How To Spend A Day In Manchester - Brunch, The Northern Quarter & Lots More*

It's no secret if you're a long time reader of my blog that I LOVE a day trip. Whether that's to go to a Christmas market, splash out on a shopping trip or to just have a day to explore somewhere new, I always find a day just me and George, so much fun. I think dates like that can be so important when life and work are so busy. A place I've spoken about quite a lot on my blog before is Manchester. We've been to their amazing Christmas markets year after year, we had a full week there last year for work and last week we visited with the purpose of exploring the city with fresh eyes and seeing how best to spend a full day there. 

Manchester has so much to offer, from bars and quirky cafes, to huge shopping centres which you can spend hours in and even theatres for you to see the latest musicals (something you know I'm a big fan of). Whilst it's somewhere I think you can see a lot of in a day, it's also a great place for a weekend break and if that's up your street, make sure you check out serviced apartments Manchester for more details. Now, let's get onto how George, Bear and I spent our day in the city.

Breakfast At Cafe 19

We started our day off with brunch at the dog friendly cafe, Cafe 19. I did a bit of research before we set off and this place had so many recommendations. It can be quite tricky to find dog friendly places in a lot of cities so I was thrilled that I had found somewhere we could all enjoy. As soon as we arrived, Bear was given alllll the attention so he was in his element and the staff were so friendly. They couldn't do enough for you. The food was also incredible, and we even got cakes to take back with us which I can't even put into words how good they were. Caramel WAFFLE brownie?! Out of this world. I highly recommend popping in for breakfast if you're in Manchester at any point. I've got my eye on the pancakes for next time.

Explore The Northern Quarter

Just five minutes walk from Cafe 19, you're in the heart of the Northern Quarter. Something Manchester is known for now and it's well worth a visit. Here you'll find the best bars, restaurants, coffee shops, independent shops, hotels and more. It can be seen as quite a 'hipster' part of the city but don't let that put you off. There are also some beautiful pieces of art dotted around which you 100% need to look for. We found a Manchester Bee mural on the side of The Koffee Pot cafe and a few different pieces at Stevenson Square Outhouse. 

Visit The Friends Cafe

Being the huge Friends fan that I am, I knew I had to make a visit to the new cafe in the Manchester Primark. Still full up from breakfast we didn't go in but just look at it! It's so realistic and is a welcome quieter area to Primark which is usually so loud and busy. They do an array of snacks, meals and drinks and you can even grab a photo sat on the famous couch.

Shopping At The Arndale Centre

When in the city centre, you've got to do a bit of shopping in the Arndale. It's full of shops with everything you could possibly need but a few of my faves, Homesense and The Lindt Store are there so I always pop in and see what's new. I picked up a few quirky foodie bits from Homensense this time and of course we went a little mad on chocolate in Lindt. I of course also picked up a few books whilst there and I even managed to get a few presents so it was a successful little shopping trip.

See A Musical At The Manchester Opera House

Finally, if you get chance I think it's so worth going to see a musical at the Manchester Opera House. I'd never been there before and had only seen shows in London but the venue is beautiful, the seats are comfortable (very important) and they have such a variety of shows coming over the next few months. I went to see & Juliet, a brand new musical and it was absolutely amazing. The cast are insane, the songs are so cheesy so of course I was in my element and I had the best view from my seat. I'll have a full review up of the show in a few weeks so keep an eye out for that, but some of the other shows coming include - Rip It Up - The 70's, Back To The Future and Sister Act.

So that's how we spent our day in Manchester, and we had the best time! The weather may have been awful and Bear may have got drenched but it was 100% worth it and we discovered so much more about the city on this particular visit. I'd love to know if you've been to Manchester and if you have any recommendations. I'm already thinking about a Christmas trip in a few months! 

Similar - My Manchester Travel Guide - Where To Stay, What To See & More

*The spending money was gifted by Hotels.com, but all views are my own

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