Often known as the “capital of the North” and the second city of the UK, Manchester is a commercial and cultural hub. It is a very populated city and the second largest urban zone in the United Kingdom. Manchester has a long and wonderful history beginning from the days of the Industrial Revolution. Today, Manchester is more of a common name being home to two premier league football clubs, Manchester United and Manchester City. Located in the North West region of the United Kingdom, Manchester is a city worth a couple of days visit, or to be used as a base for exploring Northern England and Northern Wales. The climate of Manchester is temperate maritime and thus almost always wet throughout the year.
This article will provide you with an overview of the places of interest in Manchester. There are a number of historical and cultural landmarks that are well worth a visit.
Castlefield, the University of Manchester, Manchester Cathedral, Manchester Town Hall, St. Anne’s Church are some of the places that remind one of the old days. The University of Manchester is the place where the first computer was built and radio astronomy pioneered, among many other such studies. Tours are free in most of these sites.
Among the many museums in Manchester, the Museum of Science and Industry in Castlefield is a must visit. Liverpool Road Station, the first ever railway station, is part of this museum. The Imperial War Museum North focuses on the people who were involved with the World War II, whether in factories or at battlefields. Other places of interest could be the Manchester Art Gallery, the Gallery of English Costume, People’s History Museum, Whiteworth Art Gallery and the Bridgewater Hall.
Manchester has a vibrant cosmopolitan side too. Manchester’s Chinatown is one such place. It is the place where you can find most of the east Asian restaurants catering Chinese and Japanese cuisine along with other goodies imported straight from China. The Curry Mile in Rusholme is a mile long stretch of Curry restaurants and sari and jewelery shops. There is also a Gay Village, as Manchester is one of the tolerant cities in Europe.
As mentioned earlier, the name of Manchester is known more today thanks to its world famous football clubs, the Manchester United and the Manchester City, the two major entries in the premier leagues. Sports enthusiasts can visit the Sportcity which was built to host the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Good news for sports lovers is that both the super clubs have dedicated stores selling their merchandise. Manchester United has a store at the Old Trafford Stadium while the Manchester City FC has a store at the Sportcity.
Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Korean, Greek are some of the cuisines one can taste at Manchester. Nightlife is vibrant and diverse in Manchester, and you can choose from a variety of drinking establishment. There are a number of dance clubs catering rock, indie and alternative music, and gay clubs as well.
