From music to football to architecture to theatre, Manchester’s tourism one of its kind from a cultural standpoint. With art galleries that have adorned the city from time immemorial the city’s abundant with the likes of the Whitworth Gallery, the Loury, the Standford Museum, the Artzu Gallery and more. In the sports arena, the city’s renowned across the globe for its internationally acclaimed football clubs, the Manchester City Football Club and the Manchester United, with stadiums packed to the brim during home games. In the musical realm, Manchester’s contributed its fair share with popular bands like the Blue Orchids, the Chameleons, The Bee Gees, Elbow and many more! Here’s a travel guide to help you find your way around the city and make the most of your visit.

By Air:

If you’re planning to fly from New Delhi, you can fly to Manchester or explore other routes via Leeds Bradford, Birmingham, London Heathrow or Durham, depending on the duration of the travel and airfares. One of the best ways to reach here is to fly from New Delhi to Manchester by your choice of the airline operating on that sector at an estimated fare of INR 24,000-43,000. It takes roughly 13.45 hours to reach Manchester by air.

By Train:

On arrival at Manchester airport, you can take a train to Manchester Piccadilly. There’s a train every 10minutes for Manchester Piccadilly and will have you there in 15minutes. At an estimated fare of INR 320 to 500, you can board a TransPennine Express or Northern Train. From Leeds Train Station, there’s a train for Piccadilly every 30minutes, while from Birmingham International, a train leaves every hour.

By Road:

The road journey to Manchester from Leeds on a bus takes about an hour and a few minutes, while from Birmingham you can reach the city in roughly 2 hours depending on the traffic en route. There are approx. 25 buses a day, operated by National Express on this route. From Durham, a bus ride takes 2 hours & 15 minutes to Manchester Victoria Terminal.

Getting Around:

The city of Manchester is comparatively small and hence is best explored walking. There is TFGM, which operates the official city public transport with free bus rides within the city that a hop-on & hop-off service and is connected with almost all major shopping areas and business complexes and a commercial bus service to help getting out and about Greater Manchester. There are frequent tram services and inter-city train connections as well to help you get around the city.

Spring (March-May):

Manchester’s relatively cold during March through May with temperature ranging between 9°C and 16°C.  With rainfall occurrences of 4 to 11 days each month, spring season sees less incoming tourist traffic, giving way to pocket-friendly accommodation and travel deals.

Summer (June-August):

Summers in Manchester is the best time of the year to visit the city with comfortable temperatures and rainfall for 4-9 days in a month, making it the busiest time of the year for tourism.

Fall (September-November):

September through November experiences temperatures oscillating between 8°C-19°C and is relatively chilly given the humidity and wind level and a fair amount of rainfall that occurs for 5-11 days each month. This is also the second busiest time of the year for Manchester tourism.

Winter (December-February):

Winters are very cold in Manchester and not really opportune for warm weather enthusiasts. With temperatures between 11°C to 5°C and rain or snowfall of 8-13 days a month, December through February sees slowed down tourism in the city.

The city of Manchester is a bustling town with its share of adventures, walking trails, exciting sports, cooking class, tranquil spas and more. With a variety of live entertainment events through the year, there’s plenty and more to choose from when you’re on the lookout for genre-defining music venues, cutting edge night clubs or high-end cinema halls or casinos.

Boat Tours:

There are varied guided boat tours and cruises in the city of Manchester which will take you around the inland waterways, with sightseeing tours of the villages, historic locations and scenic wonders aboard its luxurious and popular ships/ boats. Few such tours include city centre cruises aboard the LS Lowry through the channels of Manchester & Salford, the canal cruise onboard the world-renowned Mersy Ferry, an evening cruise with incredible views of Liverpool’s World Heritage waterfront as labeled by UNESCO and more.

Popular Attractions:

There is a wide range of attractions for adults and children alike in Manchester, most of which are open to visitors free of charge and include different art galleries and museums like the Manchester Museum, Manchester Art Gallery, Imperial War Museum North, National Football Museum and the People’s History Museum. Experience a different culture at the Lowry, Salford Quays with three remarkable galleries and theatres or the Knowsley Safari Park for an adventurous drive. Witness the action-packed world of Football at Manchester United or Manchester City Stadium or indulge in world-class cricket viewing live at the Emirates Old Trafford.

Entertainment & Adventures Galore:

Greater Manchester’s abundant with family-centric activities with a number of things the kids can enjoy too or indulge in outdoor activities at some of the best parks and gardens in the city, with a variety of stately homes to view. From breathing in the ancient past and cultural heritage of Greater Manchester to experiencing the unique with indoor sky diving or traveling back in time at the Old Stockport Air Raid Shelter, to enjoying a drink or two through a guided tour or the brewery, there’s plenty to do for both solo and group travellers.

From fine dining options to afternoon tea cafes, from pop up markets to some amazing street food, Manchester’s resplendent with options to suit any palette and caters to all kinds of cuisines that most travelers revel in. With a thriving food and drink scene, there’s a huge variety of gastropubs, restaurants, bars and microbreweries that have helped establish Manchester as one of UK’s most exciting destinations in the realm of food and drinks. Explore the likes of the Pilcrow at Sadler’s Yard or the Corn Exchange for a contemporary food experience, the local produce at the city’s independent & quaint coffee shops or go for a vegan/vegetarian cuisine, exploring varied cafes and delis, spoiling you for binge-worthy meals and bites!

Rudy’s Pizza is an independent Neopolitan pizzeria that follows passionately the traditions of pizza making from Naples in a warm restaurant environment in the heart of Ancoats. While, the Mackie Mayor is an 1858 grade II listed market building at the edge of the city’s Northern Quarter with an assortment of restaurants under its roof, namely Jack in the Box, Reserve Wines, Baohouse, Wolf House Coffee, Tender Cow and more. For the Indian foodies, find a home away from home at Dishoom that covers popular Bombay delicacies and choicest Iranian dishes for all meals of the day.

Shopping in Manchester is popular world-wide and shopping complexes like the Manchester Arndale or Intu Trafford Centre, in addition to high street options like the Market Street or the Exchange Square offer an unmatched selection of both British and International brands. From popular departmental stores of Selfridges, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Debenhams to boutique areas around the King Street, New Cathedral Street or Spinningfields, you’ll get plenty to choose from for designer stuff.

Manchester’s alternative and creative side does justice to several record shops, cafes, vintage stores, bars and restaurants. You can find drool-worthy deals and a huge range of designer brands also at Cheshire Oak’s designer outlet with over a quarter-million sq.ft of space for retail with over 145 boutiques, the Jewelry Quarter for some exclusive and vintage/contemporary jewelry pieces for you and your loved ones.