Manchester has always been known as an industrial city with its cotton mills and production of textiles. The remains of this industry can still be seen all over the city in its architecture and canals. The city is also famous for its canals which are now experiencing a rejuvenation as a method of travelling around the city and the location of water-side restaurants.



Over the last 10 years funding to improve and develop the city centre and outer districts has been poured into the city, including funds provided for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and these days the city has been completely redeveloped.

Manchester is a very attractive place to go for shopping opportunities, with The Printworks and The Triangle offering designer and unique boutiques. The Arndale Centre was the last part of the city to receive a facelift and now facilitates the UK's largest shopping centre.

Manchester is easy to travel to as it has its own airport with regular train going in and out to the city centre. The city offers two train stations; Piccadilly is the main station and provides links to all the major routes around the UK. Manchester also has a tram system known as the Metrolink that can be used to get around the centre or reach nearby districts.

The city centre is a trendy and chic destination to visit, you will be able to find varying designs of glass and steel and if you are interested in architecture you will be pleased to experience Victorian to contemporary architecture. The Town Hall is a Victorian impressive building which you can see on the picturesque St. Peter's Square and, although no competitor to London, Manchester has its share of skyscrapers. The CIS Tower being the tallest building in the city and the new Beetham Tower holds within it a Hilton hotel, apartments and a restaurant.

Manchester is packed with culture and there are many musicians and bands that originate from here. You surely must have heard of artists like Take That, Simply Red, The Buzzcocks, The Fall, New Order, Oasis, Happy Mondays, The Smiths, and The Doves. The Manchester Evening News Arena is the largest arena in Europe and major mainstream pop artists play there regularly. Live music and concerts are held at venues all over the city, the most well known are Manchester Apollo and the Academy, and the more personal and smaller clubs of Roadhouse and Night and Day Cafe.

If you fancy going to see a West End show, then The Manchester Opera House holds regular events and the Palace Theatre, the Royal Exchange Theatre, and the Lowry Centre all have cultural and popular shows. Manchester has two very famous orchestras, The Hall? Orchestra being one of them and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra the other one; they both hold live music at the Bridgewater Hall.

Manchester is also the city of sport. Most people will have heard of Manchester City and Manchester United, both with their grounds in the city centre. The City of Manchester Stadium that was built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games is now the home of Manchester City, whilst Manchester United's grounds are situated at the legendary Trafford Park. There were many other sporting facilities built for the Commonwealth Games, the largest being Manchester Aquatics Centre and The Manchester Velodrome.

There are two universities in Manchester, The University of Manchester and UMIST, the city caters for the mass of students by offering over 500 licensed premises in the city centre. At weekends people come here from all over the country and then it really does become ?Madchester?. The Canal Street area is famous for being the centre of the city's gay community, set beside the canal it is a well visited drinking area for everyone.

If you are considering visiting a city in the UK, Manchester is one not to be missed. Manchester is now long gone from the industrialized city it once was and now has an exciting atmosphere. Check out Manchester hotels online and take time visiting the city centres? of the UK. Hotels in Manchester or in other UK cities are easy to find on the internet.