Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas and is situated in the south-central part of North West England, fringed by the Cheshire Plain to the south and the Pennines to the north and east.Throughout the Middle Ages Manchester remained a manorial township, but began expanding "at an astonishing rate" around the turn of the 19th century as part of a process of unplanned urbanization brought on by a boom in textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution.The urbanization of Manchester largely coincided with the Industrial Revolution and the Victorian era, resulting in it becoming the world's first industrialized city.As the result of an early-19th century factory building boom, Manchester was transformed from a township into a major mill town, borough and was later granted honorific city status in 1853.

Manchester was the site of the world's first railway station, hosted the first meeting of the Trades Union Congress and is where scientists first split the atom and developed the first programmable computer. It is known for its music scene and its sporting connections. Manchester was the host of the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and its sports clubs include two Premier League football teams, Manchester City and Manchester United.Manchester is the third-most visited city in the United Kingdom by foreign visitors and the most visited in England outside London.

Museum of Science and Industry

Entry to this award winning museum is FREE for everyone. With a wide range of permanent galleries and special blockbuster exhibitions, there's truly something for all ages and you could easily spend a half or full day at the Museum.

Take your pick from enthralling galleries including the brand-new Xperiment, where you can get hands-on with interactive exhibits. Other galleries include the Power Hall, Air & Space Hall, Underground Manchester (with a trip into a Victorian Sewer!) and Fibres, Fabrics and Fashion with demonstrations of working cotton machinery.

The Royal Exchange

Climb the stairs labelled Royal Exchange Theatre into what was once claimed to be the biggest trading room in the world. Restored after the bomb of 1996 the hall is more impressive than ever in its new livery of colours and and its gold capped Corinthian columns supporting three elegant domes. The building has housed since 1976 the marvellous lunar module-like theatre voted the best in the country in 1999. High on the wall over the brasserie restaurant lies the old trading board giving away the original function of the Royal Exchange. This building and the previous ones on this site and nearby were the headquarters of the global trade in finished cotton for more than two centuries. At one time Manchester controlled more than 80% of that worldwide business.

Manchester United Museum and Tour


Whatever your football affiliations this club is now the most well-known Manchester institution. The museum is excellent, well laid out without being hysterical in its support of the club. It also finds a nice balance between traditional displays and the interactive nerd-head displays which quickly fill up with kids pressing buttons before reading instructions. The tour should interest any fan of football with its behind-the-scenes look at the running of a major club. Most of the guides have a great Mancunian sense of humour.

Manchester Art Gallery

The Manchester Art Gallery has now reopened after a £35 million renovation. The gallery space has doubled and now displays a permanent collection which includes Henry Moore's Mother and Child and works by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Gainsborough, Turner, Francis Bacon Pisssaro and Lucien Freud. A gallery for special exhibitions is a new addition and it opens with Inhale / Exhale by Michael Craig-Martin in which huge representations of everyday objects are painted on the wall as if thrown from a canvas opposite.