Close Attractions

Bolton is prosperous and vibrant town built upon the cotton trade and centred around the striking Old Town Hall. The Pennine hills provide a wonderful backdrop to the bustling town, home to a wide range of fine green spaces, from the Victorian ornamental beauty of Queen’s Park and the understated prettiness of Barrow Bridge to the wildlife haven of Moses Gate. Yet while there’s an abundance of greenery to be found here, Bolton is also a bustling urban centre with all the trimmings. The town centre is always resonating to the sounds of street performers and buskers as people wander in and out of the many cafés and shopping arcades.

The Trafford Centre has had a massive impact on Manchester. It boasts 280 shops, 35 restaurants and a 20-screen cinema under one roof, attracting shoppers from all over the north of England - a veritable cathedral for the consumer! With fancy fake palms, neo-classical columns and marble floors, the Trafford Centre aims to attract the discerning shopper. Stuffed with designer outlets including DKNY, Selfridges, Miss Sixty, Moschino, Calvin Klein, Diesel and Lacoste to name but a few, it really has revolutionised the shopping horizon for Mancunians - and their eager visitors. Even better, the mall has ample free parking for those who wish to shop without racing out of the store to add money to the parking meter.

A dazzling, award winning building in a stunning waterside location. One of the most exciting art galleries in Britain, explore L S Lowry's life and work in ways that might surprise you and discover something new in our other gallery spaces. One of the world's best venues for live entertainment, with an exceptional international programme of drama, dance, comedy and music. A great place for a superb value meal in our award winning restaurant. The Sunday afternoon rendezvous for great food and great free jazz, the first Sunday of the month in the Circle Bar, with the best of North West's jazz and World music artists. A great place to stimulate the whole family with fun activities and education programmes.

Opened on 5 July 2002, the long awaited IWM North is situated on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal on the Trafford wharfside of Salford Quays about 2 miles from city centre Manchester. It is located diametrically opposite the Lowry Centre on the Salford side, to which it is linked by the dramatic Lowry Footbridge across the Ship Canal. The building is an attraction in itself, and is expected to be visited by around 400,000 visitors a year. It is an inspired concept of internationally renowned architect, Daniel Libeskind, who also designed the adjoining Lowry Footbridge. Polish-born in 1946, and with his main office now in Berlin, Libeskind overcame severe budget cuts - from £40 million down to around £28.5 million when the millennium lottery grant failed to materialise, to produce this masterpiece, the first of only 3 buildings by the architect. His other two include the Jewish Museum in Berlin and the Shoah Centre also in Manchester.

The Trafford Centre has had a massive impact on Manchester. It boasts 280 shops, 35 restaurants and a 20-screen cinema under one roof, attracting shoppers from all over the north of England - a veritable cathedral for the consumer! With fancy fake palms, neo-classical columns and marble floors, the Trafford Centre aims to attract the discerning shopper. Stuffed with designer outlets including DKNY, Selfridges, Miss Sixty, Moschino, Calvin Klein, Diesel and Lacoste to name but a few, it really has revolutionised the shopping horizon for Mancunians - and their eager visitors. Even better, the mall has ample free parking for those who wish to shop without racing out of the store to add money to the parking meter.

Based in one of the world's oldest railway stations, Liverpool Road Station, Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry contains 15 galleries which not only educate and inform, but also amaze and entertain. Permanent exhibitions include the Air & Space Gallery, which is packed with planes and flying history memorabilia; Out of This World, a space gallery with interactive computer displays and simulations; the Making of Manchester, an exhibition about the city and it's industrial heritage; Underground Manchester, a walk through Manchester's Victorian Sewer system, complete with sounds and smells; Xperiment, a hands-on science centre with amazing special effects; the Gas & Electricity Galleries, which show these two powerful utilities changed people's lives; the Power Hall, which includes various large engines, steam engines among them; as well as many other exhibits.

Manchester is everything you’ve ever heard about and more. It’s a city steeped in history, a canvas for world-class architects, a cultural playground for the young and the young at heart, a culinary paradise, a sporting Mecca, a shopping utopia…you name it, Manchester has it in style. Manchester is also a place where you can sit back, relax and watch the world go by. A visit to Manchester can mean chilling out in one of the cafés and bars, or visiting the city’s museums and galleries. By night there’s live music and theatre, or world class cuisine in sumptuous restaurants, or witness the bright neon lights in the restaurants of the city’s Chinatown or Rusholme’s Curry Mile.