3 Best Sights in Manchester, Liverpool, and the Peak District, England

The world's fifth-largest Anglican cathedral, this Gothic-style edifice was begun in 1903 by architect Giles Gilbert Scott and finally finished in 1978. The tower is a popular climb; two elevators and 108 steps take you to panoramic views (from April to October, twilight ascents are available). There's also a gallery of ecclesiastical embroidery, usually open only as part of the Tower Experience.

The city's sandstone cathedral, set beside the River Irwell and originally a medieval parish church dating in part from the 15th century, is unusually broad for its length and has the widest medieval nave in Britain. Inside, angels with gilded instruments look down from the roof of the nave, and misericords (the undersides of choristers' seats) in the early-16th-century choir stalls reveal intriguing carvings. The octagonal chapter house dates from 1485. There are free guided tours on Mondays through Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm.

Consecrated in 1967, this Roman Catholic cathedral is a modernistic, funnel-like structure of concrete, stone, and mosaic, topped with a glass lantern. Long, narrow, blue-glass windows separate chapels, each with modern works of art. An earlier design by classically inspired architect Edwin Lutyens was abandoned when World War II began (the current design is by Frederick Gibberd), but you can still take a look at Lutyens's vast brick-and-granite crypt and barrel-vaulted ceilings.