Short city break - Manchester or London?

[FrenchPear]

I am going for a three night stay somewhere. Flying to either Gatwick or Manchester. Booking a decent hotel. The idea is to have some down time, eat, have a few drinks, stroll around. Solo trip for myself.

Never been to either city, any recommendations? If London, what area is good without being over the top expensive?

I'd appreciate any advice.

In that case I would definitely hop on the train to Liverpool once you arrive in Manchester!

If you want North Eastern hospitality and a fabulous city, then Newcastle can’t be beaten for a short break.

You can walk out of the terminal at Manchester Airport and get a National Express coach straight to Liverpool City Centre. Takes around an hour.
A taxi would be about £60.

I think if I was you I’d probably leave London for a longer trip, there’s so much to do there.

re Manchester, obviously with theatre there are fewer than London. So while there are good shows (I’ve been to some truly excellent
plays and musicals at the Royal Exchange, and some very good ones at (iirc) the opera house and Lowry (plus some meh ones at the latter tbf but none I’ve wished I’d not bothered with), the availability for shows you actually want to see will inevitably be limited vs London.

Ive just retired so we’re delving into what’s available in Manchester and Liverpool plus trips to London so I’m getting some ideas from this thread. We’ve been to the Walker art gallery in liverpool today… probably could spend 3 days in there alone now we’re in ‘relaxed’ mode! (Note: we nearly went yesterday but realised in time all the Liverpool museums seem to be closed on a Monday. Idk if the Manchester ones do anything similar but do check before planning a visit! )

I’m in Manchester right now, visiting friends. It’s a city I have some fondness for, but it’s honestly freezing and grey and miserable at the moment. You really won’t get the best of the place until late spring or summer when there are cafes spilling out on every street, countless festivals, and a general air of leisurely ease.

I adore Liverpool, but again, it’s the wrong time of year.

Truthfully it’s the wrong time of year to visit anywhere in England - but at least in the south you might glimpse a little blue sky occasionally before the end of winter.

Sorry, yes, I meant the North West!! Although I know some lovely people from Sunderland too. 😊

I'm not a huge theatre buff but I do like to wander around a museum.

Yes, the weather might not be great..

I just think visiting anywhere in the NW in January / February might put you off the place for life. Manchester in particular really puts its best foot forward for summer festivals (music / theatre / food) - there’s nothing happening at the moment.

Unfortunately despite the best efforts of the owners of the football team in Trafford, any weekend where they are playing at their home ground attracts a lot of tourists visiting and hotel prices go up.

If you can go at other times, so much the better. When ever you go to Manchester, there is a lot to do and see as described by others, hope you have a lovely time.

Oxford, on the other hand, is rather lovely at this time of year. Unless you’re very unlucky with the weather, you’ll find bright blue skies and gloriously crisp and quiet parks and gardens, before the main tourist season (ie the whole of the rest of the year) kicks in. So you’ll have the galleries and museums to yourself. (And may be able to get a room at the city centre Premier Inn for less than the cost of a round the world flight …)

Liverpool for me. I am biased, but it’s small enough to see everything you want to in a couple of days. And it is beautiful. Love London but you have to do too much travelling to get around it quickly. And it confuses me. Manchester, meh.

Honestly for acommodation London is often cheaper as more choice and less "events" that fill a lot of rooms across the city.
Manchester is not grim, people a just don't go beyond Piccadilly and so miss all the nice bits. And Mancunians like getting dressed up like Scousers which is very looked down on here 😂😂

I've lived in and visited both Manchester and London. I'd check what's actually on in Manchester. Manchester Art Gallery has lots of Victorian art although they've tried to introduce some more contemporary themed galleries, the Whitworth usually has some interesting contemporary exhibitions. If you're staying in the centre you might want to get a bus or taxi out to it rather than walking. Ditto the Manchester Museum which is a bit of a hike up Oxford Street. Parts of Manchester aren't much fun to walk around. I think Manchester has brilliant restaurants and cafes. El Gato Negro on Kings Street serves great tapas but there will be a good place to eat near your hotel in most parts of the city. I'd check trip advisor for restaurant ideas. There are still a few fabulous boozers -https://ilovemanchester.com/historic-pub-crawl-walk-oldest-boozers-manchester As others have said, it's not hard to get to Liverpool from Manchester. The John Moores painting prize is on at the moment - I'm planning to go soon. Some of the worst nights out I've ever had were in Liverpool but maybe I was unlucky. I definitely felt less safe there than Manchester. Hope you have a lovely break op.

Liverpool for me,had to spend a week there on my own last year for hospital appointments and had a lovely time mooching about. Both cathedrals are great as is the dockside, great places to eat.

Oh that pub crawl would be right up my street!! 😁

If shopping Manchester effectively London of the north, v expensive hotels mind