Best Areas in Manchester to Stay In

One of England’s largest cities, Manchester is best known for its live music scene and the Manchester United football team. However, Manchester has more than a lot going on. The place offers you much in terms of entertainment and adventure. From bohemian vibes, nightclub scene and loads of live music, you’ll find sophistication in the culture of the modern urban society. Needless to say, you’ll never run out of things to do in the city.

While numerous reasons warrant a visit to Manchester, it’s big enough to appear overwhelming to some people. The wise decision to make in such a scenario is to choose the ideal play to stay. That way, Manchester cabs will be well within reach and so will the destinations of the city.

To help you with such a scenario, we have handpicked areas and specific hotels that you can go to. Not only will they provide top-notch residences, but they will also offer access to the whole city.

Manchester City Centre

For travellers looking to be in the heart of the city, Manchester City Centre is the best place to stay. With the main attractions of the town close by, you will see why the highest concentration of hotels exists in Manchester City Centre. Although it will inevitably make it easy to find suitable accommodation. Take a stroll up the Piccadilly Rail Station, take in the view and before you know it, you’ll hit the shops straight away.

Although foreigners are expected to, even locals love a spot of retail therapy, and budget chains compete with upmarket department stores. If you are planning something of a day trip from Manchester, the station is nearby. The trains will take you to Greater Manchester and beyond. Piccadilly Gardens is a street-food market that sustains shoppers from Wednesday to Sunday. Simultaneously, music from one of several independent record shops is food for the soul across the road. Needless to say, stores, bars, restaurants, and cafes are not the only things lining Manchester’s streets.

As soon as you step outside the city centre, and you’ll find a plethora of choices when it comes to beautiful open spaces and fantastic nightlife. Boasting a lovely community feel, there’s a wide range of houses available, from Victorian family homes to modern apartment blocks.

For a historic walk, take a stroll down King Street, which has several notable buildings, including the National Football Museum and the 19th century Town Hall. The museum is an excellent exploration of English football’s history and heritage, with exciting interactive displays. Oxford Road is another major street in Manchester city centre, leading to the University of Manchester, among other notable destinations.

Salford Quays

Although it’s only 15 minutes from Manchester city centre, Salford Quays is actually part of the city of Salford. The once-crowded docks have been revolutionized into a thriving waterfront destination. It offers everything you’d want and expect from a town in just one square mile. That’s why people are always surprised at how cheap taxis in Manchester are.

You’ll find the legendary Old Trafford just outside Salford Quays in addition to the markets and retailers. Moreover, it’s also the architecturally-acclaimed Lowry theatre and art gallery site that nestles within itself countless historical landmarks of immense importance. Needless to say, these all make up more than enough reasons that convince almost 110 million tourists to visit the area every year.

For travellers wanting a wide choice of activities just out of the city centre, Salford Quays offers an entertainment complex, water sports centre, shopping and boat excursions, making this one of the best cultural, sporting and leisure destinations around Manchester.

Northern Quarter

Located between the two mainline rail stations of Piccadilly and Victoria, the Northern Quarter is full of trendy eateries, thrift stores offering quirky fashions, vinyl records, and vintage clothing more. Suffice it to say, there are several unique and unusual things to do in the Northern Quarter.

While it was a warehouse district on the edge of the city centre some time ago, now, it’s the best place to stay in Manchester for nightlife, bohemian bars, impressive street art, independent record shops and restaurants. The fact that some people consider Northern Quarter to be leftfield and bizarre, but with a little bit of pretension, isn’t that wrong.

That’s because you can find everything from bars with ping pong tables to pay-per-minute cafes to curry canteens almost everywhere.

A self-proclaimed emporium of eclecticism, Afflecks Palace is a multi-storey market classified as a bizarre cornucopia of shopping and shock.

You’ll find this along with curry canteens like Rice N Threes, music heritage sites such as Band on The Wall and much more. For nightlife, you can refer to The Printworks, a modern complex filled with leisure activities promising entertainment. You’ll have a ton of bars, restaurants and one of Europe’s most enormous IMAX screens. The Northern Quarter also provides easy access for visitors and travellers. You can easily call a Manchester airport taxi and be on your flight in less than 30 minutes.

Castlefield

Just outside Manchester City Centre is the area that’s famous for the rock music arena, Castlefield. Here, you can explore The family-friendly Museum of Science and Industry, which puts on a yearly Science Festival, incorporates into its premises the world’s oldest railway station for passengers. Moreover, green spaces, canal-side bars, and restaurants line the streets as you walk up to revel in the gem of Manchester.

Many tourists love visiting the Roman fort remains at Mamucium. Whereas artists and enthusiasts appreciate the opportunity to take in the grandeur of the HOME Arts Centre with live theatre, film, and art shows. In which case, having a chance to go to the Castlefield Bowl for rock and classical music can be a dream come true.

You can access Castlefield from Deansgate. If you prefer a relaxing break over the busy city centre atmosphere offered by Manchester’s more congested areas, you’ll love Castlefield.

Didsbury

With a bustling community vibe and plenty of amenities, Didsbury has become a hotspot for families and couples looking to spend a while in Manchester. With its wealth of delightful shops, beautiful Victorian houses and glorious green spaces, it’s impossible to deny the importance of Didsbury as a tourist attraction as well as a superb residential option.

It’s one of Manchester’s most expensive suburbs. Still, it is a remarkable and commendable place to stay if you prefer a quieter, suburban destination, with occasional day trips into Manchester.

Didsbury has four Metrolink stations at Burton Road, West Didsbury, Didsbury Village and East Didsbury. Moreover, it nestles within itself a Carnegie library, along with the historic Grade II listed St James Church and Fletcher Moss’s former home, ‘The Old Parsonage’.

If your time is right, you might be able to make it to Didsbury Arts Festival, Didsbury Beer Festival, Didsbury Festival and WestFest, keeping locals and foreigners ticking over throughout the year. Once you’ve had your fill, call up a taxi to Manchester airport. Needless to say, even though it’s hard to resist the glorious city, you will have to go back home.