Culture Guides
Destination Guides
This month’s guide focuses some of the most essential tours and activities for anyone visiting or living in Manchester. These are the tours that will really help you understand the heart of the city, whether that be through your curiosity to learn, your more artistic inclinations or your stomach.
Join local history experts Johnathan Schofield and Skyliner (Hayley Flynn) and dive into Manchester’s past with one eye on where it might be heading in the future. Both these guides have a unique style and a charismatic delivery when it comes to sharing the city’s stories. Their tours of Mayfield Depot and the Northern Quarter will open your eyes to the human activity behind the bricks.
Spend a cultured afternoon at Manchester Art Gallery or The Whitworth, with each offering free tours, it couldn’t be easier to find an accessible way into their collections. Hear the stories behind the art and bridge the gap between creator and viewer.
If you want to make the most of Manchester’s culinary scene we recommend checking out Scranchester and Manchester Food Walks. Both of these food tours will take you to scrumptious independent hidden gems giving you the chance to try a bit of everything, all in one meal.
For more tours and activities beyond Manchester, including a couple of Beatles-themed explorations around Liverpool, keep scrolling.
Here are our picks
-
1. Skyliner: Modern History of the Northern Quarter Tour
Hayley Flynn The Modern History of the Northern Quarter at Shudehill Metrolink Station, Manchester, Until 12 July 2020, from £9 - Book now
Join Skyliner for an alternative view of the Norther Quarter, learn about the area’s political happenings through its stunning public art.
-
2. Vivarium Gallery Tours at Manchester Museum
Vivarium Gallery Tours at Manchester Museum at Manchester Museum, Manchester, Until 17 April 2020, free entry - Visit now
Find endangered species, swimming wonders and all manner of frogs in Manchester Museum’s Vivarium Gallery Tours.
-
3. Mayfield Depot Station Tour
The Mayfield Abandoned Station Tour at Mayfield Depot, Manchester, Until 28 April 2020, from £12 - Book now
Johnathan Schofield is a well seasoned guide and literally wrote the book on Manchester. Join him for a journey into the heart of Mayfield Depot.
-
4. Adult Skateboard Lessons at Projekts MCR
Projekts MCR Adult Skateboard Lessons at Projekts MCR at Projekts MCR Skatepark, City Centre, Until 8 May 2020, free entry - Visit now
Try out something new and pick up the courage to get on four wheels with friendly encouragement from the Projekts coaches.
-
5. Manchester Art Gallery Highlights Tour
Photo by Clem Onojeghuo from Pexels Manchester Art Gallery Highlights Tour at Manchester Art Gallery, Chinatown, Until 30 September 2020, free entry - Visit now
Take a tour around select artworks from Manchester Art Gallery’s collection. Lead by different guides every day, each tour is personal to their taste. Tours start at 2 pm from Thursday to Sunday.
-
6. Eat The City – Scranchester Tours
Scranchester tours Eat The City - Scranchester Tours at Mackie Mayor, Manchester, Until 1 May 2020, from £50 - Book now
Munch your way through the city centre, taking in a culinary overview of Manchester, from the bakeries of china town to the scrumptious start-up kitchens in the Northern Quarter.
-
7. Whitworth Art Gallery Daily Tour
Free Daily Tours, the Whitworth. Whitworth Art Gallery Daily Tour at The Whitworth, Manchester, Until 2 September 2020, free entry - Visit now
Learn about the Whitworth’s collections in more intimate detail with one of their daily free tours.
-
8. Northern Quarter Taster Walk with Manchester Food Walks
John Ryan Northern Quarter Taster Walk at Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester, Until 6 June 2020, from £40 - Book now
Eat your way through the city with this food walk for foodies. Come with a keen appetite for trying new things.
