I really enjoyed my first visit to Manchester. During my visit I discovered some lovely historical places including Manchester Town Hall a Victorian Neo-Gothic building which was built between 1868 and 1877 and designed by Alfred Waterhouse. The past few years the town hall has been used as a filming location for Sherlock Holmes, The Iron Lady and Victor Frankenstein.

Manchester was founded in the 16th Century. The world's first passenger train station Liverpool and Manchester railway opened in 1830. It has been closed to passengers since 1844, it still exists today and is the oldest surviving passenger station in the world. If you are an art person visit the Manchester Art Gallery, the gallery holds the largest art exhibition and was the first city to host the first international art exhibition the Art Treasures of Great Britain in 1857.  You can join a free volunteer guided tour of the gallery where you will find out more about art on display, the building and the history of the gallery.  Tours take place every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Getting Around Manchester

If you are travelling to the city by public transport, they have an airport in the city and there are direct trains to Manchester Piccadilly station. The station is only 20 minutes from the centre and main attractions. Most of the attractions are within walking distance and if you need directions you can ask City Hosts. You can get around by tram and Metroshuttle Bus, the trams are every 12 minutes and Metroshuttle Buses are a free hop on, hop off service which includes train stations and shopping districts.

Attractions and Things To Do

One of my favourite places was John Rylands Library which is 180 years old and housed in a Neo-Gothic building. It is one of the most stunning libraries I have been to and photographed, I was overwhelmed by how beautiful the architecture was. The library first opened to the public in 1900 and was founded by Enriqueta Augustina Rylands  in memory of her husband John Ryands.  It is the third largest academic library in the UK and today is part of the University of Manchester. They have collections of rare books and manuscripts.  The library is open from 10am to 5pm.
Coronation Street is filmed in Manchester which is the world's longest running soap opera and was broadcast in 1960. If you are a Coronation Street fan you can book a guided tour that takes you to some of the sets Coronation Street, Weatherfield and Victoria Street, the tour is only available on weekends https://coronationstreettour.co.uk 

If you are a cat lover I can thoroughly recommend Manchester Cat Cafe where you can meet a variety of cats including Norwegian Forest cats, Ragdolls and Bengals. It is one of the most friendly cat cafes I have been to and has a relaxing atmosphere, they have a choice of hot and cold drinks, cakes, snacks or afternoon tea. There are interactive games for the cats. One of the best times to visit is 10am when the cafe opens as the cats are normally more active and sometimes you can see them being fed breakfast. If you would like to visit you can pre book an hour slot for £12.00 which includes unlimited hot and cold drinks https://catcafe.co.uk

Where to stay
I stayed at the Ibis Styles Manchester Portand Hotel which is in a great locatoin for all the attractions. I really liked the quirkiness of the hotel and the friendliness of the staff. The hotel is opposite Piccadilly Gardens and close to the Northern Quarter. The hotel features a lively bar, restaurant and free WiFi throughout, the hotel is walking distance from Piccadilly Station. Ibis Styles Manchester Portland is just 350 yards from Manchester Piccadilly Railway Station. Lively Canal Street is a 5-minute walk away, and Old Trafford is a 10-minute drive from the hotel. Manchester Arena and the city's theatres can also be found nearby.

I am looking forward to visiting Manchester again one day, it is one of my favourite cities for the history, beautiful architecture and friendliness of the city.

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