For this stay I was fortunate to be staying in centrally located City Suite Apartments, close to Manchester Victoria railway station which is a gorgeous station for anyone who appreciates a railway station, another great example of a modern and old mix. The area is classed as Salford as its just over the river but is actually a stones throw from Manchester Cathedral and the city centre, making it easy to access all Manchester has to offer, which is a lot.

Manchester is made up of different areas, all offering something unique, including the incredibly colourful Northern Quarter, The Gay Village, The Civic Quarter, Petersfield, Deansgate, Oxford Road, Castlefield, Picadilly, Picadilly Gardens, Spinningfields and Ancoats to name a few. As this was an impromptu trip I had little planned, so much of my discovery of the City was walking around and taking in the buildings, shops and side streets of some of these areas, which is one of my favourite ways to explore a place and get the step count in too, double bonus.

Due to my central location I spent a lot of time in and around The Northern Quarter, St Stephenson Square, Tibb Street and Picadilly Gardens, as these areas are full of great shops, eateries and street art, perfect for lots of pavement pounding and discoveries to be made. There were lots of free outdoor ‘street art’ galleries in these areas too, which brighten up many of the UK City streets. The street art in Manchester lurks way up high on the buildings, on the shop shutters and in the side streets.