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Visit Manchester

Why not extend your weekend break in Liverpool with a trip to Manchester? Manchester is only a 45 minutes drive from Liverpool and easily accessible by a direct rail link.

Manchester is a city that combines old and new, that is steeped in history yet modern at every turn. It's a cultural Mecca with an exciting mix of the high-brow, the cutting-edge and the mainstream.

The city offers a wide range of cultural attractions from international renowned museums and contemporary art galleries to cutting-edge theatre. See the earliest known fragment of the New Testament at John Rylands Library, check out the fabulous exhibtion of Manchester born designer Matthew Williamson at Urbis or follow the stories of famous Manchester bands with a Blue Badge Guide city walk. Explore Manchester's history at MOSI, be blown away by Leonardo da Vinci paintings at Manchester Art Gallery or visit the The Quays with the award-winning Imperial War Museum North and The Lowry.

And it doesn't end there. With plenty of things happening across town there's no need to spend the evening in your hotel bedroom. Enjoy an internationally renowned play at the Royal Exchange Theatre which was once the heart of Cottonopolis, experience independent cinema at the Cornerhouse, try something different with cutting-edge drama at the Contact Theatre or rock the night away with live music at the eccentric Night and Day Cafe.

If you want to come to Manchester for a reason, check out the city's events calendar crammed with fantastic summer festivals, colourful parades or family-friendly outdoor activities. Enjoy Futuresonic and queerupnorth in May, visit the UK's first Asian Art Trienniale in June, see Jazz at its best in July or party the weekend away at Manchester Pride in August. And there's more to come with both the Manchester Comedy and Literature Festival in October as well as In The City, a music event that showcases the newest and hottest musical talents in the country and that has helped names like Coldplay, Daft Punk and Oasis getting their final breakthrough.

Manchester is all this and much more. It's a city that needs to be explored so Visitmanchester.com for more information.