is just off Dale Street, ideal for the business center of Liverpool and Central is usually used by shoppers and visitors. Local trains run very frequently between Hunts Cross, Kirkby, Ormskirk and Southport on the Northern line. They run every 15 minutes from Monday to Saturday and 30 minutes on Sunday. Central station is the main station for the Northern line, although the 'loop' links the three main city center stations. The Wirral line forms the link between the Lime Street, Moorfields and Central, so all of these stations act as an interchange between the City, Northern and Wirral lines.

A new station in the south of Liverpool replaced the old Garston and Allerton stations in June 2006. This links the Northern and City lines and is ideal for the airport. It also acts as an interchange for a number of local buses. Adult bus fares on the main operator Arriva are a flat £1.60, or £1.40 for students, throughout the Merseyside area. Similar flat fares are available from the other operators as well. There are also limited night bus services on a Friday and Saturday night costing £3.00. Some buses are subsidised by Merseytravel, such as early morning and hospital services, and there is a maximum fare of around 80p. If you plan to travel a lot, a pre-paid pass presents much better value. Generally speaking, you save money with two or more train trips or three or more bus journeys.

See

A great thing about Liverpool is the architecture. For so long it was neglected and run down, but these days most of the city center is quite splendid.

• Royal Liver Building, (on the riverside). Iconic symbol of Liverpool waterfront - this 1911 skyscraper still dominates the distinctive Liverpool skyline . This is the home of the legendary Liver Birds that sit atop the building looking out across to the Wirral. The river-facing face of the clock is six feet larger in diameter than that of the clock tower at Westminster.  edit

• St. George's Hall, Lime Street (near railway station). A mammoth of a Greco-Roman-style building which was built by wealthy merchants for the people of the city. It is arguably the finest neo-classical building in Western Europe, and has recently been thoroughly restored for Capital of Culture Year. Inside it has one of the best church organs in Europe. On the outside it has a selection of classical murals which were thought quite shocking in their day (due to the shameful female nudity).  edit

• World Museum Liverpool, (near St. George's Hall), [11]. This is a fine building and well worth a visit. It contains an excellent collection of British rocketry exhibits, as well as the best Egyptological collection outside London.  edit

• Liverpool Central Library, (near St. George's Hall). This is another fine building, boasting a beautiful circular reading room.  edit

• Walker Art Gallery, (near St George's Hall), ☎ 8798724, [12]. Daily 10AM-5PM. Currently displaying Ben Johnson's Liverpool Cityscape 2008 and the World Panorama Series Free.  edit

• St. Nicholas and Our Lady Church, (just off the riverside). This is the city's parish church and home to the third Liver Bird (there are in fact three of them, not two).  edit

• Albert Dock, (on the riverside), [13]. This is one of the more sophisticated places in Liverpool and is situated in the largest collection of Grade I listed buildings in the UK. Old warehouses have been converted into shops, apartments, restaurants, pubs, hotels, galleries and museums.  edit

• Merseyside Maritime Museum, Albert Dock, [14]. Dedicated to the maritime history of the city, complete with galleries on customs and excise and emigration to the New World. There are also a number of vessels to see, such as the Mersey river tug Brocklebank and the river cargo carrier Wyncham.  edit

• Tate Liverpool, Albert Dock, [15]. A fine modern art gallery. A definite visit for arty folk. The Turner Art Prize was hosted here from Oct. 19, 2007 to Jan. 13, 2008. This was the first time the award was held outside of London.  edit

• The Beatles Story, Albert Dock, [16]. The Beatles originated in Liverpool. The Beatles Story is the only museum in the world that is entirely Beatles-themed, with exhibitions such as their instruments and other artifacts. Other attractions based on The Beatles include their homes, Penny Lane, commemorative statues, Strawberry Fields, and more.  edit

• Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, [17]. Catholic. Affectionately known by the locals as Paddy's Wigwam or "the Pope's launching pad". Visit on a sunny day as the stained glass ceiling looks fantastic!  edit

• Liverpool Cathedral, [18]. It may not look like a wigwam, but is so imposing that the architect of Lord Derby's tomb claimed that no self-respecting church mouse would live there. As a result, he incorporated a mouse into the design of the tomb - it's just under Lord Derby's pillow. Liverpool Cathedral is one of the finest examples in the world of Gothic revival architecture. On a clear day, the tower affords breathtaking views over Liverpool, Merseyside and beyond.  edit

