Manchester Travel Forum

Myself and a couple of friends are thinking of working for the summer in Britain. There're a few cities we are considering going to and to help us narrow our (very long) list I was just wondering if anyone would like to offer some input as to whether or not Manchester would be a good choice for the summer.
We'd be looking for somewhere where
- Job availibility won't be a problem
- A decent nightlife for 20 year olds
- Cheap cost of living, or at least, not expensive
- There's a nice amount of touristy things to do.

Edinburgh, for example, is exactly the kind of place I'm looking for, but I've already visited it, so would like to try somewhere new

Really, REALLY appreciate feedback!

Hi, I live in Manchester, so I'll try to answer your questions...

Jobs - it depends on what kind of thing you want to do, but there are enough bars, restaurants, etc, that temporary work should be quite easy to find. I'm originally from Birmingham and I notice a LOT more young foreigners here so I think jobs must be easy to come by.

Nightlife - lots of clubs, pubs, bars, live music. Definitely enough to keep you from getting bored.

Cost of living - there are lots of students in Manchester (someone told me the city has the largest number in Europe) and areas that cater for them, so I guess there will be opportunities for cheap short-term lets when they go home for the summer. Outside the student areas, though, you'll probably find it hard to rent somewhere for just a few months and it will cost. Areas popular with young people are Withington (very studenty), Chorlton and Didsbury (the most desirable, can be expensive but great bars and restaurants).

The tram is pretty expensive, but buses are cheap depending on the operator. There are good cheap places to eat out - try curry in Rusholme (you can get better curry elsewhere, but the main street is a real spectacle) or Asian buffets in China Town, said to be the best Chinese food in Britain.

Touristy stuff - There are good museums like Imperial War North, Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester Museum (great Egyptology section, the Museum is a leader in this field) and lots of little art galleries. China Town is interesting too. South Manchester has some stately homes like Tatton Park and Dunham Massey. You can also see the old industrial areas. Outside the city, the Lake District is close by, as well as historical cities like Chester, York, etc. Blackpool would be make a good visit if you want to see the traditional Northern seaside town. North Wales is also very close, and beautiful. As well as the restaurants mentioned above, there are good British restaurants in Manchester and around. Yes, it does exist!

You mention Liverpool in another post - the two are close and you can live in one and go out for the night in the other easily, so bear that in mind.

Manchester is a young city and there's a lot of civic pride - it's a kind of unofficial second city (though being from Brum I wouldn't necessarily agree - Birmingham is the true Second City!). Let me know if you want more specific advice :)

Thanks very much for such a great reply Blue, really appreciate that! Manchester does sound great so I'm going to have to put a bit more research in.
Cheers again

If you're looking for accommodation, I know people who've stayed at the Y-Club - I think it's a YMCA or Youth Hostel in Castlefield which is in the City Centre. I also believe the Universities let out some of the Halls of Residence during the summer, so that may be worth looking into.