Winter in Manchester

Christmas markets in Manchester. Image: VisitManchester

Do you want to take a weekend this winter but not sure where? Why not go to Manchester? The city’s Christmas markets are known as some of the best in the country and there is plenty of nightlife and cultural events to make a perfect winter weekend.

Christmas markets.
During December, Manchester is packed with Christmas markets all around the city.  From the specialist markets such as the Christmas Arts & Crafts market at Exchange Street or the new French market at King Street, to the traditional Christmas markets by New Cathedral Street and Exchange Square. Eat traditional winter food and drink some mulled wine while you think about what Christmas present to buy next.

Read more about the markets here

North Pole Bar
Manchester’s own winter bar is now open again! The North Pole Bar had over 100 000 visitors during its opening months of 2008 and 2009 and is now three times bigger than last year. It offers a perfect end to a busy day of Christmas shopping with cosy chesterfield sofas and vintage rugs, Asian food luxurious cocktails and live music. The North Pole Bar is situated by Manchester’s Cathedral Gardens and is open until 19 December.

Find your way to North Pole Bar with our Britain Map

A Christmas Carol
End your busy day in Manchester with a visit to the theatre. See the heart-warming Charles Dickens tale ‘A Christmas Carol’ about the grumpy old miser Ebenezer Scrooge who makes his staff work on Christmas day – until he is confronted by the Spirits of Christmas and starts to change his mind. The classic play is shown at the Library Theatre until 8 January.

Find your way to the theatre here

See more festive things to do in Manchester this Winter at VisitManchester’s website.

/Carl

5, 6, 7, 8… And all that Jazz

If you happen to be in Manchester between the 23^rd to 31^st of July, I recommend you join the Manchester Jazz Festival – a contemporary event, where the gin is cold and where the music makes your jazz hands shake.

This year marks the 15^th anniversary of the Manchester Jazz Festival and it’s the biggest festival to date. The lineup includes international and regional artists like trumpeter Neil Yates, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Extra Love and many more. See the full festival programme here.

The festival consists of several indoor and outdoor events – many of them are free. You can find more information about tickets and venues here. You can also check out our Britain google map for locations.

That Jazz!

/Siska

New Visitor Information Centre in Manchester

If you’re travelling to Manchester and are not sure what to see and do, make sure to swing by the new sophisticated Manchester visitor information centre (MVIC) and get the most out of your visit.

Recently, VisitManchester.com re-launched their website which collects the latest and relevant information about the city by using innovative technology methods – fitting perfectly with the standards of the new MVIC.

The visitor information centre is very modern, spacious, has state of the art technology making it interactive and fun to discover what Manchester has to offer.

Read our travel guide or visit Manchester’s website. Find your way to the new visitors centre on our Britain map.

/Siska

Travel Guide for Families – Manchester

Manchester is one of the coolest cities in the UK and a great place to visit for the whole family. There are various activities both indoor and outdoor. Here are a couple of our recommendations for families travelling to Manchester.

Legoland Discovery Centre
This is indeed something for both kids and parents. Here you can get a guided tour and see how Lego’s are created, there’s a 4D cinema, a Kingdom Quest train and over 2 million Lego’s!

Runway Visitor Park
Bring your family to the Runway Visitor Park in Manchester and take a look at legendary aircraft’s up close! Also, make sure to get a tour of the Concord G-BOAC – the “World’s favorite airline”.

Imperial War Museum North
Visit the Museum for an educational and fun-filled day. Imperial War Museum North offers a range of activities and events all year round suited especially for families. In addition, its free entry for adults and children!

Great Budworth Real Diary Ice Cream Farm
Get out of the city and see how ice cream is made, taste over 15 flavours, let the kids’ release some energy and enjoy a home-baked cake! The farm is only about 30-40 minutes drive from Manchester and is a nice day trip for the family.

Manchester United Museum
Football fan or not, this is a must see attraction if you’re in Manchester! Visit one of the world’s most famous football stadiums, learn about the story of Manchester United, get a tour of the theatre of dreams and maybe watch a game?

Heaton Park
A huge family park with lots of activities that will keep you and the children busy for the whole day. There’s everything from playgrounds to an animal centre. Click here for other parks in Manchester.

Food for the whole family
The Olive Press lets the children make their own pizza! Their menus consist of healthy and fresh ingredients that are appealing for both children and adults. In addition, the Olive Press has been awarded with the Pride of Manchester awards in 2009 and 2010.

Brewers Fayre
Has a wide selection of tasty dishes for reasonable prices. The restaurant is very family friendly and keeps the children entertained with activities, competitions and a play zone.

If you want more information about Manchester, read our destination guide in:
Swedish >
Danish >
Norwegian >
Finnish >

Have a nice family vacation in Manchester!

/Siska

What’s happening in Manchester?