-
9. Liverpool Beatles Walk and Ticket to Ride Tour
-
10. The Runaway Brewery Tour & Tasting
The Runaway Brewery The Runaway Brewery - Tour & Tasting at The Runaway Brewery, Manchester, Until 11 May 2020, from £15.70 - Book now
Get to grips with the brewing process at Runaway Brewery and enjoy sampling the end result with one of the Brewers themselves.
-
11. Discover Manchester Daily Tour
pexels Discover Manchester Daily Tour at Manchester Central Library, Manchester, 6 December–31 July 2020, from £10 - Book now
The Essential Manchester Walk for locals and visitors alike. An entertaining and knowledgeable guide will show you around the city centre, giving you a taste of the history, architecture and culture and showing you the major sites.
-
12. Victoria Baths Guided Tour
Andrew Billington Photography Victoria Baths Guided Tour at Victoria Baths, Manchester, Until 6 May 2020, from £6 - Book now
The stunning Victoria Baths open again this April. Discover their charm for yourself with a midweek guided tour.
More Tours & Activities
Meditation at the Manchester Buddhist Centre
Learn how to meditate with the welcoming community at Manchester Buddhist Centre. Their beginners classes are the perfect way to find your feet and develop your own meditation practice.
Technical Tours at the National Coal Mining Museum
Get into the the heart of the machinery with technical tours of the mines at the National Coal Mining Museum.
Rock and Goal Tour
Join Joe Feeley a Mancunian through and through, who guides you into Manchester’s two pillars of cultural excellence with his Rock and Goal tour.
Sunday Night Waves 5Rhythms Drop In
Embrace the effervescent energy of Sunday Night Waves, a 5Rhythms dance class where you can move with the flow of your own body and explore.
Local Leeds Food Tour
Fresh local produce is always on the menu of the Local Leeds food tour. Visit six pubs and restaurants serving up some of Yorkshire’s finest cuisine.
Leeds Street Food Tour
Eat your way through some of the best street food Leeds has to offer, with insights into the people and stories behind each bite. Try something new with the Leeds Street Food tour.
Two hour Beatles Guided Walk & Cavern Club
This Beatles Guided Walk & Cavern Club is the perfect way to learn more about The Beatles while discovering the city of Liverpool.
Alice Irwin: People Play Trail at The Piece Hall in Halifax
Drop into The Piece Hall Welcome Centre and collect a sculpture trail map that will take you on a sketching and symbol spotting journey.
Stockport Air Raid Shelter Explorer Tour
Every second Wednesday of the month guided tours of the mile long stretch of Air Raid Shelter under Stockport give you the chance to see a more personalised view of the tunnels.
Culture Guides
Exhibitions
Art and women’s wrestling, Ancient Akkadian gravesites and invented artefacts – check out this month’s pick of exhibitions from across the north.
Literature
News of books just out and books worth revisiting, even if you can’t get to the events yourself. Plus a fabulous new exhibition about independent publisher Carcanet, on for the next six months…
Classical Music in Manchester and the North
We preview the standout classical music events and venues in Manchester.
Food and Drink in Manchester and the North
It’s time to find the best restaurants for the weeks ahead. Here’s our guide to the best Food and Drink in Manchester and the North
Related Guides
Food and Drink in Manchester and the North
It’s time to find the best restaurants for the weeks ahead. Here’s our guide to the best Food and Drink in Manchester and the North
Exhibitions
Art and women’s wrestling, Ancient Akkadian gravesites and invented artefacts – check out this month’s pick of exhibitions from across the north.
Theatre
Bringing opera, dance, fierce experimental performance and new writing, there’s much to enjoy in our guide to the best theatre in Manchester and the North.
Classical Music in Manchester and the North
We preview the standout classical music events and venues in Manchester.
Cinema
Cinemas might be closed but independent venues and distributors need any help they can get. We look at some films you can stream and places to donate.
Music
Discover the best live music coming up in Manchester and the north this spring and, dare we say it, summer!
Places to go / stay / shop / eat / drink
Things to do right now
Powered by
