Manchester, Liverpool, and the Peak District
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Manchester, Liverpool, and the Peak District - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Chatsworth House
One of England's greatest country houses, the "Palace of the Peak" is the ancestral home of the dukes of Devonshire and stands in vast parkland grazed by deer and sheep. Originally an Elizabethan house, it was altered over several generations starting in 1686 and now has a hodgepodge look, though the Palladian facade remains untouched. It's surrounded by woods, elaborate gardens, greenhouses, rock gardens, and a beautiful water cascade—all designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century and, in the 19th, Joseph Paxton, an engineer as well as a brilliant gardener. Plan on at least a half day to explore the grounds; avoid Sunday if you can as it gets very crowded. Inside are intricate carvings, superb furniture, van Dyck portraits, Sir Joshua Reynolds's Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire and Her Baby, John Singer Sargent's enormous Acheson Sisters, and fabulous rooms, including the Sculpture Gallery, the library, and the Painted Hall. On the estate, you'll also find a working farm with milking demonstrations, an adventure playground, cafés, restaurants, a tea shop, and a farm shop; you can even stay in several cottages scattered throughout the grounds.
View Tours and ActivitiesOff B6012, Bakewell, Derbyshire, DE45 1PP, England01246-565300Sight Details
Rate Includes: House, gardens, farm, and adventure playground £29; house and gardens £26; gardens only £15; farmyard and adventure playground £7, Closed 2nd wk of Jan.--late Mar. -
2. Crich Tramway Village
A 15-minute drive outside Matlock, this period village includes the National Tramway Museum of Antique Vehicles and a tram restoration workshop with a public viewing gallery. On the vintage streets, you can board old trams that take you to the surrounding countryside and back. Spend your pennies in the old-fashioned sweets shop or ice cream parlor before exploring the woodland walk and play areas.
Crich Village, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 5DP, England01773-854321Sight Details
Rate Includes: £20, Closed Nov.–mid-Mar. -
3. IWM North
The QuaysThe thought-provoking exhibits in this striking, aluminum-clad building, which architect Daniel Libeskind described as representing three shards of an exploded globe, present the reasons for war and show its effects on society. Hourly Big Picture audiovisual shows envelop you in the sights and sounds of conflicts while a time line from 1914 to the present examines objects and personal stories from veterans showing how war changes lives. Excellent special exhibitions cover everything from life in Britain during the Blitz to artistic responses to conflict. The museum is on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal in The Quays, across the footbridge from the Lowry. It's a five-minute walk from the MediaCityUK stop of the Metrolink tram.
Trafford Wharf Rd., Manchester, Manchester, M17 1TZ, England0161-836–4000Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
4. Manchester Museum
University QuarterThis University of Manchester--owned museum is located in a superb Gothic Revival building with modern add-ons. Its latest extension had added a superb South Asia gallery and a Chinese culture gallery. Embracing anthropology, natural history, and archaeology, it features one of the U.K.'s largest ancient Egyptian collections as part of the extensive Ancient Worlds galleries, a beautiful Living Worlds gallery designed to raise questions about our attitude towards nature, and a vivarium complete with live frogs and other amphibians and reptiles. A lively events program for all ages helps lure in repeat visitors.
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5. Museum of Science and Industry
CastlefieldThe venue's historic buildings, one of which is the world's oldest passenger rail station (1830), hold marvelous collections relating to the city's industrial past and present, although conservation, restoration, and expansion over the next few years will mean certain areas are off-limits or obscured by scaffolding. You can walk through a reconstructed Victorian sewer, be blasted by the heat and noise of working steam engines, see cotton looms whirring in action, and watch a planetarium show. Allow at least half a day to get the most out of all the sites, temporary exhibitions, talks, and events.
Liverpool Rd., Manchester, Manchester, M3 4FP, England0330-058–0058Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, charges vary for special exhibits -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Poole's Cavern and Buxton Country Park
The Peak District's extraordinary geology can be seen up close in this large limestone cave far beneath the 100 acres of Buxton Country Park. Inhabited in prehistoric times, the cave contains, in addition to the standard stalactites and stalagmites, the source of the River Wye, which flows through Buxton. The Country Park paths take you up to Grin Low, home to the Victorian fortified hill marker Solomon's Tower, the remains of several Bronze Age burial chambers, and views of Mam Tor and Kinder Scout. There's also a fun Go Ape! treetop adventure course on site. Admission to the cave includes a guided tour lasting nearly an hour.
