The Beauty of the Manchester Christmas Markets

Manchester Christmas MarketsManchester Christmas Markets, without a doubt are probably one of the most popular winter attraction in the city. Some locals go even further by saying that without them, Christmas wouldn’t be complete.

So what is the magic of the Manchester Christmas Markets? I decided to try to find out for myself.

With 8 markets in various locations, over 200 stalls, there is certainly the abundance of things to do, visit and naturally, buy at the markets. European and local producers showcase and offer jewellery, handmade items, unique gifts, clothes, toys as well as food and drink, both cold and hot.
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Posted in Culture, Manchester Shopping

Nightclubs in Manchester: Matt & Phreds

Nightclubs in Manchester: Matt & PhredsIt’s true that when you are looking for what to do in MCR, you generally want to experience the buzz of the city. But, in case you get tired of the noise and want to spend an evening in a wonderful setting, enjoying great drinks while listening to some of the finest live jazz in the city, then Matt & Phreds is a place to go.

Matt & Phreds is one of the most famous live music venues in Manchester. It’s situated in the city’s trendiest Northern Quarter so you are in a great setting to begin with.
There are live shows in the club for 6 nights a week.

Over the years the club has welcomed some of the finest jazz musicians ever with Jamie Callum, Kit Downes, Marius Neset and the Dagda Quarter. But jazz is not the only kind of music you can enjoy in Matt & Phred’s. Folk, gypsy, electro, salsa and world music have found their way to the stage of this famous club.

And most importantly, Matt & Phred’s is not only the music. The club is famous for it’s bar and food.

Some of the notable upcoming events in the club are:

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Posted in Fun Stuff, Gigs in Manchester, Leisure, Manchester Nightlife, Things to Do in Manchester

Manchester Apartments – All The Info You Need

Manchester Apartments   All The Info You Need Thinking of spending some time in the town? Then choose our luxurious Manchester apartments and enjoy the comfort, freedom, space and great location to make the most of your stay.

Manchester is a busy city, that’s a fact. There are countless things to keep you on your toes throughout the day. Shopping, touring, watching your favorite team playing and enjoying the famous city night life can really take out all your energy.

But imagine that once your busy day is over, you can come back and relax in a luxurius apartment, where you are the boss. There is no room service to wake you up in the morning. You have all the space you need and can spend your time there the way you want it. You can take a snooze or have a drink before heading out to enjoy the famous Manchester nightlife. Or you can check your emails and plan for the next day with our free wi-fi. You could also watch some telly, or prepare a meal, if you wanted to. And all that from the comfort of one of our Manchester apartments at your disposal.

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Posted in Leisure

Deansgate – Everything You Need to Know to Find and Enjoy It

Deansgate   Everything You Need to Know to Find and Enjoy ItDeansgate is a fascinating place. Someone said to me once that you could spend the whole day there, starting with breakfast at the Hilton and working your way up to the Manchester Cathedral or the big wheel. And, it’s true. Deansgate being the busiest streets in Manchester certainly has a lot to offer. From shopping, amazing landmarks and great atmosphere, it is all there. In todays post I decided to tell you more about this fascintaing place in Mancehster.

Starting with a bit of history, the street is named after a lost river Dene that supposedly ran from River Irk and River Irwell in Manchester. It is also a river that supposedly ran alongside the famous Hanging Ditch bridge connecting the two rivers. The bridge itself was built around 1421, from what we know. As we don’t have that many information about it, there are many speculations about it with some people saying that it might even have Roman origins as a defense installation on the two rivers.

The Deansgate begins in Castlefield, with No. 1 Deansgate and the Deansgate Railway Stations located there and ends up the north on the Victoria street, spanning nearly a mile in length. At its end sits one of the finest landmarks in the city, the Manchester Cathedral, the seat of the bishop of Manchester.

If you ask anyone in Manchester what the street is associate with for them, I bet that most will say shopping. Deansgate houses some of the finest shops in the city. House of Fraser, formely Kendals, is located there and the famous Waterstones bookstore is right opposite it.

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Posted in Things to Do in Manchester, Tourist Attractions

4 Spotify Alternatives that Do Not Require Facebook Account

4 Spotify Alternatives that Do Not Require Facebook AccountIf like me, you are enraged by the recent changes that Spotify had made to the registration and account management process (namely, the requirement to have a Facebook account to register), you may want to check out those Spotify alternatives.

