 Manchester, the ‘capital of the north’, is one of England's most happening cities owing to rampant redevelopment following a devastating IRA bomb in the 1990s. Home to Manchester United Football Club, Oasis and Rolls Royce, Manchester was the world's first industrial city and today boasts many fine attractions and some great shopping and nightlife.
 Manchester is dripping with multi-million pound buildings of glass and concrete interspersed amid its many listed properties and ancient architecture. Chief among these are the Gothic Town Hall, the stunning Urbis glass triangle, and the modern G-Mex centre. Other notable attractions include the Old Trafford Football Stadium - home to Manchester United – the fun Printworks Leisure Complex, and one of the last remaining Concordes, which can be found parked out at the airport.
Manchester’s buzzing atmosphere is its main draw, however, with its numerous bars and trendy cafés scattered all about the city, while the shopping is the best one can find in the UK outside of London. One of the most lively and attractive parts of the city is the Salford Quays area, with its theatres, galleries and alfresco restaurants, while the well-established Gay Village is one of revamped industrial buildings.
Manchester also has many peaceful, green areas with parks and gardens spread throughout the city and its manmade canals provide much opportunity for outdoor activities. In addition, the beautiful Peak District National Park is not far away and those who hire cars will find the drive an easy one.
Getting to Manchester is made easy by the nearby Manchester International Airport, one of the nation’s busiest and receiver of direct flights from all over the world. Manchester is also a major rail and bus terminus with direct connections with London and beyond, while public transport here is also useful.
 Manchester offers a variety of accommodation within the city centre and farther afield in Greater Manchester in general. From budget hotels to impressive luxury hotels in the town centre. All budgets tend to be catered for and the area around St Peter's Square and Albert Square are generally the best places to be located in the city centre. The Hilton and Radisson hotels are great centrally located properties. Be sure to book in advance at any time of year and make use of the internet for good savings.
History
Dating back to the time of the Romans and eventually becoming an important market town in the Middle Ages for its textiles, Manchester has a long and interesting history and is one of the UK’s most prominent cities.
 Manchester was first settled around Roman times in the Castlefield area of the city, a popular tourist and shopping haunt today. Part of the original fort that was built by the Romans, specifically the North Gate and part of the wall, has been reconstructed, adding ambience to the town.
Despite its early beginnings, Manchester didn’t actually receive town status until 1301 when its markets had drawn in considerable popularity from around the region. Flemish weavers also settled in Manchester during the 14th century to produce linen and wool owing to the city’s relatively humid climate.
 Manchester grew considerably during the Middle Ages and with the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the mid-1800s came steam-powered spinning engines and the construction of the Bridgewater Canal. Once again the climate played a part in its expansion, with the dampness being ideal for cotton production.
This eventually lead to Manchester becoming an important industrial centre on the international stage and immigrants came from far and wide to share in its prosperity, a large portion of whom came over from Ireland during the Potato Famine. Manchester's fast growth was stalled in the early 1900s, however, due to depression and competition from the USA and Europe in the area of textiles.
 The city was targeted by the Luftwaffe during WWII and declined further after the war, as with much of the UK, where the manufacturing industries were hardest hit. A fairly ugly appearance also marred Manchester somewhat but all that changed when the IRA blew up the area around the Royal Exchange and the Arndale Centre in 1996. It was the worst explosion on the British mainland, yet the early warnings and subsequent fast evacuation meant no-one was killed.
The aftermath of the bombing called for a total rebuilding of this area of the city centre, with flashy new shopping malls and the revamping of Manchester’s industrial heritage. Such was the success of the rebuilding and investment that Manchester got to host the Commonwealth Games in 2002.
Weather
 Due to its positioning between the Irish Sea and the Peak District National Park, Manchester suffers from a fair amount of rain and dullness. The climate in general, however, is mild, as with the rest of England, with warm summers and cold winters.
High pressure systems often produce very hot weather in the summer months of June, July and August although the summer can also be very unpredictable with rain and cool weather appearing at any time. Expect summers to see daily temperatures of around the mid-20s Celsius and a fair amount of humidity.
 The coldest time of the year is in January and February when snowfall is often seen even as late as April, although this is the exception rather than the norm. Another aspect of Manchester’s weather is the often strong winds that come in from the coast and Peak District directions. Spring and autumn are okay times to visit Manchester for the weather as well as for the lack of crowds and cheaper accommodation.
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