Manchester Staycation Guide: Where to Stay, What to Do and Where to Eat

Manchester makes an easy, good-value city break. The centre is compact enough to cross on foot in half an hour, several of its best museums are free, and the food and music scene gives you plenty to do after dark. It is also well placed for the Peak District and the rest of the North West, so a weekend in Manchester can include a proper walk in the hills as well as galleries and restaurants.

How long to stay

Two nights is about right for the city itself: one day for the museums and the historic centre, another for Salford Quays or a football stadium tour. Add a third night if you want a day trip or a morning in the hills.

Where to stay in Manchester

For a short break, stay in the city centre between Piccadilly and Deansgate, where most sights, bars and restaurants are within walking distance. The full choice is on the Manchester hotels page.

Landmark hotels

The Midland Hotel has been the city's grand railway hotel since 1903, with a spa and a highly rated restaurant, and sits opposite the old Central station. On Oxford Street, the five-star Kimpton Clocktower Hotel occupies a Victorian landmark with a soaring Winter Garden, and Radisson Edwardian stands on the site of the old Free Trade Hall.

Near Piccadilly station

If you are arriving by train, Motel One Manchester Piccadilly is opposite the station and accepts dogs, while Mercure Manchester Piccadilly near Piccadilly Gardens is rated 4.5 from over 16,000 Google reviews. For a no-frills base, easyHotel Manchester City Centre keeps costs down.

For football fans

Hotel Football on Sir Matt Busby Way sits right beside Old Trafford, with stadium-view rooms.

Things to do

Browse the full list on the Manchester attractions page. These are the highlights for a first visit.

Museums and galleries

The Science and Industry Museum is set in one of the world's first passenger railway stations and tells the story of the city that led the Industrial Revolution. Manchester Art Gallery on Mosley Street has 21 galleries across three floors, and the People's History Museum covers working life and the fight for the vote. Near the cathedral, the National Football Museum holds more than 140,000 items and has skills-testing games for children.

Salford Quays and beyond

Across the canal from MediaCityUK, Imperial War Museum North is housed in a striking Daniel Libeskind building and is rated 4.6 from over 8,000 reviews. Back in town, Manchester Cathedral has medieval origins and some fine carved woodwork, and for something more energetic, iFLY Indoor Skydiving lets the whole family try freefall in a wind tunnel.

Green space

Chorlton Water Park in the south of the city has woodland paths around a large lake and welcomes dogs.

Where to eat

The Northern Quarter is the place for independent cafes and bars, and Deansgate and Spinningfields for bigger restaurants. Dishoom serves Bombay-style cafe food under stained-glass windows, Turtle Bay in the Northern Quarter does Caribbean food and cocktails, and Bem Brasil on Deansgate is a Brazilian churrascaria. See more on the Manchester restaurants page, or read the best UK staycations for foodies.

A two-day plan

Day one

Begin at the Science and Industry Museum in Castlefield, then walk up Deansgate to the People's History Museum and on to the cathedral and the National Football Museum. After lunch, spend an hour in Manchester Art Gallery and finish the day with dinner and drinks in the Northern Quarter.

Day two

Take the Metrolink tram to Salford Quays for Imperial War Museum North and a walk along the waterfront. Football fans can add a stadium tour at Old Trafford nearby. Return to town for an evening at one of the city's music venues or theatres.

Day trips from Manchester

Liverpool is less than an hour away by train, with its waterfront and free museums. Chester has Roman walls and the medieval Rows, Sheffield is a gateway to the eastern Peak District, and Leeds is an easy hop across the Pennines. For a spa-town day out, the train to Buxton runs through the hills.

Camping and cottages near Manchester

The Peak District starts on the city's doorstep. Hayfield Camping and Caravanning Club Site is a riverside site with Kinder Scout close by, taking tents, caravans and dogs. Peak View Shepherd Huts near Glossop offers glamping, and Dearden Wood near Bury has tent and motorhome pitches. Browse all campsites near Manchester or Manchester cottages.

Practical tips

Manchester Piccadilly has direct trains from London Euston and across the north, and Metrolink trams link the centre with Salford Quays, Old Trafford and the airport, so a car is more hindrance than help; see staycations without a car. The city's reputation for rain is not entirely unfair, but with so much indoors it makes one of the best rainy-day staycations. For other options, see UK city breaks without flying.