Manchester Guided Walks

Demi Sheridan, Editorial Assistant

With its rich industrial past, iconic architecture and vibrant arts scene, Manchester is a city that begs to be explored step by step. It’s the only way to truly connect with the place. But one better than strolling solo is to book onto a walking tour, led by a guide who knows the city like the back of their hand.

Enter Jonathan Schofield, Manchester’s top walking tour provider and a registered Blue Badge Guide since 1996. What Jonathan and his team don’t know about this city isn’t worth knowing, and the mix of information and entertainment they bring is pitch perfect.

Led by a knowledgeable and experienced tour guide, you’ll get closer to the sights, sounds, and feel of the city. You’ll also uncover more than meets the eye. After all, this is a city of stories. Of people who shattered convention. Of ideas that changed the world. Of workers, of thinkers, of dreamers.

The walking tours below will place you at the heart of these stories, while Jonathan Schofield and his team bring them to vivid life. Some take place in the city centre, others leafy suburbs, and there are even a few walks near Manchester, for those wishing to nip beyond the city limits.

Whether you’re a history buff, culture enthusiast, or just looking to uncover the soul of Manchester, these Manchester walking tours are the perfect way to get to know the city a whole lot better.

Our top picks

The Manchester Music Walkabout

The Manchester Music Walkabout at The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester and online, Until 6 December 2025, From £25.00 - Book now

Manchester’s famous musical legacy comes to life in this walking tour around the city, which will take you from the 1960s to the present day as you tread in the footsteps of everyone from Joy Division to Oasis.

Walking Tour Stock imagery
istock.com - Iryna Melnyk

The Manchester Pub Walkabout

The Manchester Pub Walkabout at Manchester Central Library, Manchester, Until 6 December 2025, From £25.00 - Book now

Stagger across three hundred years of Manchester’s drinking history in one of the city’s most fun-loving walking tours, packed with fascinating stories, brilliantly bizarre facts and hilarious fun and games.

Bars
Band on the Wall

Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx in Manchester

Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx in Manchester at John Rylands Research Institute and Library, Manchester and online, 29 November 2025, From £20.00 - Book now

The remarkable tale of two men who changed the political world is told on this tour, which explores the ways in which Manchester helped shape and reinforce their ideas.

Photo of the John Rylands Library from outside
The University of Manchester

Secrets of Didsbury

Secrets of Didsbury, 4 October 2025, From £20.00 - Book now

No matter how well you think you know Didsbury, there are hidden histories, fascinating buildings, and lots of local personalities that you almost certainly won’t know on this walking tour.

St James' Church, Didsbury (1)
Jonathan Schofield

Suffragettes, Significant Women and Manchester

Suffragettes, Significant Women and Manchester at Manchester Central Library, Manchester, 12 October 2025, From £20.00 - Book now

In 1905, the Suffragettes raised their first ‘Votes for Women’ banner at Manchester’s Free Trade Hall. It’s just one of many pivotal moments in the fight for equality explored here.

Emmeline Pankhurst statue, St Peter's Square
Jonathan Schofield

The Kimpton Clocktower Tour

The Kimpton Clocktower Tour at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, Manchester and online, Until 8 November 2025, From £20 - Book now

Explore the incredible history behind one of Britain’s grandest and most storied commercial buildings while getting exclusive access to hidden spaces full of original features.

jonathan schofield giving tour
jonathanschofieldtours.com

Secrets of Stockport

Secrets of Stockport, Until 7 December 2025, From £20.00 - Book now

The ‘new Berlin’, which it’s been dubbed recently, might be a bit of a stretch, but Stockport is most certainly on a meteoric rise, with so much of interest to see and learn here.

Stockport Plaza
Stockport Plaza

More Jonathan Schofield Walking Tours

jonathan schofield giving tour
Until
Manchester
The Kimpton Clocktower Tour

Explore the incredible history behind one of Britain’s grandest and most storied commercial buildings: Manchester’s Grade II listed Kimpton Clocktower Hotel.

Stockport Plaza
Until
TourManchester
Secrets of Stockport

Join Jonathan Schofield Tours and explore the fascinating stories and stunning architecture of a town on a meteoric rise.

The University of Manchester
TourManchester
Secrets of The University of Manchester with Interior Visits

Epic architecture, hidden green spaces and ideas that changed the world. Explore the rich history of achievement at The University of Manchester.

Elizabeth Gaskell's House
TourManchester
The Manchester Literary Tour

On the eve of Elizabeth Gaskell’s birthday, join Jonathan Schofield Tours for a stroll around the sites (and sights) of Manchester’s literary past.

St Ann's Church
TourManchester
Halloween: The Ghosts of Manchester

Explore Manchester’s creepiest corners this Halloween, when Jonathan Schofield Tours will reveal the city’s ghosts with the most.

Walking Stock Image
TourManchester
Bombed and Besieged: Manchester at War

Marking the anniversary of the Christmas Blitz, this walking tour explores Manchester’s history of conflict, from the English Civil Wars to the World Wars and beyond.

Photo of the exterior of the Palace Hotel
Spotlight on

Hotels in Manchester

To make life easy when it comes to booking your stay, here’s our guide to Manchester's best hotels.

