I don't know the last time I actual flew away somewhere but this year I've really gotten into city breaks and visiting places close to me for either a day or a couple of days. With Christmas being literal weeks away (it's come round so quickly!) this blog post couldn't be better timed, I decided a couple of weeks ago to visit Manchester which is a short ride away from me but this time I decided to do it on a budget so I could share it all with you so if you're running yourself ragged getting ready for the festive season you can treat yourself without breaking the bank.
I find that Manchester is the perfect little place for either a weekend away or a day out, I'm often going into the city centre for events (and a bit of shopping!) and I end up staying there all day to explore and visit some of my favourite places. Especially with the festive season quickly approaching I'm always hunting for ways to get events and spend the day there for a lot cheaper and thankfully Megabus have got everyone sorted, I can now get a 50-minute coach from Liverpool to Manchester return for only £6! Travelling over from Liverpool I've started to use my time travelling to catch up on emails, organise my diary or write blog posts and all of these definitely require a very large festive coffee!
I thought I would break down this blog post into things to do and places to eat because Manchester is filled to the brim with way too many amazing places to eat that I couldn't not include them and with the Christmas shopping period just around the corner, we all deserve to treat ourself to a day out that doesn't completely break the bank.
Christmas Markets
For me, no trip to Manchester at this time of year is complete without a trip to the Christmas markets. The cute little wooden chalets arrive 6 weeks before Christmas around Albert Square and are filled with everything incredible sweet treats and food to beautiful unique gifts to suit everyone on your Christmas list. There's definitely room to visit them on a trip to Manchester as more of the stalls run from about 10am till 9pm so you can fit in a quick trip there.
Northern Soul
I found out about this place last year at the Christmas markets because they had their own stall there and I actually found out that they had two locations in the city centre. Now if you are a fan of cheese, particularly grilled cheese or mac and cheese this is the place for you to visit! You only have to take one look at their Instagram page and you'll be dreaming of your next visit, their menu consists of incredible grilled cheeses, mac and cheese, nachos, normal or loaded fries, shakes or coffee and I think they've even starting to branch out into breakfasts now!
Manchester Arndale
I love heading towards the Manchester Arndale centre for a bit of shopping, not only have they got some of all time favourites places to shops like New Look, Lush and The Body Shop but they’ve also got a brilliant little market place that you can find some great pieces and more independent businesses. There’s so many places to visit under their roof that I can see it being a hit with all family. I mean they have Lush where you can go and play with ba ooo th bombs to your hearts content and toy shops a plenty, it’s like a child’s dream!
Primark Friends Cafe
This is by far one of my favourite additions to Manchester, I’m a huge friends fan so you bet as soon as I found out that there would be a friends cafe I had to include it. Not only have they included the iconic friends couch so there is plenty of opportunities to recreate the friends cast look with your friends, they sell some amazing sweet treats. It’s situated perfectly in the HUGE Primark in the city centre, so it’s the perfect rest spot to put your feet up after some much deserved shopping!
John Rylands Library
Speak to you next time!
John Rylands Library
We all need a moment of piece and calm and I can’t think of a better place than the John Rylands Library. It is like Harry Potter reincarnated, not only can you go and catch up with your favourite authors but you can go on tours, visit exhibitions and they even have a fab range of family friendly events. All of these completely free of charge so they’re great things to do if you’re trying to have a day out on a budget.
Manchester is such a brilliant place especially at this time of year to do on a budget. I find that whether you’re there with friends or visiting with family, there is something for everyone and whilst I’ve only mentioned a few things you can do for next to no money there’s even more you can do! With the price of a return coach journey being less than a coffee and sweet treat, there’s no reason not to treat yourself to a day out there!
What’s your favourite thing in Manchester?
Speak to you next time!
*This blog post is a collab with Mega Bus. All opinions are honest and my own.
