Discover Manchester

With a sturdy industrial past, Manchester is striding confidently into the future. Never afraid to move past its history, but always respectful of it, Manchester is becoming one of Europe's fastest growing cities. With a strong identity and cultural heritage the city is using the knowledge of its past to bring the best possible future, blending the contemporary splendidly with the modern.

The Romans settled Manchester in the 3 rd century AD, although it was not until the Norman conquest of 1066 that the area took on more significance. Throughout its history Manchester has played an important part in industry, with cotton houses during the renaissance, and big mills during the industrial revolution. It was during the latter period that saw the population and importance of Manchester boom, as major textile factories sprung up around the city. In modern times Manchester has remodelled itself around media and business, and it now lays a claim to being England's second city.

As Manchester continues to grow in cultural influence the tourism boom the city is experiencing fits perfectly. The city now offers many attractions that will keep a visitor happy, intrigued, and interested.

The impact sport has had on Manchester cannot be over estimated. It gives the city an identity and local pride, while acting as a vein that runs through the people, and the success of its sporting exports has ensured a vast number of tourists. Perhaps the most significant player in this sporting rise has been football club Manchester United, whose expanse in the world's most watched sport has resulted in a resurgent interest in Manchester as a city. The club is now a juggernaut in the community and is one of the cities go-to tourist destinations. The 2002 Commonwealth Games were hosted in the city and were a huge success, managing to showcase a modernising city in all of its confident glory.

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If lucky enough to visit on a match day, it is highly recommended that the visitor attends a live football match. Manchester United play in the magnificent Old Trafford stadium, and match days are the perfect time to soak up the passionate atmosphere of local Mancunians, while also marvelling at the cosmopolitan nature of the crowd that the team can attract. The club also offers marvellous tours of their imposing stadium, which is a modern and vibrant place with first class transport links. Not to be left out, Manchester City are the other football club that carry the name of the city. And with an injection of wealth, they are now giving the locals some pride and passion as them and rivals Manchester United clash.

With Manchester now awash with optimism and passion, it is the perfect time to visit the city centre and soak up the outstanding nightlife. Tastes of all variance are catered for, with vibrant nightclubs and bars, and quiet restaurants and theatres. What will be evident is that there is never a Mancunian too far away to regale with stories and give you an insight to this friendly city. As the cultural significance of the city has grown, there has been an influx of eateries, all of which offer a wide range of food, both locally sourced or from afar.

Manchester is famous for its music, and it is perhaps the most musically significant city in the United Kingdom, and can boast such luminaries as Oasis, The Stone Roses, The Smiths, and countless other worldwide acts. As such a hotbed of musical talent, Manchester is awash with local bars offering live music, and is a perfect place to catch a glimpse of the next big thing on the music scene. These little venues can be a real glimpse into the beating heart of a musically inclined city.

Manchester now plays a part in the media sector, and is quickly becoming a major player. One of the city's most popular tourist choices is the Granada Television Studios, which is home to the set of the world's oldest soap opera, Coronation Street. Visitors get to tour the real life set of the famous television show, and mingle with props and also indulge in rides and attractions. It serves as a perfect chance to immerse yourself in one of the most culturally significant shows ever.

If modern showbiz is not your thing then Manchester offers an abundance of cultural and artistic destinations for you to sink your teeth into. The Museum of Science and Industry is a splendid window into Manchester's history, as well as the motorised timeline of the UK in general. Castlefield is a heritage site that blends old with new; the area is a maze of beautiful canals and red bricked buildings, and is a lovely area to spend an afternoon in one of the numerous small galleries or museums, or just sipping coffee in a gentle breeze. The People's History Museum, The Imperial War Museum, and the Manchester Museum are the other culturally and historically fascinating offers in the city, and staggeringly they are all free of charge.

Manchester is a perfect example of modern town planning done well, as its new buildings sit comfortably with the old traditional architecture. The city centre is now a maze of sky scrapers which still have the beautiful period buildings kissing their feet. The newly built Beetham Tower is the tallest residential building in the UK, and dominates the Manchester skyline, without ever destroying the identity of the city.

Manchester serves as a gateway between old and new, where the remnants of an industrial past can be observed with pride while the city prepares for a bright future. In one street you can be transported back to another time, while in the next you will be amongst the vibrancy of modern life. You can see a music scene that lives through the roots of its past, but grows with the times; while the sporting clubs have grown massive without losing touch with the community. The old is not forgotten, it is rejuvenated as the new is raised beside it. So Manchester is that perfect blend of contrasts, prideful and passionate, but modern and alive.