Manchester, England — Travel Tips
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.
Airport facilities
They 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.
Transport to the city
The airport has a dedicated transport interchange that is open 24 hours and links all trains, coaches and buses via one building with 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.
Emergency breakdown services
AA (tel: 0800 887 766 or 0845 788 7766 from mobile phones; www.theaa.com); RAC (tel: 0800 828 282; www.rac.co.uk).
Coach services
National Express (tel: 0871 7818181; 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.
Getting There By Rail
Rail Services
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.
Rail Operators
Virgin Trains (tel: 08719 774 222; 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 600 1671; www.tpexpress.co.uk) and Northern Rail (tel: 0845 700 0125; 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; www.nationalrail.co.uk).
Getting Around in Manchester, England
Public Transport
Due to its relatively small size, Manchester is a great city to explore on foot (good, free pocket maps are available from the Tourist Information Center). However, the local travel network ran by Public Transport for Greater Manchester (GMPTE), (tel: (0161) 244 1000; www.gmpte.com) offers a comprehensive range of city-wide bus, train and tram services.
The main bus station is at Piccadilly Gardens, to the east of the city center. Free Metroshuttle services operate along three circular routes in the city, linking the main attractions and the city's four railway stations.
Metrolink (www.metrolink.co.uk) trams operate through the city center with services 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.
Nightbus services operate along the main routes on Friday and Saturday nights, regularly until 0330. Day tickets are also available from GMPTE.
Taxis
There are two types of taxis: 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. Alternatively, use one of the many taxi ranks located at all the major train and bus stations. Private hire cars are usually slightly cheaper than black cabs but should be booked in advance.
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) 232 3333).
Car Hire
There are numerous car hire companies. Avis (tel: 0844 544 6080; www.avis.co.uk), Europcar (tel: (0161) 839 5815; www.europcar.co.uk) and Hertz (tel: 07894 072 845; www.hertz.co.uk) have offices at the airport, in the city or both.
Bicycle Hire
Oybike (tel: 0845 226 5751; www.oybike.com) allow 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 a call center) typed into the onboard keypad. When the bike is returned, a code displayed on the keypad must be telephoned back to the call center, which terminates the rental period. The first 30 minutes are free of charge.
