Manchester, UK questions

How early is your flight from Manchester?
There are trains from York to Manchester city centre (Manchester Piccadilly station) and to Manchester airport station every 30 minutes. Takes 1h45.
My recommendation, is to spend as much time as possible in York, then get a train direct to Manchester airport and spend the night at an airport hotel. Last train is 23:07 arrive 00:50, so no issue with getting a late train!

On the other hand, I'd spend less time in York in order to have a full day in Manchester. I like its significant regional art gallery, its big-city stores, and its science and technology museum, based on the city's manufacturing history and heaven for gearheads. Pubs range from working-man Irish to craft-beer enthusiasts. And lots of tantalizing curry.

I've stayed at the Ibis near Piccadilly station, a 10-minute walk, and taken the train to the airport, about a half-hour ride. The new light-rail streetcar runs to the airport too but is much slower.

Mariancones,
We are doing exactly as suggested from Chirs F above our our trip this July. We are maximizing our time in York, as Manchester is not on our itinerary this time. There are quite a few hotels right next to the airport and it has it's own train station. We picked the holiday Inn express due to price/proximity, but I haven't stayed yet, so I can't really comment on it's quality. If you do chose to see sights in Manchester, there are two main train stations, Victoria to the north and Piccadilly to the southwest. If you want to see the Shambles and cathedral, go to to Victoria. If you want to see Piccadilly Gardens and Chinatown, go to Piccadilly. I would Pick Victoria to see the Shambles but that's based upon my personal preference, yours my differ.
Good luck with the planning, and I hope you guys have a great trip to the UK!

I was in Glasgow, Manchester, and Liverpool a few years ago. I enjoyed my two days in Manchester, and with only one day you should find something there matching your interests.

Here's my trip report; you can just skip down to the Manchester sections: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/uk-trip-report-glasgow-manchester-liverpool-in-september-2016

Unless you have a very early flight, I'd stay in the center rather than at the airport. Within central Manchester, everything is walkable. And it's a pretty short train ride to the airport from the center.

I stayed at the Roomzzz (review in my trip report), but if that doesn't suit you, there's lots of other options at various prices, including reliable chains like Ibis and Premier Inn.

As for train stations, Manchester Piccadilly is the "main" one, but on arrival I got off at Manchester Oxford Road because it was a bit closer to my hotel.

There is plenty to see in Manchester, so have a few hours there. Trains from York run into Victoria or Piccadilly. The city centre is reasonably compact, so either station will be suitable. Piccadilly is more than double the size of Victoria, but is slightly further away from the main sites, but there’s only a 5 minute walk in it.

Everyone, thanks for all the great tips! Looking forward to our trip.

I’ve stayed at the Ibis Styles, the Novotel, and the Premier Inn Portland street. All were fine, I took Uber to the airport, it was about 35 minutes or so.

I particularly like the People’s History Museum (if your politics are left of centre), the Manchester Art Gallery, and the National Football Museum, if you’re a fan of the sport.