• Princes Road Synagogue (Liverpool Old Hebrew Congregation), [19]. This is an impressive combination of Gothic and Moorish architecture by the Audsley brothers. The colourful interior has to be seen to be believed. Tours can be arranged through their web site.  edit

• Liverpool Town Hall. . Built in 1754, the Official Residence of Liverpool's Lord Mayor is an elegant stone building, having two fronts; one towards Castle Street, the other towards the area formed by the New Exchange Buildings. Each front consists of an elegant range of Corinthian columns, supporting a pediment, and are themselves supported by a rustic base. Between the capitals are heads, and emblems of commerce in basso-relievo; and on the pediment of the grand front is a noble piece of sculpture representing Commerce committing her treasures to the race of Neptune.  edit

• Victoria Gallery & Museum, (near the Catholic Cathedral), [20]. Tue-Sat 10am-5pm. The University of Liverpool's museum comprising their art collection and artefacts housed in an amazing Gothic building which coined the term 'red brick university'.  edit

• Williamson's Tunnels, [21]. Heritage Centre T-Su. In the early 1800s, a Liverpool tobacco merchant, Joseph Williamson, funded the construction of an enormous labyrinth of tunnels under the Edge Hill area of Liverpool. To this day, nobody knows his reasons for doing so though many guess it as an act of philanthropy, using his wealth to provide jobs and training for thousands of Liverpool workers. There is also a Williamson's Tunnels Heritage Center.  edit

• Speke Hall, [22]. This is a half-timbered Tudor house set on large grounds. It has parts dating back to the 1530s .  edit

• Croxteth Hall and Country Park, [23].  edit This is one of Liverpool's most important heritage sites, one of "the finest working country estates in the North West" and was the winner of the European Capital of Culture 2008. The park is at the heart of what was once a great country estate stretching hundreds of square miles and was the ancestral home of the Molyneux family, the Earls of Sefton. After the death of the last Earl it was given to the City of Liverpool. The estate has four main attractions - The Historic Hall, Croxteth Home Farm, the Victorian Walled Garden and a 500 acre country park including the new Croxteth Local Nature Reserve. A new addition to what's on offer at Croxteth is the West Derby Courthouse. Dating from the reign of Elizabeth I, this is one of the oldest public buildings in Liverpool.

• Sudley House, Mossley Hill Road, Aigburth.  edit An art gallery which contains the collection of George Holt in its original setting. It includes work by Thomas Gainsborough, Joshua Reynolds, Edwin Landseer and J. M. W. Turner.

Guided Tours

For those in a hurry there are a number of operators offering guided tours, either using their own transportation or offering their services as "hop-on, hop-off Guides" on your coach or offering guided walks. The best way of getting an overview of the city, is by taking the City Explorer open-top bus [24] run by Maghull Coaches. With 12 stops you can hop on and off all day. Qualified local guides provide the commentary and can answer your questions about the city. For Beatles fans, there is the Magical Mystery Tour [25] which will take you around the places associated with the Beatles both in the city centre and in the suburbs. For a more tailored tour, there's Liverpool Entente Cordiale Tours [26]. Their Liverpool tour guides can plan a walk for you or hop on your coach and guide you around the city. They offer tours in English or French. They can also locate guides Spanish, German, Chinese and Russian if necessary.

Do

Trivia Liverpool's Kop End at Anfield was named after Spioenkop (Spy Hill) in KwaZulu-Natal. The Lancashire Brigade comprised the largest part of the British Forces during the Battle of Spioenkop and when they returned to Britain the earth mound at Anfield (used by spectators to get a clear view of the game, before any of the stands were build) reminded them of Spioenkop

• Everton Football Club, [27]. The self-styled "Peoples Club" of the city, Everton is one of the founding members of the Football League.  edit

• Liverpool Football Club, [28]. Five time Champions of Europe and the most successful football (soccer) club in England. Their fans are world famous for the traditional singing of "You'll Never Walk Alone" before and after the end of every game.  edit

• Mathew Street Festival, [29]. Every year over the August Bank Holiday weekend, Liverpool plays host to Europe's largest free city center music festival. Many city center roads are closed to traffic and have large stages erected so that the several hundred thousand people who attend each year can watch a large selection of international pop/rock acts, completely free of charge.  edit

