Rainy day · Manchester · United Kingdom
8 things to do in Manchester when it rains
Indoor sights that make a wet day feel planned rather than lost.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: David Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Quick answer
Start with Science and Industry Museum, Old Trafford stadium tour and John Rylands Library. Together the 8 picks below take roughly 14–15 hours across 6 areas; 5 are free. January is usually the wettest month, with about 15 rainy days.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 8
- Free entry
- 5
- Time to see them all
- 14–15 hours
- Areas
- Castlefield, Trafford and Deansgate
Manchester on a rainy day
Museum · Castlefield
1.Science and Industry Museum
Check which buildings are open before you go, and time your visit for one of the cotton machinery demonstrations.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Iconic
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Experience · Trafford
2.Old Trafford stadium tour
Tours are not available on match days and are limited the day before, so check the fixture list first.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Kids
- Rainy day
Architecture · Deansgate
3.John Rylands Library
Head straight upstairs to the Historic Reading Room, then look for the current exhibition in the modern wing.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- Rainy day
- Photo spot
Museum · University
4.Manchester Museum
Combine it with the Whitworth, a 10-minute walk south along Oxford Road.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
- Nature
Gallery · City Centre
5.Manchester Art Gallery
Look for Ford Madox Brown's Work, one of the most famous Victorian paintings of everyday labour.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Rainy day
- Kids
Gallery · University
6.The Whitworth
Have lunch in the glass-walled café overlooking the park, then explore the textile galleries.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Experience · Eastlands
7.Etihad Stadium tour
Take the Metrolink to Etihad Campus; the stop is right beside the stadium.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
Museum · City Centre
8.National Football Museum
Allow time for the interactive Football Plus zone if you have children with you.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Castlefield | Science and Industry Museum | 2–3 hours |
| Trafford | Old Trafford stadium tour | 2 hours |
| Deansgate | John Rylands Library | 1 hour |
| University | Manchester Museum and The Whitworth | 2 hours + 1.5 hours |
| City Centre | Manchester Art Gallery and National Football Museum | 1.5 hours + 2 hours |
| Eastlands | Etihad Stadium tour | 1.5 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 8, 5 free, 3 mid-priced. Book ahead for Old Trafford stadium tour and Etihad Stadium tour. The longest visit is Science and Industry Museum; group the rest by area to save travel time.
- Old Trafford stadium tour: Book stadium tours online in advance, especially during school holidays.
- Etihad Stadium tour: Book online in advance; tours do not run on match days.
How to fit them into 4 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Castlefield and Trafford): Science and Industry Museum → Old Trafford stadium tour, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Deansgate and University): John Rylands Library → Manchester Museum → The Whitworth, at least 5 hours.
- Half-day 3 (City Centre): Manchester Art Gallery → National Football Museum, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Eastlands): Etihad Stadium tour, at least 2 hours.
The wettest months
- January: highs of 7°C (45°F), about 15 rainy days, quiet crowds. Cold, damp and dark by about 4:30pm, but hotel prices are at their lowest and the free museums are quiet.
- October: highs of 14°C (57°F), about 15 rainy days, moderate crowds. Wetter and cooler, with autumn colour in the parks; a good month for gigs and museums.
- November: highs of 10°C (50°F), about 15 rainy days, moderate crowds. Damp and dark early, but the Christmas markets open and the city fills with shoppers at weekends.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Deansgate and Spinningfields — The main shopping spine, the John Rylands Library and glass office towers
- Castlefield — Canal basins, railway viaducts and the site of the Roman fort
- Piccadilly and the Village — The main rail hub, Chinatown and the bars of Canal Street
More of Manchester
All things to do in Manchester · Where to stay · When to go.
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Manchester?
Science and Industry Museum. Spread across the buildings of Liverpool Road station, the terminus of the 1830 Liverpool and Manchester Railway and the oldest surviving passenger railway station in the world, the museum tells the story of the city's textile mills, engineering and computing, including working cotton machinery demonstrations.
+Which of these are free in Manchester?
Science and Industry Museum, John Rylands Library, Manchester Museum, Manchester Art Gallery and The Whitworth.