Overview to Manchester: Travel Guide and Tourist Information

  Manchester's Canals

It’s official: Manchester has revolutionized itself! Following years of industrial grime and the odd bout of gangland violence, it was zealously redeveloped for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. And today, with just a little artistic licence, you could say that Manchester was England’s answer to Barcelona.

The focal point of the city is Albert Square, a car-free plaza dotted with fountains outside the splendid Neo-Gothic Town Hall. In the immediate vicinity you’ll also find the Tourist Information point, and the Manchester Art Gallery on Princess Street.

You could almost draw a line from North to South through Albert Square, dissecting the city in two. On the western side lies Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium – the famed ‘Theatre of Dreams‘; on the Eastern side, a veritable barrage of things to do.

Heading north from the square towards the fabulously modern Urbis you pass the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester Cathedral and the (frankly massive) Arndale Shopping Centre. Once there, you’re only a short step away from the bohemian Northern Quarter.

To the east of the city center is the city’s Chinatown and the green of Piccadilly Gardens. In the same region, the thriving Manchester gay scene congregates in the Gay Village around Chorlton Street and Canal Street. Regardless of orientation, it’s one of the hubs of Manchester nightlife.

And some nightlife it is, too! Mancunians have long been known affectionately for their sense of fun and their outgoing nature. And with a cutting-edge urban landscape that now matches this sense of vibrancy, Manchester has become a truly welcoming and hip place to be.

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