I recently just spend a couple of days in Manchester back in late June. It is the second city on my trip after London. I have already shared the Virgin Train that we took from London. Manchester is only 2 hours from London. You could definitely do it as a day trip, especially in the Summer. Well it was a new city for me and in fact the second one after London. I am interested to see how this gloomy rainy wet Manchester is. Or perhaps how would it be like in another English city, will it be super different than London? I am just gonna take a little and share about the places that I have been to in Manchester. Hopefully you would like these spots that I recommend.
First up are the classic usual attractions that you definitely cannot miss in Manchester such as the grand neo gothic Town Hall as well as the accompanying Clock Tower. It is super impressive and tower over the city. I love how imposing it is. Perhaps the most impressive one in the city. It is also rather huge. I will recommend you to take one round around it. Perfect for little insta worthy pictures with its architecture.
The Manchester Central Library is almost just next door. This super round building is the main library in Manchester. It have a super cool exterior and perfect for photo here.
I love how airy it looks, the building is also built since 1930 but still super well maintained and clean. It also sits on St Peter Square, one of the main hub and an important public transport interchange. I certainly can’t speak for its interior since it just seems like a normal library. It is free to enter though!
While in the travelling life of Seeing The World In Steps, you certainly cannot go without some greens or grass. You will certainly see some parks being on my list of recommended things to do or go to in my reviews. I always love how amazing how parks are overseas, Manchester is no different, the Piccadilly Gardens is a must go. I was there on a bright and sunny friday afternoon. The park was packed since everyone wants the sun. I love to see how the kids and people run around the greens, lying down for a lazy afternoon or even some having some fun in the fountain. Sadly it does seem to be a little crowded for my liking. I would love to return one day when it is much quieter.
However it does seems that I lucked out with some Ben&Jerry free scoop day and there was free ice cream. It was awesome. Nearby are also some little markets with stalls. I love seeing the various vendors produce.
Manchester Cathedral is another place to go to while in town. Besides the town hall, I guess this must be the other tallest attractions in the city. I however think that it could be left at the very end of your list. It isn’t particular amazing or special. Perhaps since I have already seen numerous cathedral and churches in my life. Kinda the most boring one then!
Now, this is something that you can never never miss as well as my favourite attraction in the whole city. Historical manuscript? Library since 1900s? As well as a library that looks like something out of a Harry Potter scene. Hit me up! Furthermore it is also free to enter. What I am talking about is the John Rylands Library, a library from the 1900s. Heck, I don’t even know if my great grandfather was alive then. This place is super amazing. It is both a museum as well as a working actual library for researcher. On certain floors you can see their showcase as well as some super rare manuscript, behind panels of glass of course.
The highlight here is the Reading Room which is an absolute beauty. I would let pictures do the rest of the talking here. I took so many pictures here. Check them out. I just go to say that if I had a library like this back home, I am certain I would definitely get First Class Hons for my degree.
Castlefield, this is another of my favourite spot in the city. It is like an old district, full of canals, casual waterfront bars and green spaces. Simply walk by the neighbourhood and you will snaps tons of pictures. Most of the buildings here are in the red tile facade. Insta peeps would go crazy here. The warehouse are awesome for pictures. If I had the chance to live here, one of those retrofitted apartments in an old warehouse would definitely be on my list. It is now a hip and vibrant neighbourhood after regeneration.
The University of Manchester, is also one place that you can visit if you have time. It is located to the south of the city and a walk away. It might seems to be out of the blue but it is actually pretty nice to walk by, experiencing the student life and campus. I also luck out by coming on their open house, took a nap on one of their lawn as well.
Another place that you can check out is the area around the Corn Exchange as well as the National Football Museum, it is just at the back of the Cathedral. There are usually pretty packed and vibrant with the youth. The Corn Exchange is also a historical building but currently just used as a shopping and dining destination. For those who are craving some food from home like me, Manchester Chinatown is one of the largest in the world. There is a healthy community chinese in the city. You can certainly find all sort of chinese stuff here. From medicine, supermarkets to of course your boba and chinese food. I love how you can always get chinese food all over the world. If not there is also a pretty highly recommend german beer hall as well. Weirdly, the have one of the best cronuts in town!
And you definitely have to hunt down this random street stall called Porky Blinders. Their hotdog is one of the best that I had in the world. You can find a nicely grilled sausage on a soft bun, top with sauteed onions and peppers. Ask for more of the fried onions topping as well. Marvelous. Super delicious and it only cost 3.50 Pounds. You can usually find it parked right out the entrance of Arndale Centre off Cross St. Usually there until early evening.
I enjoyed my days in Manchester, it might not seems a particularly interesting place to visit other than the hardcore soccer fans. I love the vibes and never regret coming here. Cost of living and prices are also cheaper than in London. It is a perfect place to move to, you can certainly find everything here but without the crowd of London. Might not be pretty but lovable. In fact it is also in the middle of UK, making travel awesome as well. Next up, I will be sharing about my adventures in Edinburgh.
Seeing The World In Steps 