Manchester public transit
Feb 19th, 2016, 07:29 PM
#1
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Manchester public transit
Hi, thanks in advance for your help.
We are a family of four, two teens and two parents, spending a few days in Manchester later this spring and staying on the western side of town (Potato Wharf). I'm trying to figure out which public transit options will work best for us.
As I understand it, there are free Metroshuttles (color-coded buses), and Metrolinks (yellow trams), plus some key National Rail stations.
Most of our travel will be to Deansgate-Castlefield, Oxford Road and Piccadilly Station, with one trip west to the intu Trafford Centre. Sometimes we'll travel together as a family and sometimes the kiddos will split off on their own. Travel will be a mix of peak and off-peak depending on the day.
Do you think a 7-day Travelcard for each of us would make the most sense? It would be £16 each for husband and me, and £13.10 each for the teens. I think the teens would need to provide digital photos for SystemOne membership...I'm thinking that could be done on-site when we arrive, correct? Or has it been your experience that the free Metroshuttles are comprehensive and convenient enough to cover most travel through the city?
And my last question -- apologies for so many! -- concerns transit from the airport to Deansgate-Castlefield. We'll be arriving on a Sunday, which is a different tram schedule than other days. It looks like we would take the yellow Metrolink tram from the airport to the Cornbrook tram stop, and then the Altrincham – Etihad Campus line from Cornbrook to Deansgate-Castlefield. Does that sound right?
Any other guidance is appreciated. Again, apologies for so many questions. We live in a small town with zero public transit, and even the closest city has extremely limited public transit with only one bus line, so these choices and options take us a while to absorb. Thanks!
We are a family of four, two teens and two parents, spending a few days in Manchester later this spring and staying on the western side of town (Potato Wharf). I'm trying to figure out which public transit options will work best for us.
As I understand it, there are free Metroshuttles (color-coded buses), and Metrolinks (yellow trams), plus some key National Rail stations.
Most of our travel will be to Deansgate-Castlefield, Oxford Road and Piccadilly Station, with one trip west to the intu Trafford Centre. Sometimes we'll travel together as a family and sometimes the kiddos will split off on their own. Travel will be a mix of peak and off-peak depending on the day.
Do you think a 7-day Travelcard for each of us would make the most sense? It would be £16 each for husband and me, and £13.10 each for the teens. I think the teens would need to provide digital photos for SystemOne membership...I'm thinking that could be done on-site when we arrive, correct? Or has it been your experience that the free Metroshuttles are comprehensive and convenient enough to cover most travel through the city?
And my last question -- apologies for so many! -- concerns transit from the airport to Deansgate-Castlefield. We'll be arriving on a Sunday, which is a different tram schedule than other days. It looks like we would take the yellow Metrolink tram from the airport to the Cornbrook tram stop, and then the Altrincham – Etihad Campus line from Cornbrook to Deansgate-Castlefield. Does that sound right?
Any other guidance is appreciated. Again, apologies for so many questions. We live in a small town with zero public transit, and even the closest city has extremely limited public transit with only one bus line, so these choices and options take us a while to absorb. Thanks!
Feb 19th, 2016, 11:58 PM
#2
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These may help. Easy enough to get from Airport to Cornbrook (see below) but if I can help further ask, Mrs Lyon works in Manchester and has a better handle on it than me:
http://www.metrolink.co.uk/stationin.../Route_Map.pdf
http://www.tfgm.com/buses/Pages/metroshuttle.aspx
Good luck and best wishes
Steve
http://www.metrolink.co.uk/stationin.../Route_Map.pdf
http://www.tfgm.com/buses/Pages/metroshuttle.aspx
Good luck and best wishes
Steve
Feb 20th, 2016, 01:33 AM
#3
It sounds like you're staying at the Castlefield Hotel on Liverpool Road, which is an OK spot on the Salford edge of town. However, it's only about 200 yards from Deansgate and you can walk into the shopping centre of the city in 10 minutes or so, plus Castlefield area is surrounded by excellent restaurants across the £ range.
If the weather's good, have a drink just up the road from your hotel in Duke's Cellar which has a lovely outdoor seating area or eat at Albert's Shed, both in the canal basin next to each other.
The whole of the city centre is walkable and you could do Oxford Road from your hotel in 20 minutes or so. The only transport you'd really need is out to the Trafford Centre so travel cards don't make a great deal of sense in your situation. If you're carrying baggage from Piccadilly Station, then catch a cab for the short across town trips to your hotel etc. to avoid lumping bags on and off buses. You can catch the Metro bus from the station, Route 2, plus route three in peak times.
From Cornbrook, you're correct in saying that you go the short distance on the tram to Deansgate/Castlefield. As I mentioned above, it's a couple of hundred yards down Liverpool Road to your hotel.
Let me know if you need any other recommendations for places to go/eat/see etc.
If the weather's good, have a drink just up the road from your hotel in Duke's Cellar which has a lovely outdoor seating area or eat at Albert's Shed, both in the canal basin next to each other.
The whole of the city centre is walkable and you could do Oxford Road from your hotel in 20 minutes or so. The only transport you'd really need is out to the Trafford Centre so travel cards don't make a great deal of sense in your situation. If you're carrying baggage from Piccadilly Station, then catch a cab for the short across town trips to your hotel etc. to avoid lumping bags on and off buses. You can catch the Metro bus from the station, Route 2, plus route three in peak times.
From Cornbrook, you're correct in saying that you go the short distance on the tram to Deansgate/Castlefield. As I mentioned above, it's a couple of hundred yards down Liverpool Road to your hotel.
Let me know if you need any other recommendations for places to go/eat/see etc.
Feb 20th, 2016, 04:34 AM
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This is very helpful and will save us a bucket of money -- thanks! My husband will appreciate the Duke's Cellar recommendation in particular. 
Is there a farmers' market or good grocery in the Deansgate-Castlefield area that you could recommend? We're staying at the YHA hostel there and would like to use the self-catering kitchen to save money.
Again, many thanks!
Is there a farmers' market or good grocery in the Deansgate-Castlefield area that you could recommend? We're staying at the YHA hostel there and would like to use the self-catering kitchen to save money.
Again, many thanks!
Feb 20th, 2016, 08:01 AM
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Looks like a lovely hostel and the area is pleasantly located by the canals. Dukes 92 and Albert Shed, as Rubicund points out, are lovely fairly nearby venues and great in summer. Alberts Shed is more Italian than British and wont be the cheapest (but not expensive). Farmers markets are not convenient for you but the Arndale Centre has a great indoor market especially for fish (but a bit of a walk).
The cheaper eating places are in the Northern Quarter where you can get great curries but again a bit of a walk. A curry house called "This and That" is frequently cited as one of the best value places in the UK and where you can get three curries and rice for a fiver (not open late).
There are some great British Pubs for beer but a little walk from you: Britons Protection is possibly the nearest best pub for real beer.
The cheaper eating places are in the Northern Quarter where you can get great curries but again a bit of a walk. A curry house called "This and That" is frequently cited as one of the best value places in the UK and where you can get three curries and rice for a fiver (not open late).
There are some great British Pubs for beer but a little walk from you: Britons Protection is possibly the nearest best pub for real beer.
Feb 20th, 2016, 08:13 AM
#6
You have a couple of choices for groceries. There's a Sainsbury's local on Deansgate on the corner of Quay Street or if you want a big store, you can walk 3 or 400 yards onto Regent Rd to a big Sainsburys. Local pubs worth looking at are the Oxnoble on Liverpool Rd or the Deansgate pub just down from the Hilton.
