Culture

Exhibition
Manchester City CentreExhibition is one of Manchester’s cluster of exciting multi-kitchen concepts (read: food halls) that just seem to be multiplying. In...

Tate Liverpool
Albert DockTate Liverpool on the Royal Albert Dock is the northern outpost of the Tate galleries. With an impressive free collection...

Sefton Park
Sefton ParkSefton Park is larger than most parks, although it’s still not Liverpool’s biggest – that award goes to Croxteth Country...

Manchester Central
Manchester City CentreIt was built in the 19th century as a railway terminus, then in the 1980s and 1990s it became a...

The Cavern Club
Cavern QuarterIt may be a while since The Beatles graced the stage of The Cavern Club but you’ll still find live...

Roomzzz Manchester City
Chinatown (Manchester)Located on Manchester’s Princess Street, Roomzzz Manchester City is perfect for visitors looking for culture in Manchester. Chinatown is just...

The Beatles Story
Albert DockThe Beatles are probably Liverpool’s most famous export and it stands to reason that the city has quite a few...

John Rylands Research Institute and Library
SpinningfieldsIt’s part of the University of Manchester but you don’t have to be a scholar to enjoy this inspiring space. In...

AO Arena
Manchester City CentreIf you’re in Manchester to see a big name music act, chances are you’re seeing it at the AO Arena.

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

The Walker Art Gallery
Liverpool City CentreThe Walker Art Gallery has housed Liverpool’s world-class art collection for over 130 years and includes everything from Renaissance masterpieces...

Liverpool Football Club Stadium Tour
AnfieldCan I kick it? No you can’t. But with a Liverpool Football Club stadium tour fans can walk through the...

Hope Mill Theatre
AncoatsSituated in an industrial estate on Pollard Street, Hope Mill Theatre has made a name for itself despite its back-street...

Liverpool Cathedral
Georgian QuarterLiverpool Cathedral is the biggest in the country but age-wise, it’s a baby. No medieval architecture here; the cathedral was...

Speke Hall
SpekeSpeke Hall is a National Trust property on the outskirts of Liverpool. You could say it’s an old Tudor dame...

The Beatles’ Childhood Homes
SpekeThe National Trust tour is the only way to get inside the houses where John Lennon and Paul McCartney grew...

Jonathan Schofield Manchester Tours
Oxford RoadEven if you’ve lived here all your life, you’ll likely learn something new on a Jonathan Schofield Manchester Tour. And...

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

Manchester Art Gallery
Manchester City CentreMosey down Mosley Street between Piccadilly Gardens and St Peter’s Square, and you can’t miss the Greek columns that flank...

Science and Industry Museum
St John'sThe Science and Industry Museum celebrates 250 years of innovation. Galleries showcase Manchester inventions, bring the noise and the danger...

Palace Theatre Manchester
Oxford RoadIf you want to catch the big West End or Broadway productions on tour in the North of England, The...

The Lowry
Salford QuaysFlagship arts venue The Lowry was at the heart of 1990s' plans to breathe new life back into Salford Quays....

Dunham Massey
AltrinchamDunham Massey is one of the National Trust’s most visited properties, bringing in over half a million people in 2023....

Anywhere Out Of The World
Northern QuarterIt’s no surprise that Anywhere Out Of The World, a bookshop named after a line from Baudelaire, doesn’t specialise in...

Parklife Festival
PrestwichIt's the big one, at least for the under-25s amongst us. Parklife is a huge two-day music festival held every...

Co-op Live
BeswickAfter a few false starts, Co-op Live, the UK's biggest indoor arena, opened on 14 May 2024. With a 23,500...

Ordsall Hall
SalfordOrdsall Hall is a piece of Tudor history just a short walk from the contemporary comings and goings of Salford...

Manchester Literature Festival
Manchester City CentreManchester Literature Festival has grown considerably in size and stature since it debuted back in 2006. Held annually in October,...

Mersey Ferries
WaterfrontHave you even been to Liverpool if you haven’t crossed the Mersey on a ferry? Mersey Ferries not only cross...

Buile Hill Park
SalfordL.S. Lowry used to be a regular visitor to Buile Hill Park, and Frances Hodgson Burnett is thought to have...

The Beatles Statue
WaterfrontCome on, so what do you think is Liverpool’s number one selfie spot. That’s right, it’s the Beatles Statue at...

Wax and Beans
BuryWax and Beans is a vinyl and coffee combo where you can indulge all your passions at once. Affectionately known...

Manchester Poetry Library
Oxford RoadWhether you're a reader, a writer, a rhymer or a free-verser, you'll find plenty to inspire you at the Manchester...

