Getting There By Air:Manchester Airport Tel: (0161) 489 3000.
Website:
www.manchesterairport.co.uk Manchester Airport is located 16km (10 miles) south of the city center and is the main airport in the region.
Facilities include disabled access, car rental, currency exchange offices, ATMs, baby changing facilities, a large shopping complex and a wide choice of bars and restaurants. Passengers can also take advantage of a number of executive lounges, many of which
offer Internet and fax facilities. Tourist Information Centers (tel: (0161) 436 3344) are located in Terminals 1 and 2, the two largest of the airport’s three terminals.
The airport has a dedicated transport interchange that is open 24 hours and links all trains, coaches and buses into one state of the art building from which moving walkways, lifts and escalators enable easy access to the airport terminals. Signposted off the M56 to the south of the city center, Manchester Airport is easily reached by road and is well serviced by numerous public transport services. Taxis can be booked on arrival at the airport (tel: (0161) 489 2313).
Getting There By Road:Ringed by the M60, Manchester is easily accessible by road and is signposted from the M6 that runs north to south on the western side of the city, or via the M62 and M66 which run north on the eastern side of the city.
Breakdown services: AA (tel: 0800 887766)
RAC (tel: 0800 828282).
Coach services: National Express (tel: 08705 808080; website:
www.nationalexpress.com) operates regular coach services connecting Manchester with various destinations in the UK, including Victoria Coach Station in London. The National Express terminal is close to the center of the city on Chorlton Street, within easy walking distance of Piccadilly Gardens – the main terminus for local bus routes (see
Getting Around).
Getting There By Rail:The Piccadilly Railway Station is Manchester’s main station and is located just a few minutes’ walk to the east of the city center. Central Manchester is also served by stations at Victoria, Deansgate and Oxford Road.
Virgin Trains (tel: 08457 222 333; website:
www.virgintrains.co.uk) operate numerous services to Manchester, including a fast service from London using the new tilting Pendolino trains capable of speeds of up to 125mph (200kph).
First TransPennine Express (tel: 0845 678 6974; website:
www.tpexpress.co.uk) and
Northern Rail (tel: 0845 700 0125; website:
www.northernrail.org) provide good coverage of destinations in the north of England. For all train information contact National Rail Enquiries (tel: 08457 484 950; website:
www.nationalrail.co.uk).
Getting Around:
Public TransportDue to its relatively small size and the amount there is for visitors to see at ground level, Manchester is a great city to explore on foot (good pocket maps are available free of charge from the Tourist Information Center, see
Sightseeing Overview). But the local travel network ran by
Public Transport for Greater Manchester (GMPTE) (tel: 0870 608 2608; website:
www.gmpte.com) is excellent, offering a comprehensive range of
bus, train and
tram services throughout the city.
The main bus station is at the recently redeveloped Piccadilly Gardens, slightly to the east of the city center. Free Metroshuttle services operate along three circular routes in the city, linking the main attractions as well as the city’s four railway stations. Pedestrians should also keep an eye out for the trams that operate through the city center with services out to Bury in the north, Altrincham in the south and Salford Quays (close to Old Trafford cricket and football grounds) and Eccles in the west.
Night services operate along the main routes on Friday and Saturday nights. Day Tickets and Travelcards allowing unlimited bus and rail travel for seven days, a month or a year are also available from GMPTE.
TaxisThere are two types of taxis in Manchester: five-passenger black cabs operated through the local council and four-passenger private hire cars. Officially, only the black cabs can be flagged on the street or use one of the many taxi ranks located throughout the city in the town center at all the major train and bus stations. Private hire cars are usually slightly cheaper than black cabs but should be booked in advance and officially shouldn’t be flagged down in the streets or use the taxi ranks. To prebook a black cab call
Mantax (tel: (0161) 230 3333). For private taxis, try
Street Cars (tel: (0161) 228 7878) or
Taxifone (tel: (0161) 236 2322), both located close to the city center.
Car HireThere are numerous car hire companies operating in Manchester.
Avis (tel: (0161) 236 6716; website:
www.avis.co.uk),
Europcar (tel: (0161) 436 2200; website:
www.europcar.co.uk) and
Hertz (tel: 0870 850 2652; website:
www.hertz.co.uk) all have offices either at the airport, in the city or both.
Bicycle HireOybike (tel: 0845 226 5751; website:
www.oybike.com) operates in the city allowing visitors to hire out bikes via a mobile phone. The Oybikes are docked at special stations and can be unlocked via a code (issued from the call center) typed into the onboard keypad. When the bike is returned to a docking station, a code is displayed on the keypad which must be telephoned back to the call center which terminates the rental period. Rental periods begin at just 15 minutes but can be extended for up to 24-hours, and multiple day rentals are also available.
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