• Liverpool Theater. The Empire plays host to a wide range of shows, including many UK tours of large-scale musicals. The Everyman and Playhouse theaters host a mix of locally produced and mid-scale touring theaters. The Unity Theatre produces a diverse range of work. There's also the Neptune and Royal Court theaters. Check out LIPA (www.lipa.ac.uk) for performance information, their student shows are always well worth seeing.  edit

• The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, [30]. One of the world's great Orchestras and one well worth listening to. Go for a pre-concert G&T in the Philharmonic Pub over the road then sit back and let the music carry you away.  edit

• The Mersey Ferries, [31]. Immortalized by the hit song Ferry 'cross the Mersey by Gerry & the Pacemakers, the Mersey Ferries offer a fun day out and a great way to see Liverpool from afar.  edit

• TheYellowDuckmarine (duck bus), [32]. This is a guided tour that offers a different view of Liverpool. You are driven around the city in a bright yellow WWII landing craft. This has become a bit of a sight in itself as it splashes into the water in the Albert Docks.  edit

• The Liverpool Playhouse, Williamson Square, [33]. A theatre which dates back to 1844. Over the years, the theatre has presented many famous actors including Michael Redgrave, Anthony Hopkins and Noel Coward.  edit

• Western Approaches. A museum in the once top-secret nerve centre of World War II Britain.  edit

• Space Port, [34]. Interactive science museum aimed at kids and young adults but with enough to keep adults entertained too. Located across the River Mersey in the Seacombe Ferry Terminal, most visitors incorporate a Mersey Ferry Tour into their itinerary.  edit

• Shiverpool Tours, [35]. This offers three different tours around Liverpool. "The Hope Street Shivers" is based around the cathedrals, "Auld City Shivers" starting from the Slaughterhouse Pub on Fenwick Street and "Shiver Me Timbers" based around the Albert Docks. All fun but wrap up warm. Prior booking required.  edit

Learn

Liverpool is home to four Universities:

• The University of Liverpool, [36]. Liverpool's oldest University, it generally outranks the other two in national league tables both for teaching and research.  edit

• Liverpool John Moores University, [37]. This has only relatively recently become a University and it is Liverpool's up-and-coming University, boasting modern facilities and improved teaching.  edit

• Liverpool Hope University. Established 1844, it is located in Childwall and Everton. Hope attracts students from some 65 countries worldwide and has enjoyed many successes as of late.  edit

• Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, [38]. Located in Lancashire, England. It has three faculties, Education, Health, and Arts and Sciences.  edit

Buy

Although the main shopping street in Liverpool is dominated by the same chain stores you'll find in any other large U.K. city, Liverpool has many distinctive shops of its own including:

• Grand Central. An alternative shopping center which is definitely worth a look. The 40 small shops inside sell goods ranging from alternative clothing to used furniture.  edit

• MetQuarter. This recently built shopping center has more than 40 stores.  edit
• Liverpool One. Redefining the city with three levels of shopping and entertainment and a park too.  edit

Eat

There are various pubs serving food accross the city center and its suburbs. The two main areas are the City Center and Lark Lane about three miles from the city center in Aigburth. There are various restaurants on Allerton Road (near Liverpool South Parkway) as well. For those on a budget, consider grabbing your food to go. takeaways in Liverpool. Expect to spend around £10-£15 for a meal for two. Check with your hotel first if they allow food delivery.

City Center

• Quynny's Quisine, Bold Street. Caribbean food. Easy to miss as the entrance is a yellow door with stairs leading down. Well kept secret until now ;)  edit

• Kimo's, 46 Mount Pleasant. everyday 10h-23h. Look for the entrance opposite the NCP Car Park on Mount Pleasant for one of Liverpool's favorite student eateries. It boasts a fine selection of western foods (a superb Club Sandwich) and Arabic foods (cous cous and kebabs). There is also a smaller branch nearby the University of Liverpool. £5 to £10..  edit

• The Tea House, Bold Street and University of Liverpool. This modern Hong Kong-style tea house is a great place to visit for some cheap and tasty Chinese meals, snacks and drinks.  edit

• The Monro, 92-94 Duke Street, ☎ 0151 7079933, [39]. Popular gastro-pub serving good British food from rabbit and boar right through to the local delicacy, scouse. All washed down with a pint of ale.  edit

• Everyman Bistro, 5-9 Hope St, ☎ 0151 708 9545, [40]. Offering fresh made food where the menu changes all the time. Slightly expensive, but you get what you pay for in good portions and tasteful food. Also offers a good range of gluten free dishes that are clearly marked. Mains £7-10.  edit