Alliance Française de Manchester
DeansgateThe Alliance Française de Manchester is the place to return to your schooldays minus the Tricolore textbooks and fixation on...

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

Manchester International Festival
St John'sManchester International Festival, or MIF, is the city’s biennial arts festival. It’s two weeks of the year where you’re never...

Chapter One
Northern QuarterChapter One is an independent bookshop and café with a huge selection of fancy drinks, vegan-friendly cakes and a well-curated...

Manchester Craft and Design Centre
Northern QuarterManchester Craft and Design Centre is a fantastic space to stroll around whether you’re there to buy or just to...

Manchester Psych Fest
Manchester City CentreManchester Psych Fest certainly packs it in. It's a one-day deep dive into the alternative music scene that marks the...

World Museum
Liverpool City CentreThe World Museum, part of National Museums Liverpool, is selling itself short. It’s not a World Museum, it’s an absolutely...

Fletcher Moss
DidsburyFletcher Moss has four outdoor, floodlit clay tennis courts which are open to everyone and accessibly priced.

Castlefield Viaduct
CastlefieldCastlefield Viaduct is the National Trust’s newest opening in the region - and it's a bit of a departure from...

Sackville Gardens
Gay VillageThis small public park sits between Whitworth Street and Canal Street and is notable for its memorial to Alan Turing....

Salford Museum & Art Gallery
SalfordSalford Museum and Art Gallery was the UK’s first free public library when it opened in 1850. The building was...

Victoria Baths
Victoria ParkOnly open on Wednesdays (and closed entirely during the winter months), Victoria Baths isn’t fully geared up as a visitor...

Beeston Castle
TarporleyBeeston Castle perches atop a rocky crag, looking out over the surrounding Cheshire Plains.

Instituto Cervantes
DeansgateThe Instituto Cervantes is a wonderful place to learn Spanish with enthusiastic native speakers and excellent teaching. Even the building...

The Pankhurst Centre
Oxford RoadThe Pankhurst Centre is the former home of Emmeline Pankhurst and her family. Open to the public on Thursday and...

Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
RavenglassThe seven-mile, narrow-gauge Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway is a spectacular way to explore this corner of the Lake District. It...

The Bluecoat
RopewalksThe Bluecoat is Liverpool city centre’s oldest building, and the oldest arts centre in the country.

Manchester Central Library
Manchester City CentreOfficially, The Lowry is the most visited attraction in Greater Manchester, but only because the official list for some reason...

Kingbee Records
ChorltonKingbee Records is a proper old-school record shop. The custard-yellow storefront is a beacon, drawing in music lovers from all...

Imperial War Museum North
Salford QuaysThis quayside location in Trafford Park was bombed heavily during WW2 so it’s especially appropriate that it was chosen as...

The World of Beatrix Potter
WindermereThe World of Beatrix Potter is always handy to have up your sleeve if you’re in the Lake District and...

Quarry Bank Mill
StyalQuarry Bank Mill makes a change from the stately homes in pretty gardens National Trust blueprint. It’s an industrial gem...

Lingholm Kitchen & Walled Garden
KeswickLingholm Kitchen & Walled Garden is a great place to stop for lunch if you’re in the Lake District. The...

Lowther Castle & Gardens
PenrithLowther Castle & Gardens is an intriguing attraction. It looks grand enough at first sight, but the castle is literally...

The Warehouse Project
PiccadillyIf you’re into EDM or club culture you’ll know The Warehouse Project as one of Manchester’s biggest nights out. It...

Manchester City Stadium Tour
BeswickEven if you’re not a Blue you can’t help but be impressed with the scale of the Etihad Stadium in...

Rydal Mount
AmblesideRydal Mount is the family home of William Wordsworth and it is still owned and managed by his descendants today....

Manchester Holi Festival
PrestwichManchester Holi Festival 2024 might well be the city’s most colourful celebration. The Hindu spring festival celebrates love and new...

Haigh Woodland Park
WiganHaigh Woodland Park is a good mix of cultivated prettiness and ancient woodland with plenty of things to do.

Portland Basin Museum
Ashton-under-LyneStep inside the restored nineteenth-century Ashton Canal Warehouse in Ashton-under-Lyne and you'll find the Portland Basin Museum. With exciting, accessible...

The Castle Hotel
Northern QuarterThe Castle Hotel is one of the big names on Manchester’s gig circuit. This 18th century pub, covered in brown...

The Corn Exchange Manchester
Manchester City CentreThe historic Corn Exchange Manchester was built in 1837 and stands in what is known as the Medieval Quarter -...

