Manchester Included in Top Places to Visit in 2016

In the annual Lonely Planet guide, Manchester has been named alongside Kotor and Rome as one of the top ten cities in the world to visit in 2016.

As a city it has a long established reputation as the powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution and now it has a new role as a centre of excellence for British Culture and the Arts.

The government has committed £78m for The Factory, an arts centre including a 2200-seat theatre that will become the home of the Manchester International Festival.

Other projects in the city during 2015 have included a £15million revamp of the Whitworth Art gallery and the opening of HOME (another multi-art form centre).

Britain’s second largest public library, the pantheon-like Central Library, reopened in 2014 with a media lounge, British Film Institute Mediatheque, music library and a modern children’s library.

Alongside all the culture and heritage Manchester is also home to two fine football teams. Manchester United is one of the most famous football clubs in the world, but Manchester City is currently claiming a higher level of success.

The city has a great range of boutiques and designer shops in the fashionable Spinningfield and King Street areas. A vintage market can be found at Afflecks Palace and hipster boutiques are found in the Northern Quarter.

Excellent pubs, clubs and small music venues are scattered across the city and Manchester has no shortage of fine dining restuarants or elegant places to stay. One of the best restaurants, Manchester House, has a dining room which reflects the industrial heritage of the city and Great John Street Hotel is a converted schoolhouse with a fabulous Art Deco lobby.

If Manchester is a great place to visit then it must also be a great place to live.

At the end of 2015, average property prices in Greater Manchester had increased by 5.81% to £161,206, and in the city centre, prices had increased by 4.81% in the same period to an average value of £175,006.

There are a large number of new build properties coming on the market in the city centre and they are attracting buy to let investors and also young professionals who want to live in trendy areas like the Northern Quarter and Salford Quays close to the city’s vibrant night life.

In the suburbs, demand for properties is high as there is less new development. Places like Chorlton Cum Hardy, Didsbury, and Trafford with their excellent transport links on the metro, plus several high ranking State Grammar School in these areas, make them very popular places to live with families.

If you’re looking to move in Manchester, Home Estate Agents are experts in selling property in popular areas such as Urmston, Stretford, Old Trafford, Monton, Eccles, Salford Quays and Irlam. Get in touch and start your property search today.