Manchester is a city that can offer a lot of weekend activities for tourists. Historical buildings, entertainment centres, and picturesque areas are waiting for you! Enjoy our list of top places to visit for a perfect weekend in Manchester!
Manchester Art Gallery
It’s a perfect place for art lovers. Manchester Art Gallery is situated in the centre of the city, right on Mosley Street. The complex consists of three linked buildings, and the designer of the two of them was Sir Charles Barry. The institution is controlled by the department of Manchester City Council. The collection of the gallery reaches approximately 25,000 exhibits.
Visitors can enter Manchester Art Gallery for free. The collection has:
- 2,000 oil paintings;
- 90 miniatures;
- 3,000 watercolours;
- 250 sculpture;
- 3,000 decorative art exhibitions.
The road from the Manchester Airport takes about 24 minutes by car. It’s one of the fastest ways to get to the gallery. If you take friends with you, book a 9-seater car hire in Manchester.
Manchester Cathedral
Breathtaking Gothic building in the centre of Manchester. The roof of the cathedral is adorned with angels, holding gilded medieval instruments, such as psaltery, lute, harp, Scots pipes, and more. The building is rich in beautiful stained-glass windows, like Hope Window, which was designed by Alan Davis. In 2021 Manchester Cathedral celebrated its 600th anniversary.
The opening hours are 9.30 – 4.00 p.m. from Monday to Saturday, and 12 p.m. – 4.00 p.m. on Sundays. Visitors can enter freely. Photography via mobile phone or digital camera is allowed under £1 charge.
The Albert Square
Beautiful square in the central part of Manchester. The eastern part transformed into a pedestrian zone in 1987, when the design was changed. The square is known for the great number of old historical buildings. In winter the area is occupied by the Manchester Christmas Market, while in summer there are lots of events and festivals.
Albert Square is popular for sightseeing. Turn on the self-guided audio tour and watch the fantastic buildings nearby. You will be able to see Manchester Town Hall, People’s History Museum, St. Mary’s The Hidden Gem, and more!
Castlefield
The neighbourhood is well known for its green surroundings in summer and a great number of canals. It’s a calm district that is full of old waterfront buildings, depicting the history of the area beginning from Roman times.
Castlefield attracts people for the opportunity to have a relaxing, lazy weekend. Bar and restaurants become extremely popular during summer. You can spend a lot of time outdoors in the drinking areas and participate in a huge number of musical concerts and festivals.
The road from Manchester Airport takes 2 hours by foot and 20 minutes by car. If you travel with your family and need to take a lot of luggage with you, then try minibus hire in Manchester. In Castlefield, you will be able to stay in one of the local hotels.
The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience
Interested in team challenges? Try yourself in the Crystal Maze LIVE Experience! Named after the famous British show, it allows you to feel the atmosphere of the game. It was opened in 2017 in Manchester.
There are 4 adventure zones, such as Aztec, Industrial, Futuristic and Mediaeval. They are located in two zones where two teams go through the pack of challenges. The main aim is to collect more gold tokens than the opposite team. The commands do not compete and do not meet during the game.
The team consists of 8 members. If you want to participate in one command together with your friends, then you should take 7 people with you. With this number of people, it might be problematic to get there, but with 9-seater van hire in Manchester, you won’t need to rely on public transport.
Shopping areas
Interested in shopping during the weekend? Visit Manchester Arndale or the Trafford Centre, where you can find a great variety of products from famous brands. There are a number of boutique areas such as Spinningfields and King Street. If you want to buy jewellery, ceramics, or glass, visit Manchester Craft and Design Centre. For the souvenirs of the Manchester Bee, you can go to Manchester Shop on Oldham Street.
People’s History Museum
Discover the history of labour in one of the best museums in Manchester. Located on the Left Bank, this institution uncovers the details of people’s lives over the past 200 years. The main aim of the museum is to collect, conserve and research the information and material about the radicals, trade unionism, the cooperative movement, etc.
The collection of the People’s History Museum includes a number of photographs of people resting, working, or playing. There is a collection of election posters, that reaches an approximate number of 2,000 pieces. You can find 300 cartoons connected to politics. The other attraction is a lot of material about British labour, such as the archives of the cooperative movement.
The road from the airport takes about 25 minutes if you book a 9-seater hire in Manchester.
Sackville Gardens
If you want to have a walk in a beautiful park zone, then visit Sackville Gardens. This is a public place, located near one of the Manchester College’s campuses. There are lots of flower beds and green lawns. Some historical monuments are situated within the area of the park, such as the Turing memorial and Beacon of Hope.
Visit this area if you are tired of noisy urban life. You can come here to participate in one of the Free Manchester Walking Tours.
