First day in the UK - Manchester & Tea

If everything goes according to schedule I would expect that you would be in the city centre at more like 9am than 11am.

How long have you got in Manchester? There are a wealth of attractions that you could visit in central Manchester. There were a couple of posts a few months ago that detailed many of them and I'll see if I can find them.

Here are a couple of links:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/a-visit-to-manchester

and if you wade through some of this, there may be ideas.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/manchester-motel-one-or-ibis-budget-picadilly

TexastravelMum has beaten me to it. Reading the next to last comment I'm still gobsmacked. For one example Britain's oldest library isn't worth seeing?

On tea I assume that you mean afternoon tea? There will be places across the city where it's available from say 2pm. The classic place would be the Midland Hotel, (where Mr Rolls met Mr Royce), has a dedicated room.

The list in the link provided by TexasTravelMom was just what I was looking for. My research had not turned up the Imperial War Museum North. I am a big Imperial War Museum fan!

Thanks

John, I LOVED the John Rylands Library. All I can say is it was a one post poster who said “nothin worth seeing”…..

Now I may have to add the hotel to my next time list…..

Somewhere rather special for afternoon Tea would be the Plaza Cafe at the Stockport Plaza- the wonderfully restored Art Deco Super Cinema and Variety Theatre. Note that Afternoon Tea is served early as the Cafe closes at 3pm.

Easily accessible by bus and train from Manchester. If you were late landing only 15 minutes by the express bus #199 towards Buxton.

Stockport was a big Hat Making Town and there is a museum to that. There is also the Air Raid Shelters to visit , Stockport Victorian Market, the Town Museum, and the Staircase House., also the War Memorial Art Gallery and the nearby timber framed Tudor Mansion of Bramall Hall,

So plenty to choose from there as well as just afternoon tea.

Stockport is one of the less well known parts of Manchester, at least to the foreign tourist.

TexasTravelMum - and, wonderful though it is, it isn’t Britain’s oldest library! That’s the library at Chetham’s Music School.

Agh, John, and I missed it! I just now looked at pictures. Now I have to come back…..

If Liverpool is on your itinerary, you should consider visiting the Western Approaches Museum there. It's somewhat reminiscent of the war rooms section of London's Churchill War Rooms.