Top 10 things to do in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a big city region with football, music, museums and industrial history, plus the moors on its edge. It is easy to get around by tram and train.
- 1
Science and Industry Museum
📍 ManchesterFree, historyA museum on the site of the world’s first passenger railway station.
- 2
Manchester Art Gallery
📍 ManchesterArt, freeA free gallery with Pre-Raphaelite and contemporary art.
- 3
John Rylands Library
📍 ManchesterHistory, booksA Victorian Gothic library with an impressive reading room, free to visit.
- 4
National Football Museum
📍 ManchesterFootball, familiesA museum of the history of the game.
- 5
The Lowry
📍 Salford QuaysArts, waterfrontA theatre and gallery on Salford Quays, with the works of L. S. Lowry.
- 6
Imperial War Museum North
📍 TraffordHistory, freeA free museum in a building designed by Daniel Libeskind.
- 7
Etihad Stadium tour
📍 East ManchesterFootballA tour of the Manchester City stadium and museum.
- 8
Old Trafford tour
📍 TraffordFootballA tour of the Manchester United stadium and museum.
- 9
Heaton Park
📍 North ManchesterPark, familyOne of Europe’s largest city parks, with a hall, lake and tram museum.
- 10
Quarry Bank Mill
📍 Styal, near WilmslowHistory, gardensA well-preserved cotton mill with gardens, in Cheshire but close to the city.
Where to base yourself
Last checked: October 2026.