Manchester is famous as a vibrant area, great for students and young people.

 

Highlights

 

• The Lowry – An arts complex for performance and visual arts, named after Manchester artist LS Lowry. Open: The Lowry Gallery is open Sunday – Friday, 11am-5pm Saturday, 10am - 5pm. Performances are at varying times. Entry Fee: The gallery is free, performances have varying charges.

 

• Manchester Art Gallery – A great family friendly art gallery Open: Monday - Sunday 10am - 5pm, including bank holiday Mondays Late night opening on Thursday until 9pm. Entry Fee: Free

 

• Manchester Museum – A big, family friendly regional museum with both permanent and regularly changing temporary exhibits. Open: Daily: 10am-5pm Entry Fee: Free

 

• The Northern Quarter – an excellent area for shopping. Open: 9am- Late. Entry: Free, but bring spending money!

 

• Alexandra Park – A large Victorian park. Open: Dawn to Dusk. Entry: Free

 

• Canal St – Excellent area for gay nightlife. Open: from the evening until the small hours. Entry: Varies between venues.

 

Description

 

Manchester is quickly stepping out of its reputation as a gloomy industrial city and regenerating itself as a lively, inclusive area. There are several art galleries and museums, each worth a day’s visit in themselves. The Lowry is a new venue with two stages, showing all kinds of performance including ballet, theatre, comedy, burlesque and opera. They have a permanent, free, exhibition of the works of LS Lowry, and changing exhibitions of local and national artists.

 

You can also visit Manchester Art Gallery. Especially renowned for its 19th Century paintings, it has a good selection of famous Pre-Raphaelite paintings, as well as other works. Manchester Museum was founded as a Natural History museum, and though it now has a wide collection of artefacts, it still features an impressive T Rex skeleton. It also has one of the UK’s biggest collections of material relating to ancient Egypt.

 

For shopping, we recommend visiting The Northern Quarter, full of High Street as well as more quirky shops. It also houses the lovely Manchester Craft and Design Centre, housed in a former Victorian fish market. You can see artists and craftspeople at work and buy their work.

 

If it’s time to relax, Manchester has several parks, one of the largest of which is Alexandra Park.

Rested and ready to party? Head to Canal St, a street full of LGBT bars, cafés and clubs. Welcoming to all comers, this mini Soho is an excellent way to spend a night.