• Piccolino's, Cook Street, ☎ +44 151 236 2555, [41]. Good Italian food and wines. All served in a friendly warm restaurant. Try to get one of the plush red booths. Booking recommended. Mains £8-15.  edit

• Thomas Rigby's, Dale Street. One of the finest pubs in the city offering a selection of local and world beers plus a fantastic food menu. The "proper chips" offered with the battered fish are to die for!  edit

• U-N-I, Renshaw Street. Indian restaurant. Delicious Indian food all served to you in your own private booth with a curtain, to get the waiters attention press the button in your booth.  edit

Lark Lane

Lark Lane is about 2.5 miles to the south of the city center and is one of the better places to eat out. The road, which connects Aigburth Road with Sefton Park, is home to many unique restaurants, cafés and other shops. Some choice picks include:

• Green Days Cafe, 13 Lark Ln, ☎ +44 1517288259. Bills itself as The first choice cafe for veggies. It's true, there's little sign of meat in any of their wonderful snacks. It's a great place to catch lunch in a friendly atmosphere for veggies and non-veggies alike.  edit

• Negresco Sud Situated in the heart of Liverpool’s bohemian district, Negresco brings the soul of the stylish Cote d’azur to South Liverpool. Residing in the former public house, the Masonic, the Franco-Italian restaurant pays homage to Nice’s widely celebrated Negresco hotel. French classic cuisine is offered, including a range of tapas and moules Negresco. There is a sumptuous brunch menu. Negresco proffers gastronomic delights which work in harmony with its theatrical interior, featuring gilt chandeliers and black crows.

Drink

• The Old Post Office, School Lane. Friendly pub famous for its steak and mixed grill meals. Great for watching sports as there are three TVs including one big screen.  edit

For a good night out

There's a good selection of pubs, clubs and bars to suit a variety of music and atmospheric tastes. Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest nights, although many bars are busy with students throughout the week. Mathew Street and Concert Square with nearby Wood Street are the main two nocturnal focal points. There is a good mix of locals and students. It is best to dress smart for the majority of bars and clubs (such as "Society" and "Garlands"). Notable exceptions are places like Le Bateau, the Krazy house, the Caledonian and other places of a similar alternative style. Like any major UK city , it is pretty safe out at night. The local police have had a heavy presence on a Friday and Saturday night to combat any problems and are largely succeeding. It is pretty busy getting out of the city center at the end of a weekend (especially at the start of university term time - Sep/Oct). There are plenty of black hackney cabs which congregate at various taxi ranks. The Merseyrail system works until about midnight, whilst there are a series of dedicated night buses which run from the main bus stations, usually for a flat fare. All modes of transport tend to become very busy from around midnight.

• The Vines, Lime Street – A stylish club.

• The Cavern Club, Mathew Street – Famous home of the Beatles.

• The Cavern Pub, Mathew Street – Across the road from the Cavern Club, friendly atmosphere with live music every night.

• The Grapes, Mathew Street - The Beatles' favorite pub. They would drink here before and after their many gigs at the Cavern Club, and there is a corner of the pub dedicated to them. It even has a photo of them sitting down in seats that are still there today.

• Rubber Soul, Mathew Street – A Beatles-inspired bar.

• Abbey Road, Mathew Street – Another Beatles-inspired pub.

• Flanagan's Apple, Mathew Street – This one of the original Irish pubs, well before Irish pubs started popping up all over the country (and now all over the world). Flannagan's boasts great live music.

• Concert square is situated behind Bold Street, where you'll find a range of the trendier bars. Most bars are open until 2AM Mon.-Sat. They include Lloyd's, Walkabout, Modo and a minute away near Slater Street is Baa-Bar.

• Korova, 39-41 Fleet St (next door to Baa-Bar), ☎ 0151 709 7097 (fax: 0151 708 8751), [42]. Mon.-Sat. 11AM-late; Sun. 11AM-12:30AM. Part bar, part club, split between two floors. Upstairs there is the lush front area replete with orange leather booths and over-table televisions which usually stream the live action from downstairs. At the back is the kitchen, which during the day serves a range of freshly cooked meals. Downstairs the intimate gig venue has hosted some of the biggest names in music, as-well as being an important venue for local musicians. Korova also has free Wi-fi.  edit

• Babycream. Located on the Albert Dock.

• Circo [43] Located on the Albert Dock. Bar, cafe and steakhouse.

