How to visit Manchester on a budget: from free transport to cheap eats
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Loading... - Logan Carter
- 22 Apr 2022
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There’s also a bevy of other money-saving tips to bear in mind. From a free bus service that runs continuously around the city center to cheap hotel deals and half-price dining offers, here’s how to enjoy Manchester on a budget.
Take advantage of the free city center bus
Manchester city center is actually fairly compact and easily walkable. If you've only got a couple of days to explore though, you could save some time by flagging down the free bus.
Run by Transport for Greater Manchester, there are three different route options that weave around the city. All of them start and end at Manchester Piccadilly station and leave regularly every 10 to 20 minutes. Note that route three only runs in the evenings until 11.30pm.
Go on a free walking tour
Exploring a city for the first time can be a little overwhelming, and even more so if you haven’t got much money to spend. A great thing to do if you’re a newbie to Manchester is to take advantage of the Free Manchester Walking Tour. These convene daily at 11am at the Alan Turing Statue in Sackville Gardens. They’re run by born and bred Mancunians who not only know their city like the back of their hands but love it to bits, too.
Check into one of the city’s hostels
Choose your accommodations carefully and you can save some money on your visit to Manchester. The vast majority of the budget hotels and hostels in Manchester are safe and well located. This includes a YHA a short hop from the canal-side pubs of Castlefield. Keen to stay in the Northern Quarter? Private rooms with cool vintage-inspired decor start at £60 at Selina NQ1.
Visit the free museums
Some of the best cheap things to do in Manchester won’t actually cost you a thing. This includes its many museums which, like most other UK cities, are completely free to enter.
The Science and Industry Museum is packed with interactive exhibits on everything from Manchester’s early railways – the first in the world – to modern space travel. You could also expand your knowledge of women’s suffrage at The Pankhurst Centre or discover more about Manchester’s most notorious criminals at the Greater Manchester Police Museum.
And don’t forget those free art galleries, either
Have a passion for the Pre-Raphaelites? Or is it Warhol’s bold pop art that catches your eye? Manchester is home to a handful of galleries with permanent collections that are both impressive and free. Manchester Art Gallery is easily the largest and it sits a few minutes from Manchester Town Hall. Alternatively, walk or bus down Oxford Road to the Whitworth Gallery that’s surrounded by one of Manchester's best city parks.
Students often get discounts
Manchester has a huge student population, so it’s really no surprise that so many businesses offer brilliant discounts for those still in education. These range from fashion stores and restaurants to coffee shops and supermarkets. You can even get 15% off escape room experiences at Escape Hunt in the Corn Exchange.
Enjoy some fresh air at Heaton Park
On the subject of parks, heading to one for a stroll or a lazy picnic is another budget-friendly thing to do in Manchester. Heaton Park is by far the largest and it’s about 6.5km (4 miles) north of the center.
Take in the views of pretty Heaton Hall, wander through areas of wild woodland, or find a private patch of grass to spread a blanket out on. The park is easily reached by tram or you could save yourself a little bit of money with a Manchester PlusBus day pass that gives you unlimited bus travel for £4.20. Read More…
