A visit to Manchester?

Karen,
We have recently been running this other thread about Manchester which will hopefully answer many of your questions-

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/manchester-yay-or-nay

A great restaurant in Manchester is Annie’s, we had a great meal there.

You won't find Manchester in Rick's books as it is not someplace his tours go. But that doesn't mean it isn't worth a visit. I happen to like the place and visit often.

Since we're not sure what you are interested in, skim this website and see if there are things you might be interested in seeing.

https://www.visitmanchester.com/

In case you're interested, Lonely Planet has deemed Manchester a "must visit" city for 2023

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/england/northwest-england/manchester

As Frank says Manchester is the only UK city listed in Lonely Planet’s hot list for 2023 and it’s well worthy of the accolade. In the mid 19th century it was the richest city in the world, although it does have some remains from Roman times. After a post industrial decline it is now booming with its city centre population risen from a few hundred to over 100,000 in recent years. There’s lots to see, far more than you could fit into a couple of days visit so you will need to be selective.

We have traveled quite a lot in the UK, the last time we did a four weeks drive tour of England and S. Wales.

I researched extensively for places to visit and excluded Manchester. Yes, there were a couple of interesting museums there, but COMPARED to other places in England, it just didn't merit a visit.

Here is what TripAdvisor included of things to do in Manchester.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g46152-Activities-Manchester_New_Hampshire.html

There are so many great places to see in England, COMPARE with other places. For example, York is amazing.

I think the link just above is for New Hampshire

Manchester has more than enough to see and do to keep one occupied for a couple of days, as mentioned already in this thread it is a really buzzy vibrant city as well as being relatively compact as wellas transport and pedestrian friendly.

Manchester, England has 4 times the population of Manchester, New Hampshire although they share a history of being textile cities.

I can't comment on the tourist potential of Manchester, NH, but don't know why geovagriffith didn't find much interesting about Manchester, England.

Everyone to their own interests.

A lot of other people, including most of the posters on this and the preceding referenced thread have the opposite opinion, that it is well worthy of your time.

It would be useful to narrow down your particular interests.

A lot of other people, including most of the posters on this and the preceding referenced thread have the opposite opinion, that it is well worthy of your time.

I agree . Im returning to The UK this coming September , and have booked five days in Manchester at the beginning of my trip

Here’s a list off the top of my head of places you could visit in Manchester:-
City Art Gallery
Whitworth Art Gallery
Lowry Centre
Imperial War Museum North
National Football Museum
People’s History Museum
Science & Industry Museum
John Ryland’s Library
Chetham’s Music School
Police Museum
Jewish Museum
Transport Museum
Factory International (opening in June)
Two world class football stadia and one for cricket
It’s far more interesting than the Cotswolds, which isn’t even anywhere near the best rural area to see in the UK.

Oh, and I forgot it’s probably the best place for music in the U.K., including London.

And the Manchester Museum on the University campus. Once of the most eclectic museums out there.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g187069-Activities-Manchester_Greater_Manchester_England.html

"Oh, and I forgot it’s probably the best place for music in the U.K., including London."

Hear hear. The Buzzcocks, New Order, Barclay James Harvest, The Mock Turtles. The Happy Monday, The Smiths the list that goes on and on and keeps giving.

Many thanks to all of you who have replied, and provided additional information, very helpful, thank you! Looks like I have some more research to do…. Kindest regards, Karen 😎

One thing which seems not to be mentioned much is the new RHS [Royal Horticultural Society] Garden at Bridgewater-https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/bridgewater

Anyone I know who has been is really impressed by the place.

You get a substantial discount on admission if you arrive on foot/bicycle/public transport. And they run a dedicated shuttle bus from Manchester Picc station and Salford Crescent station.

Manchester also now has an open top HoHo bus- tickets are £12 and valid for 2 days- I just happened to see it yesterday as I passed on my way out of the City on the Witch Way bus to Burnley and Skipton, as I didn't know it existed.-
https://www.sightseeingmanchester.com/

Something else which hasn't been mentioned above is the Castlefield Viaduct.
This is an old Railway Viaduct, now re-imagined as an Urban Park. It opened in August 2022, and is run by the National Trust until August 2024.
I have been there today and it is well worth a visit. One of the joys of a visit at this time of year is the blossom, and there is a walking guide at viaduct to 30 other city centre green areas where there is blossom to be seen- green spaces in the City Centre is probably not the first thing many people consider when Manchester is mentioned.
The viaduct is at the centre of the partly reconstructed Roman fort of Mamucium, at the junction of the Rivers Medlock and Irwell.
It became a transport hub in the 18th century with the construction of the Bridgewater and Rochdale Canals, and many historic structures relating to the Canals survive in the area, with the (free) Science and Industry Museum nearby. The Rochdale Canal flows through the City Centre, and is best known for Canal Street- the centre of Manchester's gay village.
It is a very interesting area of the city to visit.

I was in Manchester for a night only last week , but it’s not my first trip there.
This is a city which has moved on from its textile mill past. There are brand new skyscrapers in town, plenty of bars and the place seems to be on its way to becoming a regional business center of some importance.
However there is nothing of great importance to see. The city hall is the only building in town of true architectural importance and it’s completely covered in scaffolding at the moment. There are a few museums , but honestly, aside from working, shopping and bar hopping there isn’t much to make a stop in Manchester memorable.
There is a reason why Rick doesn’t go there on tour.

Nothing of any great importance to see there? Did you read through the thread?
You obviously can’t compare great international cities like Manchester to rural areas like the Cotswolds and smaller older cities like Bath and Oxford but to have a guide book to England that simply doesn’t include Manchester is absurd.