Manchester was the first city I visited in UK. Since there is no direct flight from Moscow to Leeds (the city where I went to learn English at the CES language school) I bought a ticket to Manchester and decided to explore this city within one day.
Manchester has a well-developed trams network, and upon my arrival at Manchester Airport I immediately bought a tram ticket for the weekend for £ 6.20. Weekend tram ticket provides an unlimited number of trips from Friday evening to Sunday evening. I recommend buying it, as it allows you to go around all the attractions of the city, including the famous stadiums.
It took me about an hour to get from the airport to the city center by tram. You can buy a ticket at a vending machine using a card or cash.
What to see in Manchester
An industrial city in the past, Manchester now is a tourist center. It is the location, where you can plunge into the deep, authentic British atmosphere.
Despite the fact that Manchester is not a very big city, there are many interesting places to visit. And the first thing, that grabbed my attentions was, of course, absolutely charming English cabs.
Manchester attractions
I started my morning in the square in front of Manchester Town Hall. This is a perfect place to admire the architecture of the city. And then, you can turn into the most beautiful street of Manchester - Princess Street.
I didn't have any specific plan for seeing all the landmarks, so I just walked around the city with a map, enjoying its architecture and typical British houses.
I really recommend looking at the wonderful John Rylands Library with its Victorian architecture of the Neo-Gothic style.
And after that, walk to the 47-storey Beetham Tower-Manchester Art Gallery- that displays, beside the world-famous masterpieces, the paintings related to Manchester as well.
The entrance to the gallery is absolutely free.
Moses Gate Country Park is also a major attraction of the city. Here you can fully feel the magnificent nature that is, perhaps, one of the uniqueness of England – bright green trees, a still lake and gloomy, but friendly sky. Manchester is also famous for its fussy but very vibrant Chinatown.
By the way, the information how I find the cheapest prices for the best hotels is here.
Football is a special highlight of Manchester. The National Football Museum founded in 2001 is located right in the heart of the city.
The entrance to the museum is free. You can see personal belongings of players, a huge collection of cups and medals and watch the records of football matches with commentators.
There is also a gift shop, a cafe, and plenty of entertainment games located on the different floors working with tokens.
You can also take a photo with the Premier League Trophy for an additional fee (£6).
Of course, it is also worth seeing the artifacts of the world football - the Old Trafford and Etihad stadiums, where you will be imbued with the spirit of the great Mancunians.
These locations are very important attraction for the fans of Man City and Manchester United, but even if you are not a football lover, you will feel the uniqueness of visiting the Old Trafford and Etihad stadiums.
During football holidays, the Etihad Stadium is turning into a major Britain's music venue. Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Rod Stewart, Muse, Coldplay, Bon Jovi and many other legendary musicians have performed here.
I should specially mention the cafes and confectioneries of Manchester as well.
CafeNorth is one of the coziest places in Manchester. Magnificent summer terraces, friendly waiters and ... of course, delicious desserts from the kitchen, for example, the pancakes of a very special recipe- with cream, strawberries and blueberries – something really amazing.
I really admired very balanced taste of the dishes at Linda's Pantry, including their signature dish - vegetables stewed with mushrooms. Its unique taste was something incredible, but the Chef, having given me a nice smile, has not revealed the recipe upon my request.
