Manchester With Kids
Manchester has so much to offer your family! & Definitely worth a visit if you’re looking for a smaller (better) version of London.
Whether you prefer bright city lights, the countryside, local history, shopping, theatre, or dining out, everything is accessible with excellent transport links.
Manchester and the surrounding area is easy to get around once you are here thanks to the choice of buses trams and trains that are available. Walking (especially to the city center) is one of the best options to as the city is compact.
Use the transport for greater Manchester TFGM for planning your journey as a wealth of information and journey planning tools to take the stress out of traveling throughout the city.
Manchester City center has a free bus service (called “metro shuttles”) and it provides free hop-on hop-off service that links to all the main rail stations shopping districts and business areas.
There are also plenty of commercial buses that run through Greater Manchester to help you get around too.
You can also use the Metrolink tram to transport across the city region and if you’re planning on sightseeing “travel cards” offer unlimited travel across all transports so be sure to purchase a ticket from the one stop ticket machines before boarding!
The train rail can connect you to the neighboring towns and districts of Greater Manchester as well.
Manchester’s Transportation System Is Called: System One
If you want to travel on any bus or combination of bus train and tram you can purchase a “system one travel card” as they’re accepted by most bus train and trail companies running through Manchester.
This gives you and your family the opportunity to travel and transfer seamlessly from bus to bus or from one transport to another as many times as you like.
Parking In Manchester
NPC
It has over 30 locations across the city center. They have a pre-booking service in Manchester so you can guarantee a parking space before your journey begins.
APCOA
They have five car parks in Manchester including Manchester Piccadilly station car park they offer long and short stays.
Bus Tours Around Manchester
Manchester bus tour has a quote-unquote secrets of the city with a live guide and you can experience the famous sites while discovering its rich heritage as a world city of firsts. The birthplace of new ideas and innovations discoveries and inventions. The 90-minute tour feature is over 100 unusual facts about Manchester’s history music football industry culture politics and residents live guided tours run every Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Sightseeing
With the hop on-hop off bus, you can discover the city’s heritage on a 90-minute hop on hop off bus tour with 14 stops in Manchester’s key areas and attractions, including the town hall, Manchester national football museum, science, and industry museum, and Manchester United football club.
Walking In Manchester City Centre
The City center is easily explored by foot with most areas within a 20 minute walk.
You can look out for a city host who are dotted around the city central district to help you with directions public transport information and details on events or attractions.
Maps of The City
Visitors can pick up a free large version Manchester map in the visitor information center, located right inside Manchester Central Library or at city center museums galleries and attractions.
Manchester is a great city with tons of interesting activities and attractions for the entire family.
Here are a few below:
Play Factor
Play factor houses the tallest standing indoor slide in the UK as well as a full indoor laser tag arena go-kart track exhilarating zip wire and stimulating virtual reality environment!
Legoland Discovery Center
Side Note: Center is actually spelled: Centre, in the UK
If your children are age 3 to 10 and like Lego then they’ll love this the ultimate indoor Lego playground see all of Manchester’s top attractions made from Lego in mini land and enjoy the new Lego Ninjago City adventure plays feature.
Smith Hills Open Farm
This farm is set in the vast open countryside of smithers country Park next to the historic middles Hall children and families will love visiting to see over 25 different types of animals.
East Lancashire Railway
An ideal day out for kids is heritage railways run steam and diesel trains through beautiful the pennine Lancashire scenery. There are lots of special events throughout the year including the popular Santa specials so check out what’s on in advance.
Chester Zoo
For all the animal lovers Chester zoo’s brand new walkthrough lemur experience will transport you to the forest of Madagascar as you come face to face with the best wildlife the island has to offer plus the new treetop challenge is a great way to burn off some energy after a delicious lunch and the recently refurbished Oakland pub.
CBBC Tour at Media City UK
Media City UK is the home of CBBC where many favorite children’s programs are made such as blue Peter and newsround Kids can have a go at being a CBBC presenter or find out how it feels to present the news and weather they’ll also discover what goes on behind the scenes
Tatton Park
Experience tudor life at tatton Park
located in the beautiful 1000 acre deer Park the former Edgerton family home is open for you to explore uncover centuries of history at the two-door old hall and ad wander at leisure through huge glorious gardens where the children can meet very special rare breed animals at the working farm.
Manchester City Center Neighborhoods:
Ancoats
Filled with independent cafes and bars and new restaurants
Castlefield
The Roman heart of the city. Escape from the city hustle has an array of waterside restaurant pubs and bars.
Chinatown
The second-largest Chinatown in the UK. A wide variety of Asian restaurants, bakeries, and shops.
Worth A Visit:
- Manchester Art Gallery
Civic quarter
Home City Ionic listed buildings such as Town Hall and Central Library. Essential library host walk daily walking tours at 11:00 a.m.
Worth A Visit:
- Manchester Central Library
- St Mary’s Church
1st Street
One of Manchester’s cultural districts. It’s home to the multi-art center HOME, bars restaurants and accommodation.
Greengate
This is in the heart of Manchester filled with culture heritage commercial spaces and residential buildings with a waterfront view.
Medieval quarter
This is home to some of the city’s oldest building such as Chatham’s Library and Manchester’s cathedral
Worth A Visit:
- National football museum
- Chatham School of music
- Cathedral Gardens
- Manchester cathedral
New Bailey
The vibrant canal side area of the city and it mixes commercial space with accommodation restaurant pubs and bars.
NOMA
In the heart of this area is Sadler’s Yard. Public space surrounded by shots restaurants homes and offices. It’s home to many year-round events.
Northern Quarter
a creative neighborhood filled with independent retailers of vintage music fashion art and more.
Worth A Visit:
- Center for contemporary Chinese art
- Manchester craft and design center
- Greater Manchester Police museum
Petersfield
The city’s conference district including Manchester Central convention complex great northern and the Bridgewater Hall.
Piccadilly
This is the main gateway into the city where there’s many shops bars hotels pubs and more.
Retail District
This area is exactly as it sounds it’ll fulfill all your shopping needs from high end to high street fashion and it’s a popular area for street artists.
Worth A Visit:
- St Ann’s Church
- Royal exchange theater
Spinningfields
Vibrant area with luxury international fashion brands and many restaurants & bars.
Worth A Visit:
- John Ryland’s Library(the library in Hardy Potter!!!)
- People’s History Museum
- Manchester Opera House
St John’s
This is home for the science and industry museum.
Worth A Visit:
- Science and Industry Museum
- Air and space hall
- Castlefield Bowl
The gay village
One of the world’s leading LGBT+ cities. A thriving area with hubs clubs restaurants and green space supporting this community.
Regional center neighborhoods
Located outside of the city center, they have a unique sense of culture and community.
Etihad campus
This is a sports district that’s home to the city football club stadium and training facilities.
Oxford road corridor
South of the city center…It runs from St Peter’s square to Whitworth Park. Surrounded by world-class medical and educational institutions alongside many cultural amenities.
Worth A Visit:
- UoM Manchester museum
- Pankhurst center
- Elizabeth gaskell’s house
- the whitworth
- whitworth Park
- college of music
Media City UK and The Quays
Greater Manchester’s contemporary waterfront is packing everything you can do in a big city into one square mile. The shopping sports arts drama and world-class architecture. You name it, you’ll find it here. It’s also an international hub for technology and creativity, and it’s a host to a wide variety of leisure activities. (Were you may even spot celebrities!)
Worth A Visit:
- Imperial war museum
- the Lowry
- Lowry outlet Mall
- Ordsall Hall