Take me there

More things to do in Manchester

LiteratureManchester
Manchester Poets at Chorlton Library

This autumn Manchester Poets returns to its usual home of Chorlton Library, following its exile to Withington while renovations took place at the Carnegie HQ.

Free entry
MusicManchester
Skee Mask at The White Hotel

Skee Mask, the producer behind some of the most inspired electronic music of the past decade, returns to The White Hotel.

From £11.00
FLIGHT at Aviva Studios
Until
TheatreCity Centre
FLIGHT at Aviva Studios

Happening in absolute darkness inside a 40ft shipping container, FLIGHT invites you to board a commercial airliner – and take two possible journeys.

From £10.00

District guides

  • The front of Didsbury restaurant Volta.
    Didsbury, Manchester

    Didsbury has the perfect split between big brands and independent businesses, welcoming all from far and wide.

  • Ancoats, Manchester
    Ancoats & New Islington

    Ancoats, just off the Northern Quarter in Manchester, is one of the city's most increasingly desirable neighbourhoods. Find out why.

  • People enjoying drinking in Altrincham
    Things to Do in Altrincham

    Plan a day out down Altrincham way, and you’ll soon find that one day isn’t nearly enough. Getting there is easy on the tram, or how about cycling along the...

  • Salford museum and art gallery exterior
    Salford, Greater Manchester

    Cross over the River Irwell, and you’ll find yourself in another city entirely – Salford, which is enjoying something of a regeneration.

  • chinatown, manchester in sun by ben williams
    Chinatown, Manchester

    Chinatown is a network of back streets dotted with Chinese restaurants – go to Ho’s Bakery for perfect honey buns, Hunan for spice and Middle Kingdom for a very affordable menu.

  • The Quays, Greater Manchester

    The Quays is home to MediaCityUK (the largest media hub in Europe) and studios purpose-built for the BBC’s move up North in 2011.

  • Chorlton, Manchester

    Chorlton is a left-leaning suburb a few miles south of Manchester’s city centre (and only 10-odd minutes away by tram). A sprawling hive of artisan coffee shops, boutique clothing stores,...

  • Cheetham Hill, Manchester

    Cheetham Hill gets a bad rap as an area, however as you begin to look round you will find it has plenty to do. Let us be your guide.

  • A coffee stand at Levenshulme Market
    Levenshulme, Manchester

    From cultural points of interest to unique watering holes, explore what Levenshulme has to offer in our guide.

  • Canal Street, Manchester

    Manchester’s picturesque Canal Street and its surroundings constitute what is reputedly the oldest gay village in the country.

  • Photo of a handwritten label in a cafe that says
    Burton Road, West Didsbury, Manchester

    Tis Burton Road is the heart of West Didsbury, a beautifully maintained leafy hubbub of shops, bars and restaurants where independence is paramount. The main strip is home to fifteen...

  • Beech Road Chorlton, Manchester

    A laid-back mix of gift shops, independent outfitters, restaurants, pubs and parks, on a sunny weekend afternoon it’s heaving.

Ego Death
Spotlight on

Hidden Bars in Manchester

Manchester's best secret, hidden and hard to find bars - here's our guide.

Take me there

Visitor guides

looking through junk
Spotlight on

Tours and Activities in the North

"Tours, tours, tours!" If this month's Tours and Activities guide were a sentient speaking person, this is what it would say.

Take me there

Culture guides

  • Cinema in the North

    A host of Halloween horrors, experimental shorts, plus pioneering black British cinema make our October Cinema Guide.

  • Theatre in Manchester and the North
    Theatre in the North

    Theatre this month bursts with contrasts - from bold new writing and Black History Month highlights to contemporary arts and reimagined classics.

  • Exhibitions in the North

    Galleries around the North are gearing up for a new season of exhibitions - from iconic art prizes to smaller, artist-led gems.

  • Wisp Press Image
    Music in the North

    From corrupted shoegaze to experimental electronica, post-hardcore to Indian classical, these are the shows that should be on your radar.

  • Literature Events in the North

    The autumn leaves might be falling already, but the harvest is plentiful as the live literature scene gets back into the swing of things after a summer break...

Hotels in Manchester

Chancellors Hotel is a Grade II listed Victorian mansion located in South Manchester surrounded by five acres of beautiful landscaped gardens, in a relaxed, scenic and picturesque setting.
Manchester
Hotel
Chancellors Hotel

Chancellors Hotel is a Grade II listed Victorian mansion located in South Manchester surrounded by five acres of beautiful landscaped gardens, in a relaxed, scenic and picturesque setting.

iStock.com/SimoneN
Manchester
Hotel
Malmaison Manchester Deansgate

The building’s striking architecture combines classic brickwork with sleek, modern design elements, creating an inviting atmosphere that captures the essence of Manchester’s vibrant energy.

Manchester
Hotel
Forty-Seven

Forty-Seven is a luxury boutique hotel on Peter Street in Manchester city centre, above the high-end Indian restaurant Asha’s.

City Centre
Hotel
Treehouse Manchester

Treehouse Manchester brings a new kind of luxury hotel experience to Manchester, with food curated by some of the city’s most admired names.