I am a long time Spotify user, my account is about 2 years old at this stage, so at the moment the latest changes do not affect me much. However, in my experience, usually they are eventually rolled out to the “vintage” accounts as well and thus I will be affected. I am not personally happy about it, for a number of reasons:

1. I do like the freedom of choice

2. I do NOT want my music to be distributed for everyone to see

3. I absolutely hate such decisions being made behind my back (and especially when I am paying a top buck for the service).

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Posted in Fun Stuff

Top 10 Time Wasting Apps You Should Avoid on Holidays

Top 10 Time Wasting Apps You Should Avoid on HolidaysI am not sure about you, but for me holidays are the time to relax, unwind and most importantly, disconnect from the every day life. That’s the theory though. In reality, no matter where I am going, part of my life is going with me. I have my iPad loaded with apps and a mobile phone for people to contact me whenever they need to (which in most cases is exactly whenever I don’t want them to).

As I will be on the road again soon I decided to take a look at some of the apps I have on my iPad, and see which ones do I really need on my travel. I also asked some of my travel blogging friends which apps they wish they didn’t have during their travels and together we came up with a list of top 10 apps to avoid during holidays.

1. Twitter

Twitter is an absolute winner here. Everyone I asked mentioned it on top of their list. As I am not a big tweeter myself, so I will let my friend Corbin from iBackPackCanada tell you why the app is the number one here: “I love meeting people, but when I’m traveling meeting virtual people should take a back-seat in order to meet the real ones. Unfortunately that doesn’t always work.“ Nuff said.

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Posted in Fun Stuff

Forthcoming Gigs in Manchester: The Cribs featuring Johnny Marr

Forthcoming Gigs in Manchester: The Cribs featuring Johnny MarrI usually do not write much about music on this blog, however, after a slight encouragement from Corbin of iBackpackCanada I decided to introduce more musical themes to this blog too. And, there is a great reason for that, a great musical feast is coming to the town. Wakefield’s finest, the Cribs are going to play one show with the legendary Johnny Marr in the Apollo on the 2nd of October. This is going to be one of the top gigs in Manchester this year for any indie music fan out there.

Marr joined the Cribs in 2007 and was announced a full time member a year later, recorded one album with the group, however, departed from the group earlier this year. The upcoming show may turn out to be one of the rare occasions to see him playing with the Jarman brothers once again.

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Posted in Gigs in Manchester, Manchester Nightlife

Manchester Shopping Experience: Where to Shop in Manchester

Manchester Shopping Experience: Where to Shop in ManchesterIt’s a fact, shopping is an integral part of any holiday break. Be it a short, weekend city break or a longer holidays, we all like to spend at least a day away from the tourist attractions and browse things in shops.The problem often is though that we don’t know where the good shops are. With that in mind I decided to write a short Manchester shopping guide and let you know where to shop in Manchester.

Trafford Centre

Trafford centre is certainly the most popular Manchester shopping spot of all. Situated in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford the centre is in fact the biggest shopping centre in Europe.

Occupying 1 900 000 square foot, over 35 million visits per year and over 280 stores and services, the centre certainly can offer something for everyone. You can get to the centre by X50, 100, 250 and 22 bus lines, with the first one being set up especially to provide quick access for Manchester population to the centre. You can also use the ML1 Metrolink to Stretford Metrolink Station.

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Posted in Manchester Shopping

Bus Routes Manchester – A Short Guide to Manchester Transport

Bus Routes Manchester   A Short Guide to Manchester TransportNo matter whether you are coming to the city for a weekend of shopping and fun or you want to stay in for few days longer, getting around the new place is always problematic. There are places you want to go and see and also wonder how you will get there from your accommodation.

One of the most popular form of public transport in Manchester are busses. With so many bus routes Manchester is a city quite easy to get around and here is a concise information on bus routes in Manchester.
Two major bus operators in Manchester are First Manchester and Stagecoach. First operates on the north of the city and Stagecoach is on the south.

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Posted in Manchester Transport

A Short Guide to Manchester Nightlife

A Short Guide to Manchester NightlifeIf you are coming to Manchester for a short break you surely don’t want to miss out on the city’s famous nightlife. With so much going on in the city however, it might be difficult to choose where to spend your time. With that in mind, I have put together a short guide to Manchester nightlife for you with a selection of the best Bars, Pubs and Nightclubs in Manchester for you to choose from.

Manchester Bars

You can start your journey in the Norwegian Blue, a perfect venue for a night out. With the capacity of 800 people, two floors to use and some great catering options it is a great place for your night out or event. The first floor is the biggest of the two, with the capacity of 600 people and a bar, the second floor also houses a Mezzanine, a capacity of 120 and also a bar.

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Posted in Leisure, Manchester Nightlife, Things to Do in Manchester