The spending money was gifted by Hotels.com, but all views are my own.
Manchester. It’s a big city, it’s a great city (most of the time) and it has so many different things to do. Shopping, museums, galleries, theatres, parks, restaurants, bars, clubs and all sorts. I’ve grown up close to Manchester city and whilst I’ve spent many years visiting, I still haven’t discovered everything it has to offer. Couple that with the fact new places are always appearing, it’s easy to try something new each time.
If you’re planning to visit Manchester for more than a day, there are so many places in town to choose from for all kinds of budgets. From the cheapest hostel kind of stay, hotels from either budget or luxury, to serviced apartments Manchester. Everything is fairly close within the centre but if you’re planning to be a little further out there will be the option of buses, trains or trams.
I recently spent a day in Manchester just enjoying the different places it has to offer. My boyfriend and I went out for a relaxed kind of day with the aim of eating good food and doing something a little different to usual. Here’s what we got up to.
The Cat Cafe
Visiting a cat cafe has always been high on the list, and it finally happened! We arrived at midday, and it was actually fairly busy. You are always better booking ahead as only so many people can be in at a time.
The cafe itself is super chilled, relaxing spa-type music playing and plenty of cats to say hello to. A lot of them were asleep to begin with but that’s cats for you. We had a few wandering around to say hello and managed to stroke them all. The important bit. Of course.
The costs:
£12 per hour, unlimited drinks included in that price. You can also pay by 5 minute intervals. Food is also available to purchase once inside and you can also add on afternoon tea.
Lunch at Eat New York
Next up was lunch, and over to Eat New York. Lots of different bagels filled with all kinds of different things. There’s one veggie choice, and one vegan. The rest meaty. I went for the Little Italy which included breaded mozzarella, and it was great though a little messy. Loaded fries are available, though all include meat. We asked for without and got some cheese fries.
Great place for if you just want something a little different and whilst it does fill you up nicely for lunch, it’s not a big heavy meal. Definitely not healthy though…
The Costs:
Reasonably priced, between £7-£10 for the bagels/burgers. We got two bagels, cheese fries and two drinks for £23.50. The fries are plenty to share combined with a bagel each.
Useful to note that Monday-Friday has a Bagel/Burger + Side + Drink for £10 deal, but doesn’t include all choices. (And only plain fries!)
Afflecks
Afflecks is an emporium of eclecticism, a totem of indie commerce in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
If you were a teenager growing up around the Manchester area, Afflecks will likely be well known to you. It has changed a little since I was a teen but still has that same kind of vibe as you walk through. Just a bit more airy now with more of a variety of shops.
A mixture of alternative, clothing, gaming, arty/crafty shops with cafes, barbers, hair dressers… There’s all sorts in here and it’s still like a maze walking round all the four floors. You could easily spend a couple of hours in here browsing. The perfect place to find some quirky art whilst you’re visiting. Worth a visit even if you’ve been before.
NQ64
NQ64 is probably one of my favourite hidden gems in the Northern Quarter. I say hidden because whilst it is in quite a busy area and very open, the entrance is also just the door you can see above. It’s very easy to walk past if you don’t know it’s there.
It’s basically just an arcade, but most of the games are really old retro machines. Games like Crazy Taxi, Galaga, Street Fighter II, The House of the Dead, Pacman, Space Invaders, Guitar Hero, Pinball machines and more. And then there’s also four consoles set-up: Sega Mega Drive, SNES, Nintendo 64 and a Playstation. Pretty quiet during the day it seems, but I have also visited on a Saturday evening and it was heaving! There are plenty of machines though.
The Costs:
Free to get in. To play to games you need tokens, and they are £5 for 15. The four console games are free to play. Non/Alchoholic drinks are available, including beers and cocktails. Note that it is for over 18’s at all times so not suitable for families.
Looking for somewhere close by to visit? Here’s 5 things to do in Blackpool.
Dessert from Black Milk
Our last stop of the day was Black Milk for a bit of a treat before heading home. This is a dessert cafe that sells things like waffles, milkshakes and sundaes. We chose the salted caramel heart waffle to share and it tasted so good. The portion was pretty big so sharing was plenty for us on the day.
The costs:
For two drinks and this dessert it cost us £13.25. Most desserts seemed to be around £8.00 so it’s not super cheap, but also you do get a lot on the plate.
Have you been to any these places before? Would love to know your recommendations for things to do in Manchester that are a little bit different!
