Season guide · Manchester · United Kingdom
Manchester in winter
December–February: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Imperial_War_Museum_2008.jpg : pit-yacker from UK derivative work: IxK85 ( talk ), CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answer
Cold, damp and dark early, but Christmas markets in December and the lowest prices of the year after New Year. Expect highs up to 8°C (46°F) and lows around 2°C (36°F), with about 42 rainy days across December–February.
Key facts
- Months
- December–February
- Temperatures
- 2°C (36°F) to 8°C (46°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 42
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Hotel prices
- Average
Weather in winter
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7°C (45°F) | 2°C (36°F) | 15 | 8 h | 2/5 |
| February | 8°C (46°F) | 2°C (36°F) | 12 | 9.7 h | 2/5 |
| December | 7°C (45°F) | 2°C (36°F) | 15 | 7.5 h | 4/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 7°C (45°F) against a yearly 14°C (57°F), and 42 of the year's roughly 155 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 3/5 and hotel prices 3/5 on average.
What's on in winter
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- January: Chinese New Year celebrations in Chinatown (late January or February)
- February: Chinese New Year celebrations (if not in January)
- December: Christmas markets continue (until about 21 December)
Good choices for winter
Experience · Eastlands
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
National Football Museum
Inside the sloping glass Urbis building beside Cathedral Gardens, England's national football museum covers the game's history from medieval village matches to the modern Premier League, with shirts, trophies and interactive penalty and skills challenges.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Religious site · City Centre
Manchester Cathedral
Look under the choir-stall seats for the carved misericords, including a rabbit cooking a hunter.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Museum · Spinningfields
People's History Museum
Britain's national museum of democracy, in a former Edwardian pumping station on the Irwell, tells the story of the fight for votes, workers' rights and protest through banners, posters and objects from the Peterloo Massacre of 1819 to modern campaigns.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Rainy day
Market · Northern Quarter
Afflecks
Walk the surrounding streets afterwards to find the Northern Quarter's murals and record shops.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Shopping
- Free
- Rainy day
Day trips in winter
- York (About 1 hour 20–30 minutes by train) — The medieval walled city of York has York Minster, the timber-framed Shambles, the free National Railway Museum and the JORVIK Viking Centre, all within a walk of the station.
- Quarry Bank (About 30–40 minutes by train and walk) — A National Trust cotton mill of 1784 in the Bollin valley near the airport, with working machinery, the mill workers' village and the Apprentice House where child workers lived, plus riverside gardens and woods.
What to pack
- A warm coat, hat, gloves and thermal layers
- Shoes with good grip for icy pavements
- A compact umbrella and waterproof shoes — rain is frequent
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is winter a good time to visit Manchester?
It is a trade-off: Cold, damp and dark early, but Christmas markets in December and the lowest prices of the year after New Year. The best months overall are May–September.
+What is the weather like in Manchester in winter?
Highs of up to 8°C (46°F) and lows around 2°C (36°F), with about 42 rainy days over the season.