If you’re travelling to Manchester and don’t know what to do, check out VisitManchester.com. They just launched a new website – giving you up to date information about what’s happening in Manchester.

The cool thing about their website, is that you can share your travel experience or inside information with other people who want to travel to Manchester. Share everything, from where you can eat a delicious meal and not using a fortune to nice pictures. The new website collects the latest and relevant information about Manchester from social media feeds like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and other sources which they present in an innovative way. For instance, I noticed that the website does not have any pages – you just scroll up and down.

/Siska

Things to do in Britain when you’re stuck

Stuck in Britain because of an ash cloud? Don’t despair – Britain is probably the best place to get stuck in, since it’s full of great things to do all year round. So read this blog post and get inspired!

LONDON

Musicals
Phantom of the Opera, Buddy, La Bohème, Mamma Mia, Jersey Boys or The Lion King – There is simply no better place to catch a musical than in London. And even if you don’t have tickets, there’s always a good chance to find tickets last minute at Leicester Square.

Find out which musical you want to see and if it’s running this weekend on Time Out London.

Storm Exhibition – Right but Wrong
See the highly recommended exhibition “Right but Wrong – The Extended Album Art of Storm Studios and Hipgnosis” at Idea Generation Gallery. The exhibition is open until 2nd of May 2010.

Idea Generation Gallery
11 Chance Street
London E2 7JB
Web: Idea Generation Gallery

London Architecture Walks
If your interested in architecture but not sure what to visit or how, then a guided walk might be the answer. With London Architecture Walks, you can choose a theme like “London Churches”, “Financial London” or “River Thames”. Take your pick and start walking.

Web: London Architecture Walks

Have a pint at a local pub
Relax – there’s nothing you can do about the cloud anyway. So why not have a pint and just let the hours go by for a while? With the Good Pub Guide you can find the best places to find a good pint throughout Britain.

Web: The Good Pub Guide

ENGLAND

Fine Food Market in Nottingham
With almost 40 stallholders from across the East Midlands – selling everything from meat, cheese and pickles, to fudge, cakes, beer and wine – there is going to be plenty of choice for food and drink lovers everywhere. So take yourself down to Old Market Square between 16th and 17th of April and eat your way through British food culture this weekend.

Find more things to do in Nottingham on Visit Nottinghams homepage.

See a Premier League football game
Take the opportunity to see a Premier League football game this weekend. There are still some great matches that aren’t sold out like the derby between Manchester City and Manchester United or Liverpool – Westham and Blackburn – Everton.

Buy tickets on Premier Leagues homepage.

Hadrian’s Wall in Newcastle
You can’t visit Newcastle without walking along designated World Heritage Site, Hadrian’s Wall. This famous 2,000-year-old Roman defence wall stretches from Carlisle in Cumbria to Wallsend in Newcastle going right through the city.

Find more things to do in Newcastle on VisitNewcastleGatesheads homepage.

Shopping in Manchester
Manchester is a real shopping Mecca, and if you’re stranded here – take the time to do some serious shopping. Some good places to shop is The Lowry Outlet Mall at The Quays, the bohemian area Northern Quarter where you’ll find famous Afflecks, or Kings Street with its fashionable shops.

Stuck in Manchester, but don’t have any shopping cravings? Then visit VisitManchesters homepage for more inspiration.

The Harry Potter Sensation
All over Britain you’ll find places to visit if you’re a Harry Potter buff. Take the Hogwarts Express through Harry Potters London & Oxford, find the filming locations for Hogwarts Dining Hall, Hogsmead Station or Diagon Alley and lot’s of other exiting places throughout Britain.

Read the first part of our three part guide to Harry Potters Britain here.

The Beatles Story in Liverpool
While in Liverpool you don’t want to miss The Beatles Story, an interactive museum located at the historic Albert Dock in Liverpool. Join the four lads in their journey from unknown boys to world famous.

The museum is open seven days a week, all year round (excluding December 25th/26th) Opening hours are 9am – 7pm. For information about current exhibitions, admission fees etc, please visit The Beatles Story homepage.

WALES

Millenium Centre
Cardiff’s showpiece arts centre features everything from ballet and opera to hip hop shows and comedy. Known locally as the ‘Golden Armadillo‘, its gigantic bronze-coloured façade inscribed with poetry has made the building an iconic UK landmark.

Historic Pubs
If you like beer and history, Cardiff is the place to go. Many of the ancient pubs of Cardiff actually existed before the city itself. So find a pub, have a pint and take in the historic atmosphere of Cardiff.

SCOTLAND

Glasgow International Festival Of Visual Art
Have you been stuck in Glasgow and love art? Lucky you. Between16 April-3 May you have the chance to see Glasgow International Festival Of Visual Art. Packed with events, talks and tours as well as major world-class exhibitions, some by artists living in the city and others by leading international figures, the Festival is Glasgow’s art scene at its liveliest and best.

The Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh
If your fond of whisky and happen to be stuck in Edinburgh, I suggest you walk down to The Scotch Whisky Museum. Apparently they just started a thrilling new guided tour where you can take a barrel ride through a replica distillery, hear stories about the craftsmanship of whisky making and get some inside hints on how to improve your palate and lead you to your favourite Single Malt Whisky.

The Scotch Whisky Experience
354 Castlehill, The Royal Mile,
Edinburgh, EH1 2NE

For more information about the opening hours or ongoing events, please visit The Scotch Whisky Museums homepage.

I hope you got some ideas on what to do in Britain when you’re stuck. For further information or inspiration, please visit our homepages:

Sweden: http://www.visitbritain.se
Denmark: http://www.visitbritain.dk
Finland (ENG): http://www.visitbritain.fi
Norway: http://www.visitbritain.no

Enjoy!

- Towe -

Win a trip to Sherlock Holmes’ England!

Danes, look this way!

Did you miss the competition where you could win movie tickets to the new Sherlock Holmes movie? Or did you just happen not to win? Well, then… have I got a treat for you!

Together with the Danish online magazine B.T., we’re now giving you a chance to win a four day trip to London and Manchester with activities in the spirit of Sherlock Holmes.

Sounds intriguing? Click here to compete before February 19 2010! And if you’re into fighting scenes, mysteries, good looking lads and English environments – Don’t forget to see the movie on christmas day. I saw it, and I loved it, for the obvious reasons stated above!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our readers! And good luck to you Danes!   

- Towe -

A weekend in Manchester

Remember we had a competition where you could design your own sneakers and win a trip to Manchester? Lone was our Danish winner, and she wants to share her trip with us:
We had a great trip! And the people of Manchester were friendly and helpful towards us. Especially when it came to a couple of Danes who had some difficulties with buying tickets for the tram at Salford Qaeys. I wasn’t aware that the tram drove on the left side until a friendly person told me that I was waiting in the wrong direction! Compared to Copenhagen, I got the impression that the people of Manchester are really friendly when it comes to helping out a single tourist such as myself.

We stayed at the hotel Arora, which was a fantastic hotel. We could walk from the train station to the hotel in nice surroundings. The buildings showed a different kind of city. It was exciting to live in the middle of Manchester’s China Town. The first evening we went to the famous restaurant Yang Sing in Princess Street, which really lived up to its expectations. We were lucky to get a table even though we hadn’t booked ahead.

The next day, Laura got ill so I had to walk around the city on my own. I went to Daniel Liebkinds Imperial War Museum at Trafford Road, that was great, both indoors and outside! I passed by The Lowry and a modern bridge that looked like something Normann Foster could have made. This entire quarter was exciting, and it was nice to walk by the river in the windy weather. In the afternoon I had some time to walk around on the other side of Princess Street and into The Manchester Art Museum. That day was the opening of an exhibition with female surrealist artists, with the intersting American Merle Oppenheim and the famous Mexican painter Frieda Kahlo. There was also a statue in the more modern part of the gallery of the famous English sculptor Anthony Gomley. We ate dinner at a Chinese restaurant close to the hotel.

Sunday we walked through the Northern parts of Manchester where there were lots of people in the streets and a Brazilian band with dancers. We got to see both the Manchester Cathedral and Urbis. If I could have had more time, I definitely would have taken a day trip to Liverpool, a city my parents visited in the 50’s.

Manchester was a great city, and now I’m looking forward to receiving my sneakers with my very own design!
Regards, Lone.

If you want to read more about what to do in Manchester, click here.
And for all you football fans, read more about Manchester United and Manchester City.

- Hanne -

Team of the week: Manchester United

It’s difficult not to think of football when you think of Manchester. And why wouldn’t you? Manchester United is the one team in England with most Premiership titles. Will they win again this season? Vote on your favourite team in our ‘Poll of the month’!

Manchester United, also known as the Red Devils, has their home ground at Old Trafford and has been under the steady leadership of their manager Alex Ferguson for more than twenty years. Alex has won more awards than any other manager in the history of English football, including nine ‘Manager of the Year’ – awards.

United has several important players, such as Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Carrick, Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic. This season, Man U has bought Michael Owen from Newcastle, Antonio Valencia from Wigan and Gabriel Obertan from Bordeaux. Michael Owen has been granted the classic number 7, a shirt who before him has been worn by legends such as George Best, Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Ronaldo and Bryan Robson. Will he manage to live up to the expectations and responsibility which comes with this shirt?

Next weekend, Manchester United will play Bolton at Old Trafford. What do you think the score will be?

Click here to read more about the exciting city of Manchester!
Going to England for a Premier League match?
Buy tickets here!
And don’t forget to read about other teams in our previous ‘Team of the week’: Chelsea, Wigan, Blackburn, Manchester City, Everton, Wolverhampton, Aston Villa and Liverpool.

- Hanne -