What To Do When It Rains In Manchester

Science and Industry Museum, Liverpool Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M3 4FP - Visit now

The Science and Industry Museum is housed in the buildings of the world’s first inter-city passenger railway; this sprawling, interactive land of scientific exploration includes a working steam train. It’s mostly indoors, it’s very kid-friendly and there’s good cafe on site too. Your closest tram stop is Deansgate Castlefield, it’s only a short dash away, making it an ideal pick when it’s bucketing down.

HOME Manchester, 2 Tony Wilson Place, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M15 4FN - Visit now

HOME is a great place to spend a rainy day. Take in some art-house cinema across five, excellently programmed cinema screens, explore contemporary art, browse the bookshop, enjoy a pint in the downstairs bar and then maybe dinner before catching a show on of the theatre spaces.

Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M2 3JL - Visit now

Positioned at the very heart of the city, Manchester Art Gallery houses six centuries worth of fine art, ceramics, glass, furniture and costume, and presents a year-round programme of contemporary exhibitions by world-leading artists. Taking in the whole gallery properly demands at least a couple of hours and there’s a very good cafe to keep you fuelled up.

Mackie Mayor, 1 Eagle Street, Manchester, M4 5BU

The Grade II listed Mackie Mayor is must-see for anyone visiting Manchester. This ornate, voluminous, early-Victorian, purpose-built meat market is now a glass-roofed marketplace, packed with the city’s finest food and drink merchants, with room enough for hundreds of diners and drinkers. Stay here and eat and drink out the storm.

The Whitworth, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M15 6ER - Visit now

Winner of Visit England’s gold prize for Large Visitor Attraction of the Year 2016 and Art Fund’s Museum of the Year 2015 following a major £15m redevelopment, the beautifully designed Whitworth Art Gallery is a true gem of a place. Its internationally important art collection is presented alongside a changing programme of contemporary exhibitions and outdoor sculpture, whilst the spectacular ‘café in the trees’ is well worth a visit alone.

Afflecks, 52 Church Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M4 1PW - Visit now

Afflecks in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, formerly (and still affectionately) known as Affleck’s Palace, is a mind-bogglingly diverse vintage shopping emporium. Have a look around here for or an hour or so and enjoy some of the city’s most wonderfully independent retailers.

National Football Museum, Urbis Building, Cathedral Gardens, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M4 3BG - Visit now

Manchester is probably even more famous for football than it is for rain! Visitors to the National Football Museum can dive into this heritage and more as they explore the whole world of football across several floors of changing exhibitions. The Museum is on the doorstep of Victoria Station and the nearby Corn Exchange has a decent pick of eateries, all under one (waterproof) roof.

Manchester Craft & Design Centre, 17 Oak St, Northern Quarter, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M4 5JD - Visit now

Housed in a former Victorian fish market, Manchester Craft and Design Centre has for 30 years been home to an array of artist-run studios. Hands down the most reliable one-stop-shop for unique, but not over-priced, gifts in the city.

Manchester Museum, The University Of Manchester, Oxford Rd, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M13 9PL - Visit now

Manchester Museum boasts six million pieces in its archive, an impressive Egyptology collection and new discovery space The Study all in one gothic, Grade II*-listed building. You can wander around Manchester Museum for several hours without even thinking about the rain outside.

If all else fails, there are plenty of great pubs in Manchester.