This self-proclaimed sin slide will be one of the most exciting clubs/gig venues you’ll visit during your time here. Located in an unhipstered industrial zone in the shadows of Strangeways prison, it’s sort of in the middle of no-where, and it makes the most of that fact by throwing some of the wildest parties around, club nights regularly running until the time you should be thinking about heading to that morning lecture. A former mechanics workshop, it’s a total dive. It’s also one of the most creatively alive venues in the city, with a unique ability to be the perfect venue for both a string quartet and a heavy techno night.

So you’ve just arrived in Manchester and want to get involved in the self expression, creativity and plain fun seen in how Mancunians present themselves. COW vintage is the place to head. With a selection of hand picked vintage as well as remade clothing, you’re sure to find one or two signature pieces that’ll help you start building an independent wardrobe.

There’s not a chance you won’t be hitting up YES at some point. The apple in local promoter Now Wave’s eye, this is a music venue and bar located in a former auctioneers house on Charles Street, just off Oxford Road. It boasts four floors for live music and DJ’s, two food outlets (Two words. Döner Summer) plus an outdoor roof terrace — a great spot for happy hour cocktails. It also has a gravitational pull for excellent smaller bands, The Pink Room accommodating 250 people and the basement, 60. Many great reasons to give this place a try.

Affleck’s is a long standing institution, and the perfect place to buy your Manchester student starter kit (a.k.a. a couple of wall hangings, some incense and 11 vintage sweaters). No other retail unit embodies so wholeheartedly the indie DIY attitude that Manchester is so well known for. This emporium of independent sellers is easy to get lost in, as you search through priceless vinyls, posters, piercings and some of the best ice cream to be found in the city centre.

For students who want to eat out in the Northern Quarter without haemorrhaging student loan This and That is a must. As one of the cities worst kept secrets, their hearty portions and heartfelt pricing keeps the cafe buzzing with custom. Whether you’re vegan or can’t imaging the thought of a meal without meat, you’ll find something delicious in their spread of curries and dhal.

Manchester is renowned for its ability to facilitate a banging party, and the younger venues are carrying on that legacy of giants like the Haçienda. Hidden first appeared on the scene about eight years ago and has since been curating a varied programme of electronic music nights that consistently bring the fire. With one of the cities best sound systems and signature graffiti you can easily loose yourself in this playful wonderland.

Contact puts on stimulating theatre shows, hosts impassioned spoken word poetry sessions and also gives you – yes, you – the chance to star in its productions. If you’re an aspiring DJ, actor or dancer you’d better get yourself down there and sign up for something straight away.

Looking for the best Manchester clubs? Go underground, to the basement of a Soup Kitchen. Though the bar has been around for a while, and during the day Soup is a decent place to go to for a Northern Quarter, communal-style lunch, Soup Kitchen’s basement space is home to some of the city’s best gigs and club nights, and drinks are more reasonably priced than you’ll find elsewhere in the area.

Everyone in Manchester who loves food knows about Rudy’s, and many will claim they do the best pizza in the city. But it’s also pretty cheap, especially as far as restaurants in the trendy Ancoats neighbourhood go – prices start at about a tenner for 12 slices of authentic Neapolitan joy. And while you’re in Cutting Room Square (Ancoat’s hospitality hub), there are plenty of great bars to check out, as well as the much-loved Ancoats marina, should you fancy a few tins by the canal in the last of the summer sun.

Just over the road from The University of Manchester’s student union on Oxford Road,  you’ll see a red neon sign announcing the entrance to this dimly-lit drinking hole, which is squeezed between a tiny florist and a kebab shop. Get past the smokers around the tall tables out front and, once inside, you’ll escape the incessant screeching of car tires upon tarmac. Instead, you could be half the world away in an American rock ‘n’ roll saloon.