• GBar, Eberle Street – Popular gay-friendly club with two floors. Upstairs, 'The Church' offers funky house music from legendary DJ John Cotton. Lady Sian plays campy classics in the 'Love Lounge'. Downstairs 'The Bass-ment' pumps out quality vocal house music. Open Thur.-Mon. Costs between £5-£7 for non-members.

• The Krazy House, Wood Street – The club provides three floors. K1 with rock and metal, K2 with indie and K3 with Punk/R&B/Dance, all combined with constant cheap drinks. It attracts a crowd of skate punks, students and metal heads. You'll hear R&B and dance music on Thursday, punk and new wave on Friday and new metal on Saturday night.

• Le Bateau, Duke Street – The home of Liverpool's premier alternative club night, Liquidation every Saturday, which is also the city's longest running weekly club night spread across two floors. Plus Adult Books on Tuesdays, Shoot The Messenger on Wednesdays, Indication on Fridays. Cheap drinks every night, plus a Royal Rumble pinball table. Very friendly and popular with a mix of locals and students all year round.

• The Caledonian, Catharine Street – Underground, alternative music venue in a pub. DJs and live bands throughout the week. First Friday of every month is the infamous "It's Not Bangin", with classic dub reggae, soul and disco playing. Well worth a visit.

• Doctor Duncan's, St. Johns Lane – Large, friendly pub serving the locally brewed Cains beers.

• O'Neills, Wood Street – Part of the O'Neils chain but don't let that put you off. Its managed by two real Irish men who know what a real Irish bar means. Good beer, food and good music is always on hand here. You also might bump into a few Liverpool FC players drinking in the corner.

Comedy

Comedy nights are featured on Friday and Saturday at Baby Blue, a nice club on the exclusive Albert Dock, which is known as a celebrity hotspot. Check online [44] for more info and tickets.

Also for laughs, try Rawhide at the Royal Court Theater which showcases some of the best in regional and national comedy talent.

Every June or July there is a fortnight long *Liverpool Comedy Festival which takes place in venues across the city. One event not to be missed is the now legendary Drink up Stand up pub crawls which includes four pubs, four comedians, one compere (host) and a megaphone!

On the first Tuesday of the month the Fab Café on Hope Street hosts a comedy night with two or three local comics plus a compere.

Express Comedy, [45]. Based in Birkenhead across the river Mersey, Express Comedy has a stand-up comedy night called Laughter at the Lauries.

Real or Cask Ale

Cask conditioned ale is the traditional form of beer in the UK and is (with some modern microbrewery exceptions) unique internationally. In the 1970's, the larger brewers switched from cask ale to keg beer. Keg beer is essentially 'dead' beer with added CO₂ and NO₂ and is more economical as it lasts for years, rather than weeks in the case of cask. Unfortunately, its taste is often less complex and satisfying than the real ale counterparts. Thankfully, recent years have seen a revival in traditional cask ale, and the European Capital of Culture has been in the vanguard of its urban renaissance. So to help you sample some traditional British beer when in Liverpool, check the list below of a vast array of pubs, ranging from the traditional to the modern. Liverpool is home to the Cains brewery which produces a large selection of cask beers. For more information about cask ale, see the Wikipedia Article.

The best

• The Ship and Mitre, 138 Dale Street – Consistently voted one of the top cask ale pubs in Liverpool by the Merseyside branch of CAMRA. This pub plays host to a wide, and frequently changing, variety of guest ales. It also has a large selection of bottled foreign beers (though this selection pales slightly in comparison to that of other pubs in the area). Hot and cold food is served in the afternoons and evenings.

• Rigby's, Dale Street – This cask ale pub dates back to Lord Nelson and has recently been refurbished by the Isle of Mann Okell's Brewery (it being their first UK mainland pub). Good atmosphere. Busy on weekend nights and also does meals in the bar.

• Fly in the Loaf, Hardman Street – Also owned by Okell's. This pub was, until recently, a topless bar. It originally housed the Kirklands bakery. Today it arguably serves the finest quality and variety of cask ales in the city centre. The Fly in the Loaf has a good mix of students and local regulars. BIt includes bar meals and wide-screen televisions for football.