Wordsworth Grasmere
CumbriaAt Wordsworth Grasmere you can immerse yourself in the beautiful surroundings which captured the poet's imagination and drove much of...

Manchester Jazz Festival
Manchester City CentreManchester Jazz Festival brings the best new emerging jazz artists, homegrown talent, and living jazz legends to the city centre...

Sounds of the City
CastlefieldSounds of the City is a summer season of outdoor gigs by big name acts at Castlefield Bowl in Manchester.

Emmeline Pankhurst Statue
Manchester City CentreThe Emmeline Pankhurst Statue was unveiled in St Peter’s Square on Friday 14 December 2018; exactly 100 years since some...

Wray
AmblesideWray is a great value day out near Ambleside. It’s a National Trust castle and parkland but entry is currently...

Lyme Park
StockportLyme Park is a huge estate with a Medieval herd of red deer, stunning views and a handsome Regency house....

6 Music Festival
Manchester City CentreThe BBC’s 6 Music Festival is a celebration of up-and-coming talent, emerging acts and the cool elder statespeople of alternative...

Camp and Furnace
Baltic TriangleCamp and Furnace is a huge events space with a capacity of 2200. With its two warehouse spaces, this place...

Contact Theatre
Oxford RoadWe were shocked when Contact Theatre, or just Contact, as it prefers to be known, announced it was celebrating its...

Chez Jules
ChesterChez Jules is one of Chester’s must-visit restaurants, especially for fans of relaxed French cooking. The daily-changing menu offers simple...

Salford Lads Club
SalfordBoxing has been taught at Salford Lads Club since it opened back in 1903. The founders, the Groves brothers, wanted...

The British Music Experience
Albert DockHead to The Cunard Building, one of the Three Graces that form Liverpool's iconic waterfront to find The British Music...

Museum of Liverpool
Albert DockThe Museum of Liverpool on Pier Head is an eclectic and diverse collection of Liverpool stuff and stories. Part of...

HOME
Manchester City CentreWith five cinemas, two theatres, a bookshop, and over 500 sqm of gallery space, HOME is one of Manchester’s biggest...

Gallery Oldham
OldhamGallery Oldham in the town’s Cultural Quarter features artworks and items from Oldham’s diverse collections alongside newly commissioned art, international...

Altogether Otherwise
Manchester City CentreAltogether Otherwise is NOMA’s hobby house. Initially, it seems like a forgotten relic, an unloved outbuilding at the back of...

People’s History Museum
SpinningfieldsThe People’s History Museum tells the story of the development of democracy in Britain. It's the only museum in the UK...

Everyman Manchester St John’s
St John'sWith its red velvet seats, waiter service, and ultra stylish bar and cafe, Everyman Manchester St John’s is a far...

Irish World Heritage Centre
Cheetham HillThe Irish World Heritage Centre (IWHC) in Cheetham Hill is a social and cultural hub for Manchester’s Irish community.

Manchester Cathedral
Manchester City CentreNestled at the end of Deansgate, tucked away behind the main shopping district of Manchester city centre, lies the Grade...

The Portico Library
Manchester City CentreThe Portico Library is as peaceful and relaxing as any library could be, despite being situated on Mosley Street in...

Royal Liver Building 360 Tour
WaterfrontIf you have a head for heights you can ascend to the tenth floor of the Royal Liver Building and...

The Peer Hat
Northern QuarterThe Peer Hat is an odd combination. This Northern Quarter bar and gig venue mixes a cutting edge assortment of...

The Whitworth
Oxford RoadAny art lover’s trip to Manchester would not be complete without a morning or afternoon spent gazing at the walls...

Manchester Opera House
SpinningfieldsYou can indeed see an opera at Manchester Opera House but you’re much more likely to catch the latest West...

Gorton Monastery
GortonIts proper title is Manchester Monastery but most people in the city know it as Gorton Monastery. This Grade II...

Working Class Movement Library
SalfordSituated in Jubilee House on The Crescent in Salford, the Working Class Movement Library tells the tale of working people’s...

Another Place
CrosbyAnother Place, Crosby, by sculptor Antony Gormley consists of 100 cast-iron figures gazing wordlessly out to sea from the beach.

Aviva Studios, Factory International
St John'sAviva Studios is the new home of Factory International, the producers of Manchester International Festival. The impressive building was conceived...

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

Maritime Museum
Albert DockLiverpool’s Maritime Museum is part of the National Museums Liverpool collection. As one of the country’s major ports, seafaring and...

Rufford Old Hall
OrmskirkTudor house and garden Rufford Old Hall has all the classic features of a National Trust day out. Beautiful gardens,...

