Old Trafford Hotels

Manchester City - Sights & Attractions

1. Deansgate Shopping

Manchester’s main shopping thoroughfare, Deansgate, runs roughly north-to-south through the west side of the city centre. Many of its most exclusive shops are actually situated on New Cathedral Street, a retail area just off Deansgate itself, running parallel to it. Here, you’ll find Marks and Spencer, Selfridges, and Harvey Nichols as well as the largest Ted Baker store outside of London. Other major upscale stores found on the street include Lacoste, Louis Vuitton, Reiss, Henry Lloyd, Massimo and Cecil Gee. Also running off Deansgate, to the east, King Street has played host to prestigious emporia since the 19th century. Today, it includes such boutiques as Vivienne Westwood, Karen Millen, Kookai, Hermes, Emporio Armani, DKNY, Hugo Boss, Tommy Hilfiger, Diesel and Max Mara. Shops aside, the Deansgate area boasts such striking new buildings as the Royal Bank of Scotland, No. 1 Deansgate and the redevelopment of the Great Northern Warehouse, which stand in contrast with more historical buildings, such as John Rylands Library. There’s also a plethora of bars and clubs to suit all tastes, including The Moon Under Water, one of the largest venues in Europe.

2. Manchester Central

Formerly known as the GMEX centre, the Manchester Central Exhibition & Conference Centre is housed in a former railway station, built between 1875 and 1880. The current structure retains the contours of the original’s huge wrought iron and glass segmental vault. The station ceased operations in 1969 and became the G-Mex Centre in 1986. In 2005 the company running the G-MEX was bought by Manchester City Council and a year later it was announced that the venue would regain its old name of Manchester Central.
In recent years the expanded complex has scored notable success as a host of political conventions, with both the Labour and Conservative Parties announcing it as the venue for conferences in 2008 and 2011 respectively. Along with large-scale, high profile events, it also hosts smaller meetings and in 2007 was the hub of the Manchester International Festival – a leading international festival of original new art work. It also endures as an entertainment venue, with acts such as the Manic Street Preachers, the Arctic Monkeys and local hero Morrissey performing there.

3. MEN Arena

Opened in 1995 and with a capacity of 3,000 – 21,000, the Manchester Evening News Arena (or MEN Arena) is a large indoor venue and one of the first in Europe to be built following the traditionally American layout of 360-degree seating. The seating is split into an upper tier (bowl) and a lower tier, separated by 44 hospitality suites. In 2003/2004 it was named "Busiest Arena Venue In The World", based on ticket sales for concerts, against competition from New York's Madison Square Garden and London's Wembley Arena. Barbra Streisand, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Elton John, Genesis, Luciano Pavarotti, Paul McCartney, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Simon & Garfunkel, The Eagles and the Rolling Stones have all performed there. It has also played host to many worldwide comedy acts, sporting events, and occasionally musicals.