Today I want to share my itinerary for a day trip to Manchester at Christmas with you. This city in the north of England comes alive each festive season with chalets, lights, and decorations. Home to some of the biggest Christmas markets in the UK, it’s a famous place to visit in the run-up to December 25th. I’m here now and I can’t wait to share my experience with you. I’ve included a map and everything.
Day Trip to Manchester at Christmas
Manchester is a great place to visit at any time of year, but at Christmastime it really comes into its own. From wooden chalets selling gifts and food to light displays brightening the streets and shops, it’s the perfect time to travel here.
With hundreds of stalls spread out across multiple locations in the city center, the Christmas markets in Manchester are the stuff of seasonal dreams. You can walk from north to south along a chain of chalets and soak up the atmosphere the whole way through.
Which is why I’m here. I’ve heard great things about Manchester’s Christmas markets over the years, and I’ve finally booked train tickets so I can experience them firsthand. I hope my itinerary inspires you to plan a festive day trip of your own.
Dates & Details
The Manchester Christmas markets are generally open from the end of the first week of November until a few days before Christmas. A couple even stick around through the beginning of January. Most market stalls open around 10am and close at 8 or 9pm.
The ice skating rink in Cathedral Gardens is usually active from the last week of October until early January. The annual Manchester Christmas Parade normally takes place on the first Sunday in December.
You can check launch dates and hours online to make sure everything you want to visit is open when you’ll be here.
Where to Stay
I’m only here for a day, but on my last trip to Manchester I stayed overnight (and there’s enough to do and see here during the festive season that it’s certainly worth doing).
If you want to take my advice and follow in my footsteps, you can book a room at one of the Malmaison Manchester hotels. Conveniently located in the heart of the city, these boutique hotels have contemporary decor and stylish guest rooms.
If you’d like to see more options, you can take a look at some of the best places to stay in Manchester here. From hotels to apartment rentals, there are plenty of good ones.
Manchester
Whether you stay overnight or just come to Manchester for a day, there’s plenty to do and see. I’ve hopped on a train at London’s Euston station just before 9am, and by 11:05 I’m walking out of Manchester Piccadilly station excited to see what my visit has in store.
Brunch
Given it’s raining, I walk over to the city’s Northern Quarter and settle in for brunch at Mala. This bohemian place feels like a secret garden with its series of large dining areas, mismatched sofas, and trees growing up through tables.
I settle in and order a dish of Ethiopian chickpea curry with spongy injera flatbread. It’s both delicious and comforting, and it goes down a treat on a rainy day.
Libraries & Museums
After lunch I brave the weather and head out to explore Manchester. I’m saving the Christmas markets for when the sun sets (they’re always more atmospheric after dark), so I start with some of the city’s indoor highlights.
At the suggestion of a friend who grew up here, I begin at the libraries. This city has a number of famous ones, including the oldest public library in the English-speaking world.
First I pop into the small Portico Library, where a cafe sits in the middle of a domed 19th-century room lined with old books. There are exhibitions around the perimeter, and the place feels perfectly cozy on a rainy day.
From there it’s a short walk to one of the city’s famous museums. The Manchester Art Gallery is home to a collection that spans six centuries. From important Pre-Raphaelite paintings to contemporary sculptures, I take in a range of works from various periods.
Back to libraries, I walk through St Peter’s Square to admire the Christmas light displays before heading into the Manchester Central Library.
Housed in a round neoclassical building constructed in the 1930s, this grand place is home to everything from a stunning reading room to a sculpture called The Reading Girl by Giovanni Ciniselli.
Outside again, it’s another short walk to get to the famous John Rylands Library. Opened in 1900, this is one of Europe’s finest examples of neo-Gothic architecture.
A gift to the city of Manchester, the library was purpose-built to allow members of the public to access world-class collections of rare books, manuscripts, and archives.
The John Rylands Library is part of The University of Manchester Library. Visitors can come in and admire the stunning architecture, see the collections on display, and explore special exhibitions.
As soon as I walk in, I feel like I’ve been transported into a Harry Potter movie. There are columns and arches galore, and the reading room is the stuff of literary dreams. It’s one of the most beautiful libraries I’ve ever been to.
Tearing myself away, I walk up to Manchester Cathedral. This historic building has a distinctly Victorian feel. Inside I find everything from a giant Christmas tree to classic stained-glass windows.
From the cathedral I walk a few steps north to Chetham’s Library, where I’ve booked a guided tour to see the oldest public library in the English-speaking world. The building dates back to 1421, and stepping inside feels like time traveling.
The hour-long tour takes my group through a series of rooms. It culminates in the library, which has all the dark wood and old books a fan of literature could ever want.
At the end we head to the reading room, where we see an alcove that Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels met in to discuss revolutionary politics in 1845.
Manchester Christmas Markets
I leave Chetham’s Library just as darkness starts to fall. I’m in an ideal location for exploring the Manchester Christmas markets, as I’m right by the northernmost one.
Situated next to the National Football Museum in Cathedral Gardens, it’s home to a circle of chalets and an ice skating rink. I browse the stalls, which sell a range of food and drinks, then watch the skaters glide under colorful lights.
When I’m done, I walk south to the Corn Exchange. The stunning interior is decked out for the season, and all the trees and garlands give the airy space a distinctively festive feel.
Back outside, I’m right by the market in Exchange Square. From a line of chalets running the length of the street to a cluster of vendors up a set of steps, there’s no shortage of stalls to browse. From gifts to food, there’s a lot to get excited about.
One such place is a large chalet called Porky Pig. It’s selling Yorkshire pudding wraps. It sounds uniquely British, and I can’t help ordering one. 10 minutes later, I’m enjoying a layer of fluffy bread stuffed with everything from mashed potatoes to sausages and vegetables.
When I’m done, I follow the market trail south to New Cathedral Street. This pedestrianized stretch is lined with more festive fun, and I take in everything from hats to socks and candles as I walk past the rows of wooden chalets.
Turning left, I explore more stalls on Market Street before continuing south on Exchange Street to get to St Anne’s Square. All three places are packed with vendors selling gifts and food, and there’s live music in the plaza.
Next I walk the short distance to King Street, where another market has taken over. There are lots of small bars here, and the outdoor tables are packed with people.
Around the corner from King Street, I find myself being lured into the huge market in Albert Square. With a Ferris wheel, carnival games, rides, and art installations, this one is spectacular. I walk around, taking in the festive atmosphere and browsing the stalls.
When I’m done exploring, I pop over to St Peter’s Square to photograph the light displays, then walk up to Piccadilly Gardens. There’s another big market here, complete with courtyards full of chalets.
Manchester Day Trip at Christmas
At the end of the evening, it’s a short walk to Manchester Piccadilly for my train back to London. I’m exhausted from a big day of sightseeing and market-going, but happy to have seen and done so much in a short time.
I hope my itinerary has made you want to come here during the festive season, too. If you want more inspiration, you can take a look at my blog post about the best Christmas day trips from London.
Map
As promised, I’ve created an interactive Google map of all the places I visited during my day in the city. You can find it here. I hope it helps you plan your own Christmas trip to Manchester!
You can find more information and maps on the Manchester government website here.
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