Marry me: 40 wedding venues in Manchester

The Black Friar stood empty and unloved for almost 20 years before reopening in summer 2021 after a substantial renovation project. Now a modern British restaurant and a traditional pub, it has two distinct settings with menus to match.

The Hyatt Regency hotel is one of the most highly rated hotels in Manchester, with incredible views of the city and University Green from the rooms on the higher floors. 212 rooms are decked out in a modern style, all with floor-to-ceiling windows and king beds.

After a multi-million pound refurbishment, Manchester Marriott Hotel Piccadilly is one of the city’s major hotels and certainly looks the part for stylish stays.

Malmaison Manchester Piccadilly is an impressive boutique hotel in the perfect spot. It’s just minutes from Manchester Piccadilly train station, a heartbeat away from the Northern Quarter with its buzzing nightlife and independent shops, and well-placed for Manchester’s commercial centre.

A stone’s throw from their brewery and taproom, Salford alemeisters Seven Bro7hers have a beerhouse and kitchen with outside space right in the heart of MediaCity, where they’re serving up “the best pints in town” alongside a choice of hand food with which to mop up the hop.

Manchester’s highest restaurant, bar and terrace 20 Stories was the opening of 2018 and still maintains its status as one of the city’s most popular place to eat, drink, be snapped and be seen.

Afflecks, previously known as Afflecks Palace, is a hip indoor market spread over four floors. Established in 1982, it’s a Manchester institution.

The upper floor of this Grade II listed Wesleyan chapel lay empty for 40 years before Mission Mars bought the building in 2012 and opened it up as a music venue. The only question is why didn’t anyone do it sooner?

Albert’s Standish is a reliable option. You won’t get the best food in the world but you’ll get a menu full of crowd-pleasers, great service and all the buzz, which is what Albert’s is really about.

It’s a place to see and be seen as you tuck in to everything from traditional fish and chips to turmeric roasted cod, from salads to pizzas. There are also brunches aplenty as well as afternoon teas.

Albert’s Worsley is a reliable option, especially if you’re trying to please a big group. Even if you don’t get the best food in the world, you’ll get a menu full of crowd-pleasers, great service and all the buzz, which is the main reason people flock to Albert’s.

We were shocked when Contact Theatre, or just Contact, as it prefers to be known, announced it was celebrating its fiftieth birthday in summer 2022. Maybe it’s the out-there architecture or maybe it’s the youth-focussed programming, but we could have sworn it’s not a day older than 25.

It’s a dream come true for kids of the 90s: a chance to show off your skills on the legendary TV game show, The Crystal Maze.

The East Lancashire Railway has a long and rich heritage, stretching all the way back to when the first trains steamed into Bury in the 1840s.

Visitors to Elizabeth Gaskell’s House can explore the author’s home where she wrote most of her novels such as North and South and Cranford.

The Fountain House is the newest lodger of the Gothic-arched Memorial Hall sitting one corner of Albert Square, and its modern old-fashioned surrounds and plentiful portions of proper pub grub – mostly British but with a little European inspiration – do the imposing building proud.

Its proper title is Manchester Monastery but most people in the city know it as Gorton Monastery.

This Grade II Listed building towers over the surrounding residential streets, acting as a focal point for the eye, and in recent years, for the community too.

Hallé St Peter’s provides a rehearsal and recording space for Manchester’s renowned orchestra as well as being home to the Hallé’s choirs and its youth orchestra.

The Grade II listed building is an interesting brick-built church in the centre of Ancoats. A three-storey modern extension, The Oglesby Centre, provides additional practice rooms and performance spaces.

With five cinemas, two theatres, a bookshop, and over 500 sqm of gallery space, HOME is one of Manchester’s biggest and most dynamic arts venues. 

Situated in an industrial estate on Pollard Street, Hope Mill Theatre has made a name for itself despite its back-street location and small beginnings. It’s particularly well-known for its musicals and it also has a thriving amateur dramatics group and a community orchestra.

Hotel Football is about as near to Old Trafford as you can get without camping on the penalty spot. Located directly opposite Manchester United’s ground, the hotel is as on-brand as you’d expect. After all, it’s the work of Gary Neville and some of his Class of 92 counterparts.

