Manchester is one of Britain’s cultural, commercial and arts centers. If you are visiting the city or, better yet, moving in here for the first time, you might be anxious to go out and explore all the places and things that it has to offer to you. Leave the specs of your move in to the nice people from your Manchester man and van company, take your kids or partner and do it.
Manchester has enough attractions to keep you occupied for years to come, but you should start from somewhere, right? Our suggestion is to begin with the most popular tourist places and then move to specific areas that appeal to your interest. Pick up any of the places described below – they are truly worth it:
Castlefield is just to the west of Deansgate Station. It is a Urban Heritage Park and as such it is one of the best places to start your exploration of the city from. Check out the restored Roman Fort as well as the Bridgewater Canal, and enjoy the view of the beautifully preserved warehouses along it – now converted to other uses more suitable to the times we live in.- The museum of science and industry is another must. Not only the collection is rich and really interesting, making it the perfect place to go with your kids in order to sparkle their curiosity about the world, but it also has another benefit – the museum was built on the place of the oldest railway station in the world!
- Churches and cathedrals are traditionally considered to be among the major landmarks of every European city. Manchester has the Manchester Cathedral. A major portion of the cathedral was built in the 15th century, but there are many later addition to both its interior and exterior. The most interesting thing to see here definitely are the murals in the 1465 octagonal chapterhouse, where you can see Christ in dresses contemporary to the date of construction of the temple.
- On Albert Square you are going to find the Manchester Town Hall which is another major tourist attraction and landmark here. Built in 1877, the hall contains a rich art collection, consisting mostly of painting by Fort Madox Brown depicting scenes from the history of the city.
- While we are talking about art, Manchester Art Gallery is yet another facility that you should not miss at any cost. Pre-Raphaelites, Flemish masters of the 17th century, French impressionists and German painters are all well represented here. Education and aesthetic pleasure mix perfectly in the gallery, which makes it one of the most important public bodies for the spiritual life of the city.
- Manchester is a multi-cultural city. If you want to see this side of it in its best possible light – go to Chinatown. Living here is one of the largest Chinese communities in Britain and you will have the chance to see the practice of different crafts, shop at the local market or taste authentic Chinese cousin. What better end of a day of exploration than that?