Manchester, also called Madchester (from the English mad – “mad”), over the past hundred years has become one of the largest cities in Britain. It is considered not only the second largest city in the United Kingdom, but also the center of Northern England. Although Manchester is a city with a very rich history, the main direction of its development has always been industry. The center is almost entirely lined with warehouses and manufactory buildings, entangled in a network of canals and old railway bridges.
It is quite natural that with the reduction in production, no one let such goodness go empty: fashionable bars are now open in the former workshops, designer stores are in the manufacturing warehouses, and nightclubs “settled” under the old bridges (the most popular: Paradise Factory, Via Fossa, Britons, Protection, Velvet).
Since Manchester is also famous for its educational institutions, there are always a lot of students here, so nightclubs are also popular. It is for the active nightlife that the city got its middle name – Madchester.
How to get there
According to Wholevehicles, the most reliable way to get to Manchester from Russia is by air travel to your destination. There are no direct flights from Russia to Manchester, but you can fly with a transfer in one of the European cities. Ticket prices fluctuate depending on the season, but in general it is cheaper to fly from Moscow via London, from St. Petersburg via Helsinki.
If you get by plane to London, and then go to Manchester by land, it will be cheaper, but only if you use buses or economy class cars on trains. Moving London – Manchester by train takes from two and a half to three hours, the cost of a round-trip ticket is from 90 – 150 EUR. The bus ride is even cheaper, but inconvenient – the journey will take about 5 hours. Buses leave from Victoria Coach Station. A round trip ticket will cost from 50 GBP.
Transportation
In Manchester, as in any major European center, there is a fairly developed transport infrastructure. Nevertheless, the city center is still worth exploring on foot: most of the sights are within walking distance from each other, and leisurely walks along the city streets will allow you to better see and remember the city architecture. You can plan your walks in advance online on special sites.
To travel long distances, you can use the bus. In addition to the regular buses, which cost £ 5 a day pass, Manchester has three routes with free municipal buses connecting all the main areas of the city. You can sit in them at almost all railway stations in Manchester, as well as in large parking lots.
If you are coming to Manchester by car, you should know that parking in the city center is quite expensive. We advise you to leave the car in the outskirts of the intercepting parking lots, next to the bus or tram stations.
Taxi in Manchester is much cheaper than in London: a trip within the city will cost you 10-20 GBP.
By the way, it is best to get around Manchester on a rented motorcycle – this allows you to maneuver in traffic jams during peak hours, in addition, there are plenty of free parking lots for motorcycles in the city.
Entertainment and attractions in Manchester
To admire the panorama of the city and decide which of the sights you need to pay attention to first of all, you can climb the Manchester Ferris wheel, which is in the Millennium quarter.
In the historical part of the city, it is worth visiting the cathedral – a cathedral with the widest facade in all of England and richly decorated choirs, and the town hall – a wonderful example of neo-Gothic architecture; University of Manchester – the beginning of the science of radio astronomy was laid here and the element vanadium was discovered; The John Rylands Public Library – here is a fragment of the oldest known Gospel – the Gospel of John, which was found in Alexandria and dates from the first half of the 2nd century AD. e.; St. Anne’s Church – located in a quiet, secluded corner of Manchester, weddings are often held here on Saturdays.
2 things to do in Manchester
- Taste the Chinese cuisine of the local Chinatown – a piece of East Asia right in the middle of Foggy Albion.
- During the night, go around all the most popular nightclubs in Manchester – Paradise Factory, Via Fossa, Britons, Protection, Velvet.
There are also a number of Manchester attractions that usually escape the attention of tourists: the oldest English-language library in Europe – Chetham, it is located next to the Urbis center and is the place where Friedrich Engels wrote his book The State of the Working Class of England; St. Mary’s Church near Albert Square – the oldest post-Reformation Catholic church in the country, dates back to 1794; Parsonage Gardens is a great place to walk, hidden from prying eyes, with free parking, views of the River Irwell and the futuristic Trinity Bridge, and much more.
Well, at the end of a culturally rich day, you can relax with a sense of accomplishment in one of the many pubs, bars or nightclubs of the city.
Chinatown
Manchester is also a multicultural center. Manchester’s Chinatown has been one of the largest in England since the 1970s, but in recent years its population has been declining due to the massive movement of business to the outskirts. Nevertheless, this is a real piece of Asia in the middle of Albion – in Manchester’s Chinatown you can find buildings of unique architecture, the Chinese Imperial Arch and most of all the East Asian restaurants in the city. In addition, at night, the neon signs of Chinatown serve as a good guide.
Manchester Museums
Fans of antiquity will be delighted with the Castlefield Archaeological Park with the ruins of the ancient Roman settlement of Mamucium and the Museum of Natural Sciences with the remains of dinosaurs. There is also a museum of science and industry, which has a lot of various expositions, including the railway one.
Fans of the elegant are recommended to see the expositions of the Whitworth Art Gallery and the City Art Gallery, as well as look into the Costume History Museum. It will also be difficult to pass by the modernist building of the Military Museum, whose architecture has earned many awards.
Other interesting museums include the Museum of Human History on Bridge Street (next to it are the Manchester Civil Records Centre, nicknamed by the locals as the “file cabinet”, and the peace dove statue, symbolizing Manchester’s abandonment of the nuclear industry); Museum of modern Manchester “Urbis”, which will soon be “converted” into the National Football Museum; Manchester Jewish Museum – Based in an old Spanish-Portuguese synagogue that was once the center of the Jewish quarter, the museum tells the story of Manchester’s large Jewish community.