Green La., Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 9DH, England01298-26978Sight Details
Rate Includes: £14.50 -
7. RHS Garden Bridgewater
SalfordThis 154-acre garden has transformed the heritage grounds of Worsley New Hall into a delightful green space for both locals and visitors. There's a kitchen garden, a stream-side Chinese garden, community growing spaces, a learning garden, and a play area.
Off Leigh Rd., Manchester, Manchester, M28 2LJ, England0161-503–6100Sight Details
Rate Includes: £12.65 -
8. Speedwell Cavern
This is the area's most exciting cavern by far, with 105 slippery steps leading down to old lead-mine tunnels blasted out by 19th-century miners. Here you transfer to a small boat for the claustrophobic ¼-mile trip through an illuminated access tunnel to the cavern itself. At this point you're 600 feet underground, with views farther down to the so-called Bottomless Pit, a cavern entirely filled with water. An on-site shop sells items made of Blue John, a mineral found nowhere else in the world.
Castleton, Derbyshire, S33 8WA, England01433-623018Sight Details
Rate Includes: £17 -
9. Tate Liverpool
WaterfrontThis offshoot of the London-based art galleries of the same name occupies a handsome conversion of Albert Dock warehouses by the late James Stirling, one of Britain's leading 20th-century architects. There is no permanent collection; challenging exhibitions of modern and contemporary art change every couple of months. There are children's activities, an excellent gift shop, and a dockside café-restaurant.
Albert Dock, Liverpool, Liverpool, L3 4BB, England0151-702–7400Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free; charges for certain special exhibitions vary -
10. Walker Art Gallery
City CentreWith a superb display of British art and some outstanding Italian and Flemish works, this is one of the best British art collections outside London. Don't miss the unrivaled collection of paintings by 18th-century Liverpudlian equestrian artist George Stubbs or works by J. M. W. Turner, Claude Monet, Frederic Lord Leighton, and the Pre-Raphaelites. Modern artists are included, too; on display is one of David Hockney's typically Californian pool scenes. Other excellent exhibits showcase classical Greek and Roman sculptures as well as china, silver, and furniture that once adorned the mansions of Liverpool's industrial barons. There are temporary exhibitions, including those focusing on photography, and a dedicated children's art space. The café holds center stage in the airy museum lobby.
View Tours and ActivitiesWilliam Brown St., Liverpool, Liverpool, L3 8EL, England0151-478–4199Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free; charge for temporary exhibitions -
11. Whitworth Art Gallery
University QuarterThis University of Manchester–owned art museum is beautifully—and uniquely—integrated into the surrounding parkland through its art garden, sculpture terrace, orchard garden, and landscape gallery. Some of the free events and activities take you into the park itself, including children's outdoor art clubs. The renowned collections inside the gallery embrace British watercolors, Old Master drawings, postimpressionist works, wallpapers, and an outstanding textile gallery befitting a city built on textile manufacturing. There's also a learning studio for families and a "café in the trees" overlooking the art garden, with a seasonal British menu.
Oxford Rd., Manchester, Manchester, M15 6ER, England0161-275–7450Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
12. British Music Experience
WaterfrontLocated in the former first-class lounge of the historic Cunard Building, this venue traces the story of British music through a colorful array of costumes, instruments, and other memorabilia. Regular events include celebrations of particular musical icons, and there are school-holiday activities for kids.
Pier Head, Liverpool, Liverpool, L3 1DS, England0151-519–0915Sight Details
Rate Includes: £16, Closed Mon. and Tues. mid-Nov.–Mar. -
13. Castlefield Urban Heritage Park
CastlefieldSite of an early Roman fort, the district of Castlefield was later the center of the city's industrial boom, which resulted in the building of Britain's first modern canal in 1764 and the world's first railway station in 1830. It has been beautifully restored into an urban park with canal-side walks, landscaped open spaces, and refurbished warehouses. The 7-acre site contains the reconstructed gate to the Roman fort of Mamucium, the buildings of the Museum of Science and Industry, and several bars and restaurants, many with outdoor terraces. You can easily spend a day here. The site is also currently home to the Castlefield Viaduct Sky Park, inspired by New York City's High Line. This green oasis with more than 3,000 plants is open to 100 people a day with advanced booking.