• The Philharmonic – Located on the corner of Hope Street and Hardman Street, this Tetley heritage pub is opposite the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. Formerly a gentleman's club, there are two small, snug rooms and a larger dining room to the back with leather sofas and an open fire. The gentlemens toilets are grade 1 listed and ladies may ask permission to view them at the bar. Excellent food served both from the bar and in the dining rooms upstairs. Usual cask beers include Timothy Taylor's Landlord, Caledonian Deuchars IPA and Tetley's.

• Dr. Duncan's, St John's Lane – This is the premier pub for the local Cains brewery. It has a fine reputation and consequently is full of middle-aged professional drinkers. The pub has the full range of Cains beers, including Dr. Duncan's IPA (which is harder to find among the Cains pubs). Rudimentary bar menu, but good busy atmosphere on the weekend.

• The Baltic Fleet, 33 Wapping, 0151 709 3116, [46]. Just over the road from the Albert Dock, this unique pub is a great place to escape from the glossy and expensive bars on the Albert Dock. Serving good food and real ale at great prices and with a friendly atmosphere. The basement houses Wapping Beers, a small brewery. Take the opportunity to taste one of their own beers as fresh as it comes.

• The Swan Inn, Wood St – Liverpool's only rocker/ metalhead pub, it actually has quite an eclectic mix of customers during the week, ranging from construction workers to businessmen, all side by side sharing pints. In the evenings and weekends, this gives way to the alternative/ rocker scene. Pub quiz every Thursday evening and a legendary jukebox. This pub is consistently regarded highly by the local CAMRA group, due to its dedication to quality and variety of ale.

• The Dispensary, Intersection of Renshaw and Leece Streets – Another of the local Cains brewery houses. Charming Victorian bar area. Usually has two rotating guest beers, plus a large selection of bottled beers and ciders.

• The Globe, 17 Cases Street (Tucked away, adjacent to Clayton Square shopping centre, opposite the Ranelagh Street entrance of Central Station) – A small, often cramped. This is a traditional Liverpool pub, with no-nonsense barmaids. Usually busy after 5PM and during the weekend, acting as a refuge for husbands abandoned by, or having escaped from, their shopping-mad spouses. Always a good variety of guests.

• Roscoe Head, 26 Roscoe Street.

• The Lion Tavern, 67 Moorefields. Excellent pub, particularly for cheeses!

• The Brewery Tap is attached to the Cains brewery and serves a large variety of ales, plus traditional pub fayre.

The Rest

• Wetherspoons, 1-2 Charlotte Row.

• The Welkin, Whitechapel. Another Wetherspoon pub.

• The Crown, 43 Lime St. Next to the station. Most likely the first pub you will see upon arriving in Liverpool.

• The Cambridge – Located at the corner of Cambridge Street and Mulberry Street. This pub is at the heart of the University of Liverpool and has a great atmosphere. It is very popular with students and lecturers alike. However its repertoire of cask is somewhat limited.

• Ye Cracke, 13 Rice St – This pub was a favourite haunt of John Lennon's uncle. Can get quite dodgy at night.

• The Pilgrim, Pilgrim Street – Located off Hardman Street, this pub serves the best breakfast in town, £4 for a king size feast. You also get to share the pub with stag parties and students wondering what happened the night before! Cracking jukebox as well. A classic!

• The Railway Hotel, 18 Tithebarn St. Over a hundred years old, this old Victorian pub has several original features, many of which would interest the historian as much as the beer lover. The tall ornate ceilings, wood panelling and traditional bar create an inviting and impressive atmosphere. Surrounded by stained glass windows, the lounge, snug and dining areas are well decorated. An open fireplace and displays of old prints add to the comfortable ambience.

• The Canarvon Castle, 5 Tarleton St. Established for about 200 years, this small and homely pub was named after Lord Carnarvon, who was responsible for opening Tutankhamoun's tomb. Situated in an unusual and easily overlooked spot, alongside Marks & Spencer's , the two rooms and bars are attractively upholstered in rich reds and greens. Packed full of collectors items - model cars, lorries, handcuffs and truncheons - it attracts a complete mixture of clientele from shoppers to lawyers. Serving quality real ales, the pub is also popular for its range of hot snacks including the well-loved Carnarvon toasties.

• The Augustus John, Peach St. This is an obligatory hang out for Liverpool's students. Like most student pubs, the bar area gets packed during September and October.

• Pig & Whistle, 12 Covent Garden. This pub has recently undergone a 'refurbishment' and been transformed into a rather fake looking pub.

• Everyman, 5-9 Hope St. Awarded "Best Cheap Eats" in 2008 for the third year running by The Observer. Large portioned three course meals available for less than £15.

