Manchester Travel Guide

Manchester happily mixes traditional hotels with contemporary boutiques. The Principal, the city’s latest addition, sees the infamous Palace Hotel transformed into a luxury residence. With its iconic Victorian clock tower, The Principal is a city centre landmark and was built as the Refuge Assurance Building in 1895. The multimillion-pound refurbishment retains and retells the building’s history.

The Midland, housed in a beautiful Edwardian Baroque Grade II listed building, is one of the city’s most iconic residences. Its location near the Town Hall is perfect for weekend stays.

If a more unusual rest is up your strasse, and why wouldn’t it be, the city has plenty to offer. The Great John Street Hotel, an eclectic townhouse occupying an old Victorian school, is one of the finest hotels in the UK with luxury rooms, stylish lounges, and an Oyster bar.

Hotel Gotham is the latest boutique opening, offering unashamed opulence in the city centre. In an imposing Art Deco building on King Street, designed by ‘Architect of the British Empire’ Edwin Luytens, its dramatic suites and OTT approach to interior design rival the world’s most unique hotels.

Alternatively, try the Lowry just over the river in Salford. This five-star behemoth has welcomed presidents and pop stars since it opened in 2001.

Major galleries dominate the city’s art scene. The publicly owned Manchester Art Gallery combines Renaissance oil paintings, a large number of works by L.S. Lowry (one of Manchester’s most famous residents) and a rolling programme of contemporary art. Recent highlights have included shows by Joana Vasconcelos and Grayson Perry, alongside exhibitions about interior design and Italian fashion. The Whitworth, relaunched this year with a £15m extension, won Museum of the Year in 2015 and houses a vast collection of modern art and sculpture, from notable figures such as Moore, Hepworth, Paolozzi, Hamilton, Bacon, Hockney and many more. For a more intimate experience, try Artzu for sculpture and paintings, or the Richard Goodall Gallery for graphic prints.

One of the most buzzing Manchester points of interest is the Northern Quarter. It is the city’s creative hub, and the result of regeneration throughout the nineties. This locale is a hotbed of eclectic shops, inspired menswear stores, endless places to imbibe and a host of world cuisine. Oi Polloi is a must; the city’s best menswear stockist offers brands from Europe including Our Legacy and A Kind of Guise. Stock up on a Stutterheim rain jacket, perfect for Manchester’s notoriously inclement weather. The Northern Quarter is also a Mecca for music and it boasts numerous record shops, including the world famous Piccadilly Records, where you can find rare funk and soul vinyl. Various design shops offer a world of interior objects: we like Fred Aldous for Nathalie du Pasquier prints and Magma for rare magazines.

It’s tough deciding where to eat and drink in the Northern Quarter; the options are endless. Walrus’ decadent interior and exciting cocktail menu is a good place to start, the Koffee Pot serves heaven-scent British fry-ups, Home Sweet Home boasts being ‘the bestest little cake shop on the planet’ and 63 Degrees, a French brasserie, never disappoints. PLY is always top of the list, too; its pizzas are heavenly and its vast industrial interior is one of the city’s nicest places to relax.

Canal Street, Manchester’s equality epicentre, has suffered in recent years from on an onslaught of stag and hen dos and pissed-up partygoers, but things are set to change as the venues tidy themselves up. Velvet, at the North end of the street, is one of the better venues, with funk and disco nights at weekends. The Molly House offers a range of craft beers and an intimate outdoor terrace. If the previous recommendations haven’t stimulated a thirst, there are plenty of other options for late night drinking. Volta in the suburb of Didsbury has long been a Manchester stalwart and its latest venture – The Refuge by Volta, housed in the aforementioned Principal Hotel, is the city’s central hotspot.

The Alchemist has a cocktail list as long as your arm. Albert’s Schloss, the city’s latest launch, is a Bavarian wunderbar with roaring fires, ales and cosy sofas. What’s not to love?