Manchester travel guide

Manchester is renowned for being the north's music capital, a vibrant university town, and home to the best-known football team in the world, Manchester United. However this English city, which arguably rivals London in terms of excitement, has much more to offer.

The reasons lie in Manchester's transformation over the last two decades. In the 1990s, Manchester was the centre of the British music scene, spawning Oasis, the Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays. But Manchester's bubble was shockingly blown apart in 1996 when the IRA detonated a bomb in the city centre. Huge sums of money were subsequently pumped into rebuilding the city. New city and canalside developments sprung up across the city. Manchester grew from strength to strength and went on to host the Commonwealth Games in 2002.

Modern-day Manchester continues to lead the way in urban regeneration, with eye-catching buildings such as the Urbis centre which will become the National Football Museum in 2011.

Manchester is also proud of its status as a style icon and the city has a well deserved reputation as a great place to shop, drink and eat.