Manchester Airport
Manchester’s international airport marks the city out as a major point of arrival for anyone visiting the UK.

Trains A direct train service runs from the airport every 10 minutes during the day and every 25 minutes through the night. It takes approximately 20 minutes to reach the city. The cost is £2.35, and £2.80 on weekdays before 9.30am.

Taxi The main taxi rank is situated directly outside the airport terminal and the journey should cost approximately £15 to the city centre.

Car The city is just a 10-mile drive from the airport and easily accessible via the M56, turning off at junction 5 to join the M60, which goes straight into the city centre. However, the journey can take up to 30 minutes, depending on the local traffic conditions.

Bus The airbus takes approximately 40 minutes and goes directly to Piccadilly Gardens in the heart of the city.

The city centre is small enough to cover by foot, although buses are cheap, clean and efficient. A day saver ticket (£3.30) gives you unlimited travel on the city’s bus network, and if you plan to venture outside of the centre these prove to be excellent value for money.

Black cabsare numerous and inexpensive, but perhaps the best way to explore the city is viaits electric tram service, the Metrolink, which whisks through the city’s streets and links it with Bury, Salford Quays, Eccles and Altrincham. Tickets cost between 50p for short trips and £1.90 to the outer suburbs.