Discover Manchester
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The UK’s former industrial hub – best known for its musical exports and sports stars – has grit and grandness in equal degree.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a Mancunian who isn’t fiercely proud of their hometown, which gave birth to socialism, the Suffragettes, rock bands, rave culture and one of the UK’s most active LGBT+ scenes – not to mention two world-renowned football teams whose matches at Old Trafford cause chants to ricochet across the city. Here’s our guide to the best things to do in Manchester.

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Things to do in Manchester

Take a trip to the Lake District

It takes less than an hour and a half by car to swap out the urban maze of Manchester for the grassy moors, pretty hills, rivers and valleys of the Lake District. With some of the UK’s highest peaks and deepest lakes, it’s definitely a place for the active traveller. But you’ll just as easily enjoy wandering around the picture-perfect Cumbrian villages or trips to stately homes like Askham Hall in Penrith or Howthwaite in Grasmere.

Explore the Northern Quarter

The Northern Quarter retains the creative spirit that made it a bohemian enclave in the ’90s, but it has also set aside its red-light district past. Longstanding pubs and record shops thrive on the cobbled streets between hipster coffee shops, restaurants and boutiques – new and old Manchester sitting side-by-side.

Check out a live gig

Manchester gave the world everyone from the Hollies and the Bee Gees to Joy Division, New Order and the Smiths. In the “Madchester” days of the late ’80s and ’90s, indie music fused with rave culture at Haçienda, later giving way to the rise of Britpop. Catching a gig tops the list of things to do in Manchester, and you’ll still find shows at the iconic Albert Hall, The Ritz and Band On The Wall, among a plethora of newer DIY spaces.

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