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United Kingdom : Manchester - February 2009

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Manchester is in full swing for the new year. Despite it being a gloomy month, it’s ever a city of progress and has lots on including celebrating the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth with a ground-breaking exhibition at the Cornerhouse arts centre featuring projects with animals. Hazel Davis checks it out

Getting around

Manchester Airport is 15km from the city centre.

Train: During the day there are seven direct trains an hour to Manchester Piccadilly, which take 20 minutes. The service operates less frequently at night. Many trains also stop at Deansgate and Oxford Road. Tickets cost about €4/£3.
Taxi: A taxi from to the city centre costs about €25/£20. The journey generally takes between 20 and 30 minutes.
Tourist information: The main office is in the Town Hall Extension Building, Lloyd Street (tel. , visit manchester.com).

PICCADILLY

Right in the thick of things, Piccadilly is packed with bustling bars and big name high-street stores.

Sleep soundly – Chic, sleek and just a stone’s throw from the station, Malmaison has rooms decked out in deep reds and blacks, while its suites have a distinctly Moulin Rouge-esque feel. Make sure you squeeze in time to visit the Petit Spa, a subterranean retreat furnished with dark woods and lit with candles. Go for the signature hot-stone massage.

Must eat – Since opening last summer, chef Michael Caines’ restaurant in the ABode hotel (107 Piccadilly, tel. ) has had rave reviews. The modern European menu is full of mouthwatering dishes, such as panfried brill with scallops, pea purée and bacon veloute, and Cheshire sirloin steak with celeriac purée, roasted shallots and Madeira sauce.

RUSHOLME

Head to Manchester’s famous Curry Mile for top-notch South Asian cuisine.

Sleep soundly – Sample a slice of the city’s industrial wealth at the Victoria Park Hotel, a listed building close to the centre but on a secluded street.

Must eat – In the Curry Mile you’re definitely spoilt for choice, but for a wide range of Indian dishes and a nice line in maharajah costumes, you should head for Lal Qila (123-127 Wilmslow Road, tel. ).

Must drink – Hardy’s Well (257 Wilmslow Road, tel. ) is one of the city’s finest watering holes.

CHORLTON

Chorlton-cum-Hardy (known locally as Chorlton) is where Manchester’s bohemian crowd hang out. About four miles from Manchester’s city centre, it combines Victorian industrial heritage with cutting-edge creativity.

Sleep soundly – Try the Abbey Lodge Hotel, for a family-run experience in Edwardian surroundings.

Must eat – A longstanding Manchester institution, Azad Manzil (495 Barlow Moor Road, tel. ) serves award-winning Indian cuisine. Try the South Indian garlic chicken. Elsewhere, Chorlton boasts one the finest continental bakeries in the UK. The Barbakan Delicatessen (67-71 Manchester Road, ) is famous for its continental breads.

Must drink – Anyone who’s anyone hangs out at The Bar (533 Wilbraham Road, 1) 6). It’s the perfect place to unwind on a Sunday morning.

OXFORD ROAD

The area around Oxford Road has become an informal cultural quarter, with cool bars and restaurants populated by Manchester’s media.

Sleep soundly – The Palace Hotel is an historic Grade-IIlisted building that positively oozes Mancunian character.

Culture vultures – Head to the city’s independent filmhouse-cum-arts centre, The Cornerhouse (70 Oxford Street, tel. tickets/info ) for daily films, lattes and intellectual chat. Until 22 March, check out the groundbreaking Interspecies exhibition that includes work on sleep and dream research with pigs and humans.

Must eat – Felicini (60 Oxford Street, tel. ) has become a favourite with the city’s media and student populations. With a segregated bar for after-work drinks and a light and airy dining room with canal views, it’s one of Manchester’s most enjoyable Italian eating experiences.

Must drink – The younger sister of the Northern Quarter’s Odd Bar, Odder (14 Oxford Road) is a purple, mirrored establishment that is beloved of theatre-goers and students alike.

Compiled by Hazel Davis