Guru/Manchester/Free
Free things to do in Manchester
The Science and Industry Museum, the Whitworth, Manchester Museum, the art gallery and the People’s History Museum are all free, and so is the John Rylands library.
16 picks that fit, best first. The order follows the live forecast and the time of day.
Science and Industry Museum
Castlefield
Working engines and the world’s first passenger railway station, free to enter.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Northern Quarter
Northern Quarter
Record shops, street art, coffee and the bars that define a Manchester night out.
Mostly under cover. Free.
- Free
- In and out
- Half a day
- Fine in rain
John Rylands Library
Deansgate
A neo-Gothic cathedral of a library on Deansgate, free to walk around.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Manchester Art Gallery
City centre
Pre-Raphaelites, Lowry and a strong programme of contemporary shows, free, in the centre.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Manchester Museum
Oxford Road
Dinosaurs, Egyptian mummies and a vivarium of live frogs, free, on the university campus.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
The Whitworth
Whitworth Park
A glass-walled gallery that opens onto its own park, with a strong textile collection.
Mostly under cover. Free.
- Free
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
- Fine in rain
- Good with kids
Imperial War Museum North
Trafford Wharf
Libeskind’s shattered-globe building with hourly 360-degree projections, free.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
People's History Museum
Spinningfields
The national museum of democracy, from Peterloo to the present, free by the river.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
The Lowry
Salford Quays
Theatres, a free Lowry gallery and the quayside at MediaCity.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Gallery free; shows ticketed
Central Library
St Peter’s Square
A circular 1930s library with a domed reading room, free and warm on a wet day.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Manchester Cathedral
Cathedral Gardens
A medieval church with the widest nave in England and carved misericords worth finding.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Manchester Craft and Design Centre
Northern Quarter
Two floors of makers’ studios in a Victorian fish market, free to browse.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Trafford Centre
Trafford Park
A vast, over-the-top shopping centre with a cinema, a Sea Life aquarium and Legoland Discovery inside.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Free to enter; attractions ticketed
Castlefield and the canals
Castlefield
Roman fort, Victorian viaducts and canal basins with bars along the water.
Wet right now, so save this for a dry spell.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
Heaton Park
Prestwich
Six hundred acres of parkland with a hall, a boating lake, a farm and a tram stop at the gate.
Wet right now, so save this for a dry spell.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Fletcher Moss Botanical Garden
Didsbury
Rock gardens and a riverside walk in Didsbury, the south side’s favourite Sunday.
Wet right now, so save this for a dry spell.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
Good to know
What are the best free things to do in Manchester?
The Science and Industry Museum, the Whitworth, Manchester Museum, the art gallery and the People’s History Museum are all free, and so is the John Rylands library. There are 16 free picks here, and the order changes with the weather: on a wet day the free museums and galleries come first, on a fine day the parks and viewpoints do.
Do free attractions in Manchester need booking?
Some do, at busy times. Where a place is free but asks you to book a slot, the card says so, and the official site link takes you to the booking page.