King Street Townhouse is a 4-star luxury hotel in the heart of Manchester City Centre. It’s well known for its spa facilities – including a very special infinity pool with views of the city from the top floor of the building.

Flagship arts venue The Lowry was at the heart of 1990s’ plans to breathe new life back into Salford Quays. Now in its third decade, it’s maintained its reputation as one of Greater Manchester’s top visitor attractions thanks to a lively, ever-evolving programme of art, music, theatre, comedy and more.

The Lowry Hotel is Manchester’s premier 5-star hotel. While technically in Salford, it is ideally located next to Spinningfields, Manchester’s trendy business district, home to plenty of Manchester’s favourite bars and restaurants.

Mosey down Mosley Street between Piccadilly Gardens and St Peter’s Square, and you can’t miss the Greek columns that flank the front of Manchester Art Gallery. It’s one of Manchester’s most visited cultural attractions thanks to its central location and extensive collection of historical and contemporary art.

For years this beautiful building was off-limits unless you were a member of the secretive Masons society. Then in 2017 the Freemason’s Hall became Manchester Hall – an events venue and hotel – and you no longer needed a secret handshake or a well-connected father-in-law to take a look inside.

Manchester Museum reopened in February 2023 following a £15m transformation to make it more inclusive and more imaginative in how it tells its stories.

Even if it’s not a match day, there’s plenty happening at the iconic Old Trafford stadium. The best way to experience it (aside from watching a game, of course) is to go on the behind-the-scenes Manchester United Museum and Stadium Tour.

Just a few minutes walk from Manchester Piccadilly train station, making it a great base for both business travellers and tourists.

Ordsall Hall is a piece of Tudor history just a short walk from the contemporary comings and goings of Salford Quays. Please note: it’s closed on August Bank Holiday Monday.

The People’s History Museum tells the story of the development of democracy in Britain. It’s the only museum in the UK that focuses on the revolutionaries, reformers, workers, voters, and citizens who believed in ideas worth fighting for, like equality, social justice and co-operation.

The Portico Library is as peaceful and relaxing as any library could be, despite being situated on Mosley Street in Manchester city centre with trams zipping past every few minutes.

Rain Bar is a pub from JW Lees in an old umbrella factory. It’s a beautiful building and looks even better now after its recent refurb. The jewel in the crown though, or the spoke in its brolly, is a large outdoor area to the rear overlooking the Bridgewater Canal.

Residence Inn by Marriott Manchester Piccadilly is the chain’s first long-stay venture in the North of England. Situated less than ten minutes from Piccadilly Station, handy for Ancoats and the Northern Quarter as well as the city centre, the hotel is a mix of studio apartments and one-bedroom suites over 12 floors – there are impressive views of the Manchester skyline from the upper levels.

Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre is an exciting clash of modernity and history and the same can be said of its programming.

For spine-tinglingly close views of the huge planes landing and taking off at Manchester Airport, head to the Runway Visitor Park.

Boxing has been taught at Salford Lads Club since it opened back in 1903. The founders, the Groves brothers, wanted to get the local lads off the streets and out of the gangs, and boxing was one way to do that.

The Science and Industry Museum celebrates 250 years of innovation. Galleries showcase Manchester inventions, bring the noise and the danger of Cottonopolis to life and offer interactive exhibits where you can lift a Mini above your head or play old-school video games.

Only open on Wednesdays (and closed entirely during the winter months), Victoria Baths isn’t fully geared up as a visitor attraction. But it’s still one of Manchester’s most beautiful and best-loved buildings. If you get an opportunity to see inside, take it. You’ll be smitten.

Victoria Warehouse has been a fixture on Manchester’s industrial skyline for almost a century. Once used to store cotton, it’s now a huge events space that plays host to concerts, festivals, weddings, conferences, exhibitions and more.

Voco Manchester originally opened as Hotel Brooklyn on Manchester’s Portland Street in 2020 as one of the world’s first fully accessible hotels.

Any art lover’s trip to Manchester would not be complete without a morning or afternoon spent gazing at the walls (and wallpaper collections) of The Whitworth.