Manchester Vacations, Manchester Vacation Reviews, Tourism Guide

Manchester Vacation Guide

A city best known for its football teams Manchester United - who hold the unlikely claim to fame of being both the most supported and most hated team in England – and the up and coming billionaires across the street, Manchester City. It’s true, football is – and for decades has been – a key part of life in Manchester, but getting to a game can be a little like winning the lottery: the pre-planning and expenses necessary are mind-blowing. Fortunately, Manchester has plenty more to offer, too.

If Manchester has a second claim to fame, it’s music. Having spawned an entire ‘Madchester’ Brit-pop scene in the early 90s (think Oasis, The Stone Roses and Inspiral Carpets), the nightlife may have died down a bit these days, but it’s still the envy of most other British cities. As for culture, exploring the city centre museums is the way to go, with ‘the art of Star Wars exhibition and a newly founded Manchester Urban Culture Trail – an insightful self guided tour – up for grabs.

In many ways, Manchester is a typical British city. Once at the heart of industrialization, it’s a rough round the edges, honest kind of place which grew from little more than a village in the mid 18th century to the uber city it is now, largely off the back of cotton production. You can still trace the city’s routes down the Manchester Ship Canal, and uncover still more at the Museum of Science and Industry, where you’ll find the oldest passenger railway buildings in the world and a host of other impressive, industry focused relics. Head outside the town and you can even enjoy the steam railway experience for yourself, chugging through the countryside on the East Lancashire Railway.

It’s easy to dismiss Manchester in favor of the more traditional English tourist attractions found in cities like London, Oxford, York and Durham. With such an important role to play in Britain’s past, though, and a sporting present the envy of even London, there are ample reasons to drop in, too.