• Peter Kavanagh's, 2-6 Egerton St. An unusual and old-world hideaway can be found just outside the city center. Built 150 years ago, this is one of the few pubs in the city to retain all of its original features. The walls are adorned with art deco murals painted in 1929 and the snugs are themed with various artefacts such as musical instruments and chamber pots. The friendly atmosphere makes this a favourite with artists, locals, travellers and musicians. George Melley, a famous jazz player is known to frequent this pub when visiting the city. If you're in for a tradional English breakfast, this pub serves great black pudding and all the fixings from noon to 4PM.

• Ma Boyles Oyster bar, 2 Tower Gardens Journalists from the local rag, suits closing deals and anyone else who reads the Guardian all flock for their daily dose of Guinness and corned beef toasties in this secluded pub in the business area of the city. As it only opens during the week, this is hardly a pre-club kind of bar and is much more likely to appeal to those who want some conversation or just to enjoy some good food and special guest beers. Set below street level, the high ceilings and terracotta walls create a relaxing ambiance with a separate dining area and a cosy drinking den. The much-acclaimed menu includes dishes such as hot lamb and mint sauce pitas, and of course the local delicacy of Scouse and red cabbage.

• Poste House, 23 Cumberland St. Most nights has a gay friendly bar serving cheap cocktails upstairs from the main pub.

• The Brookhouse Smithdown Rd. This was one of liverpools finist pubs back in the day and was a hangout of Liverpool bands of the late 80s such as the La's and Oasis. It's now most popular with students and is famous for its Liverpool Games when Dom Dottin and Mr. Constable lead the Liverpool chants and become the vocal cords of this old pub.

Sleep

There are a number of hotels in the city, ranging from budget guesthouses and lodges to 4 star international properties. Liverpool presently has no 5 star hotels although the Hope Street Hotel, a boutique hotel on Hope Street and easily Liverpool’s finest hotel, would certainly qualify if it wasn’t far too posh to bother with things like stars.

Budget

• International Inn, ☎ +44 151 709 8135, [47]. Cheap hostel accommodation near to town. Dormintory from £15.  edit

• The Embassie Hostel, ☎ +44 151 707 1089, [48]. This hostel features free coffee, tea, and toast (with jam and peanut butter). Very comfortable beds (dormitory style), and a great mix of international travellers to befriend. The hostel is managed by a very friendly staff, led by their wonderful boss and hostel proprietor, Kevin (who tells a boss Beatles story or two). Prices vary by season.  edit

• The Nightingale Lodge, 1 Princes Road, Liverpool, L8 1TG, ☎ +44 1229 432378 (nightingalelodge@magnusproperties.co.uk, fax: +44 151 708 8758), [49]. Cheap hostel accommodation near to town. Dormintory from £15.  edit

• Belvedere Hotel, 83 Mount Pleasant, City Centre, ☎ 0151 7092356. A true B&B ran by an old lady. Basic room. Shared toilet and shower. Price includes full english breakfast in the downstairs living room. Centrally located 2 minutes from Lime St. station. £25 single room.  edit

Mid range

• Premier Inn, Albert Dock, East Britannia Building, Albert Dock, Liverpool. L3 4AD (Situated just off the A5036. Follow the brown tourist signs for the 'Albert Dock' and the 'Beatles Story'. Once inside the dock, the hotel is situated in the middle of the Britannia Pavilion directly besides the Beatles Story.), ☎ +44 870 990 6432 (fax: +44 870 990 6433), [50]. checkin: 2pm; checkout: Noon. The hotel is located in orginal warehouse, has been well transformed and has the vaulted ceilings. While room allocation is mostly luck some rooms have classic views over the dock; others of the new Liverpool Arena. Early booking essential; cheap/discounted rooms now impossible to find because of the high demand/location. Ranked as top Liverpool hotel on Tripadvisor. No hotel parking - nearby at about £12/day. Around £66 per room per night. (53.399093335364185,-2.991650104522705) edit

• Radisson SAS, [51]. Probably the best large hotel in the city. The Hotel is located on the old St. Paul's Eye Hospital site in the business district of the city. A small part of the original building has been retained and incorporated into the hotel.  edit

• Marriott Liverpool City Center, [52]. Claims to be a 4 star property but is now a little tired. Located in the heart of the city. The Marriot is surrounded by the Queen's Square complex with its bars and restaurants.  edit

