Location

Manchester is a major city in the northwest of England. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The city borders the boroughs of Trafford, Stockport, Tameside, Oldham, Rochdale, Bury and Salford.

The city is notable for its architecture, culture, musical exports, media links, scientific and engineering output, social impact, sports clubs and transport connections. Manchester Liverpool Road railway station is the world's oldest surviving inter-city passenger railway station. At the University of Manchester, Ernest Rutherford first split the atom in 1917; Frederic C. Williams, Tom Kilburn and Geoff Tootill developed the world's first stored-program computer in 1948; and Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov first isolated graphene in 2004.

Sightseeing in Manchester

Visit Manchester (https://www.visitmanchester.com/) offer a range of suggestions of what Manchester has to offer visitors. Manchester offers a wide range of museums, music venues and art galleries for visitors to explore along with many shopping opportunities. Alternatively try exploring Manchester’s numerous food hall, restaurants, bars, craft beer breweries and distilleries for a truly local experience. See our “City Guide” for some suggestions.

Getting around

Although Manchester is one of the UK’s largest city and considered the second cultural capital to London, it is fairly compact and the vast majority of places are accessible on foot however, if you want to get around by public transport then there are buses, trains and a tram system (www.tfgm.com). Train tickets can be purchased at stations (TheTrainLine app is also very good) and are costed on a specific journey with peak times ending at 09:30 Monday to Friday. The tram system is easy to use but is based on zoning and you can either buy a single ticket or a zone travelcard, however, a much easier way is to “tap on” and “tap off”. At every tram stop there are card readers (yellow boxes, apple pay and contactless accepted) where you can just tap in at the station you get on at and then you need to tap out when you get off (otherwise you get charged the maximum rate), you are then charged at the end of the day with the most cost effective ticket based on your travel.

Money

The currency of Britain is the Pound Stirling (£) and Paper Money (notes) comes in £5, £10, £20 and £50 denominations. Everywhere in Manchester accepts card payments (VISA, Mastercard, Apple Pay etc.) with some places completely cashless. The only time where you may need to use cash is when tipping at restaurants or when using taxis and buses, although most taxis and buses do have card readers, but please check before starting your journey. For our American colleagues some places do not accept American Express, so it is always best to ask.

ATMs (cash points) are common throughout Manchester; most are free to withdraw but be aware some may charge a small fee. Also be aware that withdrawing money may be subject to a fee from your own bank, so please check this prior to visiting.

Changing Money – Manchester airport and several places in the city will have exchange bureaux for changing your domestic money into Pound Stirling. However, exchange rates may be poor, especially at the airport, so check rates prior to exchanging.