Hotels in Manchester

Manchester trades on music and football and backs both up: the Smiths, Joy Division and Oasis heritage is walkable, the gig calendar at venues from Band on the Wall to the arenas is relentless, and match days at Old Trafford or the Etihad take over the whole city's mood.

Beyond the two obsessions there's the revived mill architecture of Ancoats — now the best eating district — the Northern Quarter's record shops and bars, and serious galleries in the Whitworth and Science and Industry Museum. It rains, the centre is dominated by new-build towers, and match weekends push hotel prices up sharply. Stay in the Northern Quarter or Ancoats for character and food, or near Piccadilly or Deansgate for rail connections and tram links to both stadiums.