Great Day Trips To Take From Manchester

One of the best things about Manchester is its location in the centre of the UK, making it the ideal base for a seemingly unlimited array of day trips. Within a short train journey or car ride, you can be in a different city, surrounded by mountains or breathing in the sea air. Selecting the best day trips to share is quite a daunting task, but we’ve curated a diverse list of the very best places to visit close to Manchester.

The Lake District

Just over an hour’s drive away, you’ll find yourself among mountains and lakes in the middle of one of the country’s best loved National Parks. The Lake District is the perfect day trip from Manchester if you’re seeking fresh air, hiking opportunities, quaint villages or Michelin-star food (L’Enclume), offering all this and more. The perfect trip to the Lakes would involve a wander around one of its picturesque villages (such as Grasmere, where you’ll find the best gingerbread in the UK), a short hike up a tall peak (take on the Old Man on Coniston if you dare) and a ride on a boat on one of its many lakes.

Hebden Bridge

Southport

In the words of Manchester legend Ian Brown, ‘Manchester has everything except a beach.’ It’s lucky then that the quaint seaside town of Southport is only a short journey away. The perfect place to head on a sunny day, Southport offers miles of beautiful beaches, stunning Victorian architecture and even a quirky museum (a visit to the British Lawnmower Museum, anyone?). Visitors flock to Southport for the annual flower show, air show and golf tournaments, but it’s a fun day trip at any time of year. Art lovers should aim for Crosby Beach, where Antony Gormley’s ‘Another Place’ exhibition is on permanent display.

Leeds

If you’d like to visit another city, Manchester is conveniently located within an hour’s train journey of the bustling Yorkshire town of Leeds. Here, you’ll find a thriving arts and music scene with a scattering of eclectic coffee shops, craft beer bars and award-winning restaurants. Arts lovers can enjoy an entire day of browsing contemporary galleries and art spaces, with The Henry Moore Institute and Leeds College of Art Gallery at the top of many visitor’s lists. Don’t miss a visit to the Corn Exchange and the many Victorian shopping arcades located around the centre, housing many independent boutiques, design stores and even a beer market (Tall Boys).

Liverpool

Don’t fancy Leeds? Take a train in the opposite direction and you’ll soon be in Liverpool, famed for being the home of the Beatles. If you’re a fan of the Fab Four, no doubt you’ll enjoy the Magical Mystery Tour and the Beatles Story experience at Albert Docks, but there’s plenty more to the Merseyside city. The city boasts its very own Tate gallery housing a collection of contemporary art, alongside a variety of historical museums. If you’re seeking something a little more alternative, head to the Baltic Triangle to discover an eclectic collection of bars, bakeries and microbreweries. Here you’ll find beloved local venue, Camp and Furnace, a huge space used for events, festivals and exhibitions where you can have a relaxed drink and grab a bite to eat.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Seeking culture but don’t want to be cooped up indoors? Yorkshire Sculpture Park is the perfect place to wander around outdoors whilst admiring an extensive collection of sculptures by renowned local and international artists including Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. Spent an entire day discovering the permanent and rotating exhibits before retreating to the well-stocked gift shop to purchase a memento of your day.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.