Liverpool Rd., Manchester, Manchester, M3 4FP, EnglandSight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
14. Heights of Abraham
A cable car ride across the River Derwent takes you to this 60-acre country park on the crags above the small village of Matlock Bath. Tickets include access to the woodland walk, nature trails and a willow sculpture trail, guided tours of two caverns and a former lead mine where workers toiled by candlelight, access to the film theater, and use of the audio tour. There are also two adventure playgrounds and a restaurant.
A6, Matlock Bath, Derbyshire, DE4 3PD, England01629-582365Sight Details
Rate Includes: £19 cable-car and all attractions, Closed Nov.–mid-Mar. -
15. Manchester Art Gallery
City CentreBehind an impressive classical portico, this splendid museum and its sparkling modern atrium houses an outstanding collection of paintings by the Pre-Raphaelites and their circle, notably Ford Madox Brown's masterpiece Work and Holman Hunt's The Hireling Shepherd. British artwork from the 18th and 20th centuries is also well represented. The second-floor Craft and Design Gallery shows off the best of the decorative arts in ceramics, glass, metalwork, and furniture. The Lion's Den (Clore Art Studio) is a creative space for families while the Derek Jarman Pocket Park pays homage to the eponymous artist's iconic garden in Dungeness, Kent.
Mosley St., Manchester, Manchester, M2 3JL, England0161-235–8888Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
16. Museum of Liverpool
WaterfrontClad in Jura stone and shaped like a ship, with a spectacular spiral staircase running from the atrium to each floor, this ambitious waterfront museum tells the story of the city from its earliest settlement in the Neolithic Age. Highlights include an extraordinary 3-D map with different perspectives of the city as you move around it, an engrossing film about soccer culture, and an interactive time line peeling away layers of Liverpool's history. There's a children's gallery and family museum trails, too.
Pier Head, Liverpool, Liverpool, L3 4AQ, England0151-478–4545Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
17. National Football Museum
City CentreThis striking, glass-skinned triangle of a building includes a galaxy of footballing (soccer) memorabilia, from historic trophies, souvenirs, and shirts (many of them match-worn and signed by legends of the sport) to such near-sacred items as the ball from the 1966 World Cup—the last time England won the sport's ultimate prize. There's also lots of interactive fun to be had, like in the penalty shoot-out area.
View Tours and ActivitiesCathedral Gardens, Manchester, Manchester, M4 3BG, England0161-605–8200Sight Details
Rate Includes: £12 -
18. Peak Cavern
Caves riddle the entire town and the surrounding area, and in this massive example, rope making has been done on a great ropewalk for more than 400 years. You can still see the remains of the 17th-century rope-makers' village. Some trivia to keep kids amused: the cavern was traditionally called the "Devil's Arse" due to the flatulent noise that water makes when draining out of the caves. Events held here include pop-up cinemas, live music concerts, and Christmas carols.
Off Goosehill, Castleton, Derbyshire, S33 8WS, England01433-620285Sight Details
Rate Includes: £17 -
19. Red House Stables and Carriage Museum
Museum/GalleryThis quaint museum contains a collection of historic carriages, including the last remaining London to Holyhead Royal Mail coach in Britain, dating from around 1826. Trips through the local countryside on some of the carriages are available for £30 per person an hour (booking ahead is advisable).
Old Rd., Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 2ER, England01629-733583Sight Details
Rate Includes: £5, Closed Sun. afternoon in winter -
20. The Lowry
SalfordClad in perforated steel and glass, this arts center is one of the highlights of the Salford Quays waterways. L. S. Lowry (1887–1976) was a local artist, and one of the few who painted the industrial landscape; galleries here showcase the world's largest collection of his paintings alongside work by contemporary artists. The theater has three spaces showcasing everything from West End musicals and new works by up-and-coming theater companies to some of the U.K.'s most popular stand-up comedians. The nearest Metrolink tram stop is Harbour City, a 10-minute walk away.
Pier 8, Manchester, Manchester, M50 3AZ, England0343-208–6000Sight Details
Rate Includes: Galleries free, performances vary
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