12 Best Historical Places to Visit in Manchester – 2024 Travel Guide

The Chinatown in Manchester is a place where hours quickly turn into minutes thanks to its colorful stores, authentic Chinese restaurants, and karaoke bars.

It is perhaps the most Instagram-able neighborhood in the city, so take note and include it in your list of places to see in Manchester.

This lovely place is full of magnificent corners like the Heaton garden and plants that have been there for over 100 years. In addition to that, there are relaxing and breathtaking views you can experience on the lake.

You can also visit the railway museum, play with farm animals and even dance with bees. Not to mention the events and music festivals that are held periodically in this park. This place is a real gem. Come and discover why Heaton Park is one of the best places to see in Manchester.

If you are a hopeless football player, Old Trafford is one of the destinations that you will have to see in Manchester. Our recommendation is that (if you find tickets) go to enjoy a game of Manchester United and soak up the passion with which the fans support their team.

But first, come to know the bowels of this stadium with a tour to their dressing rooms and the museum that stores the shirts of their most iconic former soccer players and the cups they won.

If you pay a bit more, you will have the chance to get to know the Old Trafford field with some of the legends of football in person. Now the ball is in your court. Please take advantage of it and score a goal!

And since you are already a football enthusiast, go to this temple of football. Admission is free, but if you buy a Football Plus Experiences pass, you can get much more (imagine that) from your visit to this tourist attraction.

At the National Football Museum in Manchester, you can test your skills with the ball kicking at the goal or dribbling the defenses of the opposing team. An ideal place for children and older ones, as well.

And if football isn’t your cup of tea, Bridgewater Hall is a perfect alternative to a night of entertainment in the city. Located in the center of Manchester, that auditorium welcomes all kinds of music, and there is a little bit of everything (pop, rock, classical, jazz, etc.).

Also, this imposing building offers other things to see and do, such as group meditation sessions. Therefore, don’t hesitate to take a look at your list and decide on this one! We guarantee it, spending a few hours at Bridgewater Hall is one of the best things to do in Manchester.

Very close to Bridgewater Hall, there is this gallery that holds one of the most important collections of Fine Arts in the British countryside. This place is a fusion of past civilizations with interesting contemporary works and will inject some cultural impressions into your list of things to do in Manchester.

And continuing with the picturesque trail, don’t miss the Costume Gallery that covers the fashion history of the last six centuries.

If this library doesn’t make you feel like Harry Potter at Hogwarts, we don’t know what place in Manchester will. With this visit to the John Rylands Library, you will quench your curiosity to see where those narrow spiral stairs lead or what guard those mysterious doors so typical of these magical places.

Stay a little longer and explore the exhibitions that this imposing building houses. You will not be disappointed. For this and much more, the John Rylands Library is one of the essential places to see in Manchester.

The Museum of Science and Industry is not a museum to glance at. That is a place to explore, touch, savor, taste, experience, and even travel back in time, to 1830.

The museum is also a mini-park of various attractions with its simulator and 4D cinema, not suitable for children under eight years.

In the Chill Factore, the UK’s longest indoor ski slope, there is much to do and see. Whether you want to laugh in the snow or improve your technique on skis, this is the place you were looking for.

Its headquarters have the most significant indoor ski slope in the United Kingdom, so you can learn to ski or deftly snowboard any day of the year regardless of your age. When you finish your lessons, have a good cup of hot chocolate. You deserve it!

Manchester City Hall is almost a must-see spot in the city. In the center, you will find this impressive building that has witnessed the long history of the town. Located in Albert Square, this neo-Gothic construction has become the icon of the city.

If you want to stroll through gloomy corridors, typical for Victorian architecture, head to Manchester City Hall from Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm. You can also sign up for guided tours on Tuesdays and Sundays in the morning. Book your ticket now!

Whitworth is one of the truly amazing places in Manchester if you want to see a collection of contemporary art, especially after an extensive renovation project.

With its new exterior, it holds a variety of events, a restaurant with panoramic views of the surrounding park, and a picnic basket with art materials to spark your creativity.

Within an old Victorian fish market, in the heart of the Barrio Norte, lies this creativity center. Here, local artists make a living by selling art, prints, sculptures, jewels, and ceramics inside their alternative spaces.