Black Raven Flowers
SaleBlack Raven Flowers is about as different from Greater Manchester’s other florists as it's possible to be. While most may...

Piccadilly Records
Northern QuarterWhen it comes to music in Manchester this place is the absolute business. Piccadilly Records is the coolest square footage...

Walkden Gardens
SaleWalkden Gardens is a very grown up sort of park. Like a mini RHS Bridgewater ran in partnership with the...

Night & Day Cafe
Northern QuarterWithout Night & Day Cafe, the Northern Quarter as we know it probably wouldn't exist. It was places like this,...

House of Books and Friends
ManchesterHouse of Books and Friends is a bookshop with a difference. As well as knowledgeable, friendly staff, a great selection...

ODEON Manchester Trafford Centre
Trafford ParkODEON Manchester Trafford Centre is the shopping mall’s only multiplex with 20 screens including a massive IMAX screen. It’s enormous...

Depot Mayfield
PiccadillyDepot Mayfield is an events venue with raw urban grit and cultural cachet. Manchester’s former railway station, it has been...

Chetham’s Library, Chetham’s School of Music and The Stoller Hall
Manchester City CentreChetham’s combines history, education, music and culture. The institution comprises Chetham’s library, the internationally-renowned School of Music and The Stoller...

Manchester Pride
Gay VillageHeld annually over the August Bank Holiday weekend, Manchester Pride is a joyful, loud and proud celebration of queer identity...

Heaton Park
PrestwichIf you’re craving greenery but don’t want to stray too far out of the city, Heaton Park, on the Manchester-Bury...

Bolton Museum
BoltonBolton Museum is much more than just your standard local history-focused collection. Because of its links with the cotton trade, this...

Jodrell Bank
MacclesfieldJodrell Bank is a landmark. On a clear day, you can see its Lovell Telescope from the top of almost...

NQ64
Northern QuarterReturn to your youth and relieve the stresses and strains of adult life by whacking baddies Double Dragon-style or jumping...

The Kings Arms
BlackfriarsThe Kings Arms is a glorious reincarnation of what was once a backstreet boozer. The main bar is a lovely...

Goodison Park Stadium Tour
EvertonIf you’re visiting Liverpool as an Everton FC fan, make sure the Goodison Park Stadium Tour is on your itinerary.

Queer Lit
AncoatsRather than being consigned to one small shelf, Queer Lit celebrates literature that reflects the queer experience throughout the shop....

Tatton Park
KnutsfordTatton Park is a historic estate on the edge of Knutsford, home to an opulent neo-classical mansion, landscaped gardens, woodland,...

Stockport Air Raid Shelters
StockportStockport Air Raid Shelters were the largest purpose built air-raid shelters in the country, originally designed to provide shelter to...

Clay Studio
StretfordClay Studio moved to its new home in Stretford at the end of 2024, offering more space and more activities....

Band on the Wall
Northern QuarterSo called because the performers used to play on a stage situated halfway up the wall, Band on the Wall...

Yes Lah
DidsburyYes Lah is a delightful restaurant in Didsbury that offers a fusion of Malaysian and Filipino cuisines. The founders, Zosima...

Waku Waku
Chinatown (Manchester)Waku Waku highlights a generational gap. You could say it’s just like going for lunch in that A-Ha video or...

Liverpool Central Library
Liverpool City CentreLiverpool Central Library looks like another example of impressive Victorian architecture at first (the city is full of them) but...

Chatsworth
HathersageThe classic vista of the grand 17th century house overlooking the River Derwent is the most famous image of Chatsworth,...

L’Aperitivo
RopewalksModern-day Bold Street in Liverpool and Via Veneto in 1960s Rome could be an example of time-travelling city twinning.

The Bridgewater Hall
Manchester City CentreThe Bridgewater Hall is where Manchester gets serious about music. The international concert venue was built in the 1990s and...

O2 Ritz Manchester
Oxford RoadThe O2 Manchester Ritz on Whitworth Street has seen better days but it still knocks most venues out of the...

Greater Manchester Police Museum
Northern QuarterGreater Manchester Police Museum is housed in an 1879 police station with original cells and charge office. Downstairs, you can...

Everyman Theatre
Liverpool City CentreThe Everyman is an impressive modern theatre on Hope Street and a cornerstone of Liverpool's cultural scene.

Liverpool Playhouse
Liverpool City CentreTogether with its partner, the Everyman, The Playhouse provides a home for quality theatre in Liverpool. Expect to see work...

Manchester Jewish Museum
Cheetham HillManchester Jewish Museum reopened in 2021 after a £6 million upgrade that restored its synagogue to its former glory, and...