• Marriott Liverpool Airport (Marriott Liverpool South), [53]. A short drive from Liverpool John Lennon Airport, this makes fabulous use of its Grade II listed art deco building which was the old airport terminal and control tower. If you are looking to eat out of the hotel then Damon's is a restaurant on the same site which you will enjoy if you like American kitsch and microwaved food. Apart from that, there is a retail park with the typical fast food restaurants just a short walk from the hotel.  edit

• The Liner, Lord Nelson Street (Just next to Lime Street station), ☎ +44 151 709 7050 (reservations@theliner.co.uk, fax: +44 151 707 0352), [54]. A rather good hotel, well located, one minute walk from Lime Street station. £70 to £150.  edit

Splurge

• Hope Street Hotel, Hope Street, ☎ +44 151 705 2222, [55]. Regarded by some to be the best hotel in Liverpool. US Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice was a famous recent guest.  edit

• 62 Castle St (formerly the Trials Hotel), ☎ +44 151 702 7898, [56]. A stunning, modern and exclusive city center boutique hotel.  edit

• Feathers Hotel, Cater House, 113 Mount Pleasant, Liverpool L3 5TF, ☎ +44 151 709 2020 (fax: +44 151 708 8212), [57]. Located close to shops, restaurants and nightclubs. Adjacent to both universities and two cathedrals.  edit

Stay safe

Crime rates in Liverpool are low compared with most other large cities in the UK. [58] You are no more likely to be a victim here than most other European cities. However, as in other cities, you should observe a few simple precautions. Don't leave valuables on display in an unattended car, for example. Try to stay aware of your surroundings and be discreet with cash, expensive camera equipment, etc.

Contrary to what people from Manchester would have you believe, scousers are gregarious people, but there are still those who seek to take advantage. Be particularly aware of people who approach you in the street with stories of having lost their train fare home. These are typically begging techniques.

Stay on the beaten track at night and stick to the many themed pub and bars and avoid some of the larger dance clubs (these are more suited to streetwise locals or people who understand Liverpool culture well). Be prepared to wait for a taxi at night and don't be tempted to walk back to your hotel unless you are close by. Although Liverpool is a wonderfully friendly place, as with most major cities a slightly sinister side appears after hours.

Some of the City's districts are best avoided by tourists who are not familiar with the area, this is due to a high rise in gang violence in areas such as Page Moss, Croxteth, Norris Green, Kirkdale, Huyton, Roby, Longview, Whiston, Rainhill, Everton, Prescot and Toxteth.

Although prostitution is legal in the UK, solicitation is illegal and it is a fact of life in all major cities, Liverpool being no exception. The "Red Light" areas are as follows: around Netherfield Road North and the Shiel Road area of Kensington. Although quiet during the day, there is a lot of business at night and particularly on weekends. Women walking by themselves have been known to be approached by men looking for prostitutes and people in vehicles have been known to be approached by prostitutes looking for business.

Avoid football shirts, particularly Manchester United shirts, which worn in the wrong place makes you an easy target for abuse or worse, especially on match day.

A friendly manner, a polite smile, and a sense of humour go a long way in this city, but a sensible approach to travelling is, as always, advisable.

Get out

Manchester – Liverpool's affluent rival. Once the home of the industrial revolution, it has now swapped its chimneys for skyscrapers, and mill workers for urbanite accountants and designers. Well worth a visit and is easy to get to by train or coach/bus. Less than an hour away.

Birkenhead – Across the Mersey, Birkenhead has a football club called Tranmere Rovers. Although this club has always lived in the shadow of Everton and Liverpool, it has a long tradition and a great family atmosphere. Well worth a visit.

Port Sunlight - On the Wirral. It was built as a model village by Lord Lever and contains the Lady Lever Art Gallery, a marvelously eclectic collection of objects, similar to the Burrell Collection in Glasgow. Twenty minutes by train.

West Kirby - Also located on the Wirral, boasts a superb beach. There is also a 52 acre marine lake which has sailing and windsurfing. Thirty minutes by train (from all four downtown Liverpool stations, Wirral line, every 15/30min).

Chester - A beautiful historical city on the River Dee, which is famous for its Roman ruins and city walls. It is also the Gateway to North Wales and the delights of Llandudno and Snowdonia National Park. Forty minutes by Merseyrail.

Crosby - Just north of Liverpool with Anthony Gormley's Another Place famous sculptures on the beach.

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