Top Manchester Half-day Tours

If you love the freedom of independent travel but don’t fancy driving 4.5 hours or more over unfamiliar roads, then this affordable day trip by comfortable Mercedes mini-coach is perfect for you. Enjoy stops at Conwy, famed for its 13th-century castle, Chester, with its Roman ruins and historic cathedral, and Betws-y-Coed, the gateway to beautiful Snowdonia National Park: you choose what to do and pay as you go.

Swap the hustle and bustle of central Manchester for a more peaceful sightseeing option—a scenic river cruise on a dutch sightseeing vessel. It’s a great way to see multiple top landmarks without being stuck in the middle of crowds. Glide past Manchester Ship Canal, and access great views of Media City, Old Trafford, the Imperial War Museum, and more.

Go behind the scenes at Etihad Stadium, the home of Manchester City Football Club, on this guided tour. With an avid Man City fan as your guide, hear all about the football (soccer) club’s history as you visit the manager’s dug-out, the press conference room, the changing rooms and other sites that are off limits to the public during matches. Immerse yourself in the City story during a thrilling audio-visual show.

Save yourself four hours or more of left-side driving and enjoy all the benefits of a licensed guide when you book this great-value North Wales sightseeing tour. See highlights including the pretty seaside town of Llandudno, historic Conwy Castle (entrance at own expense), Swallow Falls, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and cute little Betws-y-Coed, the area’s fairytale capital. Hidden roads and routes make Snowdonia National Park even more beautiful than you’d expect.

This is an excellent choice for travelers with limited time. Go on a whistle-stop walking tour of Manchester’s main attractions such as Piccadilly Gardens, Chinatown, Vimto Sculpture, St. Peter’s Square, Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester Cathedral, and much more. Exploring the city with a guide means you won’t have to worry about getting lost, and you’ll hear entertaining stories along the way.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, England’s Lake District lies around 1.5 hours north of Manchester and is incredibly slow to explore without your own wheels. Skip the expense of self-drive when you book this fun tour, with a professional driver/guide to narrate. Stop at Lake Windermere (where you can opt for a cruise), a neolithic stone circle, a gingerbread store, and more—there’s even a scenic hike.

Join Joe on the #1 Google walking tour of Manchester. Wander through the streets and learn some of the hidden gems and secrets of Manchester! On your tour you will see some sets of BBC and Netflix series. You will also see where Hollywood movies were filmed and see that the architecture, staircases and pavements of the streets look like New York. You’ll also experience the incredible street art of the Northern Quarter and find plenty of Instagram photo opportunities! You’ll learn how one Manchester resident was instrumental in ending the 2nd world war. You’ll also see how Manchester had a huge role in leading the way to ending slavery. You’ll see how Manchester gave the world many firsts including the handheld ice cream, women voting rights, vegetarianism and policemen! You will also see the meeting place which gave the world the Premier League! Learn what famous singers did before they made it! And see how and why Manchester has more music than any other city in Britain!

Discover Manchester with a private guide, and enjoy a tour that’s tailor-made to you. Pick your own departure time, meeting point, and duration, then build an itinerary with a Mancunian guide whose interests match your own. Admission tickets to Manchester attractions are at your own expense, but these can be arranged in advance via your guide.

Treat your taste buds to a trip to the much-loved Hard Rock Cafe in Manchester’s iconic Printworks. Classic American cooking and an unrivalled collection of music memorabilia await you at the Hard Rock Cafe Manchester. Choose from a 2- or 3-course menu and tuck into tasty dishes such as the classic cheeseburger, ribs and barbecue chicken. Both options come with a dessert and a drink of your choice (soda, tea or coffee).

A gastronomic adventure, sample some of the best food and drink the Britain's greatest industrial city has to offer and learn how our food and drink offers an insight into the city’s past, present and future. Manchester’s food and drink scene is booming and this tour will show you why. Your local guide will take you on a multi-stop food tour across the city revealing some culinary hidden gems and historical insights along the way.

On this food tour we visit not one but two of Manchester's most vibrant areas. You will hear the fascinating history of Manchester and it's people. From the golden age of the Industrial revolution to the ultra cool and trendy city of today. On the tour we'll visit some of the city's most famous eating places and also some of our secret spots. Each place we visit has a special dish that tells a story of Manchester. You'll get to meet some of our chefs, bakers and producers. Our mission is to showcase our food heroes and introduce you to a side of Manchester you may never have seen or heard of before.

Manchester is considered England’s music capital, but exploring independently means missing its hidden musical heritage. On this tour, follow in the footsteps of famous Manchester bands like the Buzzcocks, Joy Division, and The Smiths with your guide. Discover iconic locations including the Free Trade Hall, Oldham Street, and Piccadilly Records, stop for refreshments in historic pubs and live music venues, and find out what puts Manchester on Britain’s music map.

Opt for a personalized experience of Manchester on a private tour of the city at Christmas time. With a local guide, you’ll create a tailored sightseeing itinerary that takes into account your preferences: choose to focus on Manchester’s fashion, art, food, or architecture, and soak up the city’s festive spirit at a Christmas market.

If you want to know where all the cool stuff to look at in Manchester and Salford is, no fuss, easy, then this App is made for you. Travel isn't about A to B its all the colourful bits in between, the nooks and crannies, the secrets, the drunk outside Wetherspoons. This limited guide puts you in the driving seat, you open our map and see what you want to see ultra easy and with a 48 hour window an absolute bargain. If you want an easy, stress free, meander through Manchester with our map to guide and look too whenever, then you my friend are a true traveler. “Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.” John Lennon.

This is an Iconic, Bespoke Music Tour, collected from my 22 years working in the Manchester Music Industry. We make the tour special by letting you walk the streets of Manchester with us and give you a real feel of what manchester is all about. You will also get to use our fantastic metro while being guided by us and get an actual feeling of what life is like in manchester and how great a City it really is. Will will also include an Amazing Lunch at One of Manchester's Best Restaurants.

- The Mandarin Walking tour is endorsed by VisitManchester - Explore Manchester in the Manchester Way - Tours are led by native Mancunions - Guaranteed departures, you book you go

This Coronation Street Tour is perfect for Corrie fans. You will go on a 4 hour coach tour of Manchester and explore the characters and places associated with the longest running soap in the UK. Your tour includes various sites where memorable moments were filmed as well as the inspirations of the show including where the original 'Coronation Street' was situated. As part of the tour you’ll get to see ‘St Thomas’s’ Church where many of the christenings, weddings and funerals seen in the show were filmed. Plus you'll see sites featured in the shows credits plus the canal where Tony Gordon tried to drown Roy Cropper. You'll also get to see the exterior of the location used for dramatic court room scenes. The tour is a great accompaniment to the studio tour at Media City where the show is currently filmed (not included in this tour).