Welcome to the industrial city that has now become stylish. Manchester is a playground for ideas, creative cuisine, odd stores, and vibrant street art. One simply does not waste a weekend in ‘Manny’.
Two days in Manchester will keep you occupied from the eccentric Northern Quarter to chic Spinningfields and old Castlefield. Apart from different areas to explore, there is great food, bags of history, and pleasant residents to make your stay pleasurable.
Below is a list of our recommended activities in Warehouse City, whether you’re visiting Manchester for the weekend or backpacking in England.
Take a Serene Cruise Over Manny Waters
Do you want to rekindle or discover your affection for your city? Embark on a boat excursion with Manchester River Cruises to experience the city’s famed vistas from a novel and unexpected vantage point.
Tours endure for 60-70 minutes, during which you will discover intriguing insights regarding the history of the Manchester Ship Canal and its vicinity while navigating past MediaCity, Old Trafford, Stephenson’s 1830 bridge, and the abandoned dry docks. Furthermore, United fans should know that they provide match-day transport to Old Trafford via boat, alleviating the inconvenience of parking and traffic.
Better yet, Manchester River Cruises has transformed into a distinctive gig venue for popular live music events in the evening. Local tribute performances bring the songs of renowned artists to life, including The Elvis Live, Swing & Rat Pack, Dolly, and Adele cruises, all of which frequently achieve sell-out status.
Discover Manchester’s Cultural Melting Pot: Galleries and Museums
The city’s premier museums and galleries are essential destinations. They showcase Manchester’s vibrant culture, which encompasses literary heritage, renowned football clubs, and modern Chinese art.
Key venues encompass:
- Manchester Museum
- The Residence of Elizabeth Gaskell
- The Lowry
- Manchester Art Gallery
- Museum of Science and Industry
- National Football Museum
- Pankhurst Centre
- ESEA Contemporary, and many more.
Best of all, this list features an excellent array of activities that won’t cost you a penny in Manchester.
Add Some Thrill to Your Nightlife: Manchester235
Manchester235 is a must-visit for everyone desiring an all-in-one facility with flair as one of the largest casinos in Manchester. No other Manchester city centre venue offers such a wide variety of entertainment options, including two restaurants, two bars (the Vega Lounge and the Icon VIP), gaming tables, and, more importantly, those casino thrills that allow us to make bank!
The entertainment gem in the crown is the Great Northern Complex on Deansgate, a premium Las Vegas-style gambling, dining, music, events, and drink destination that is visually spectacular and delivers on all fronts. On-site, you’ll find the modern British James Martin Manchester restaurant, a private events room, a poker lounge (hosting weekly tournaments) and gaming rooms or alternatively you can try this site for a bit of practice at the casino games before you delve into it. There is also a fantastic late-night cocktail bar called The Vega Lounge, where you can watch live sports and enjoy live entertainment every Saturday night.
Although the cocktail selection is excellent, the local mixologists are more than glad to customise any drink at practically any hour of the day if you want something a little different.
Theatre and Performance Arts Lovers Head to the Royal Exchange
Among the top theatres in the United Kingdom, Manchester hosts gutsy performance art and crowd-pleasers of musicals. Royal Exchange is the most well-known of the lot, producing a seductive blend of boldly modern works and greatly revised oldies.
Moreover, there is plenty more than Royal Exchange to get mired into. Try visiting HOME, the £25 million arts complex with a taste for high-quality fringe productions and boundary-smashing performance art, or Ancoats for the Hope Mill Theatre (known to create some outstanding musicals. If you enjoy comedy, witness neighbourhood favourites perform at Gullivers or learn about the upcoming generation of stand-ups at the Frog and Bucket.
Not convinced? The Royal Exchange architecture alone is enough reason to visit this epic entertainment venue!
Fun & Booze at Twenty Twenty Two
Twenty Twenty-Two is a Northern Quarter hotspot with a twist. It offers table tennis and other activities, but it also has the metro tiles, basement décor, and late-night excitement of other local pubs.
Though maybe more difficult to win, certain great cocktails make ping-pong even more enjoyable. Pool tables, darts, pinball, table football and interactive shuffleboards all abound. The value of games is really great. They are not the be-all-and-end-all; they are rather priced to make them a delightful add-on for your evening. Probably the best is to book ahead.
Funnily, the club’s hot vibe comes more from DJs and dancing than from overdoing it in table Tennis. Although beer pong would certainly lubricate it, though.
Fun, Fun, Fun, at Chaos Karts
Combining real-life racing with gaming, Chaos Karts positions you in the driving seat of an immersive augmented reality experience.
Though the circuits, power-ups, and arcade-style weapons are all virtual, the go-kart is real, and so are the other competitors. Who knew that pretending to be Super Mario is rather enjoyable?
Whether you know modern-day gaming or classic arcade games, you will get the gimmick. The racer with the most points at the finish wins. The tournament winner is the one who dominates the most races… simple!
Your surroundings are only projections. Hence, you may race practically anywhere—from Daytona Beach to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. A racing session lasts twenty minutes, and that is just track time. If you wish a lengthier double session, you can schedule one. It’s for 11s and above; all under-18s need an adult to accompany them.
Fill Your Belly in Ancoats
Nowadays, a canalside neighbourhood is quite much where one would like to live. However, visitors of Ancoats, both seasoned residents and visiting foodies, will love this erstwhile textile area with a sweep of a regeneration wand.
Ancoats was known as “Little Italy” in memory of the many Italian immigrants who came to settle here in the late 19th century, well long before it became a popular hangout for food-obsessed Brits living in large apartments with pricey doggies. Respect that legacy with great pizza at the original Rudy’s Neapolitan Pizza, which has been somewhat well-known since opening its doors in 2015 and is now widely distributed across the whole nation. Alternatively, if you want something hot, visit Viet Shack or Nam for broths worth swimming in, zingy papaya, noodles spiced with sriracha, and epic salads.
While not on the same scale as things to do in London, Manchester is a huge city and these are just a handful of options from a world of excellent food and dining that travellers can choose from!
