Manchester is packed with lots of interesting and unique things to do; with so much choice, it can sometimes be daunting to find and discover new places to try – especially if you’re a student new to the city and in need of a guide.
Luckily for you, that’s where we come in.
From deals, discounts and discovering new things, to the uni hotspots, cultural cornerstones and much more, we hope to break down everything you need to do while being a student in Manchester in this helpful round-up.
Without further ado, here is your ultimate student guide to Manchester.
A guide to student life in Manchester – everything you need to know
Manchester’s many districts
Let’s start this Manchester student guide with areas. Venturing out into a city can be a challenge in itself, but doing it on your own can be even more scary. For starters, this quick breakdown of the Manchester districts should hopefully help you familiarise yourself with this bustling and busy North-West city.
Spinningfields is first on our list and is called home by many businesses and restaurants, making it the ideal entertainment destination for Mancs and everyone alike. In between both Castlefield and Deansgate, this leisure-based area is packed with fancy cocktail bars, designer brands and fine dining.
Packed with culture, Northern Quarter is one of Manchester’s cultural havens. From vintage clothing shops to record shops, it’s no surprise this trendy neighbourhood has made a name for itself with students. There’s a shop for everything here and you’re never bored with endless shops, activities and plenty of food vendors to fuel your curiosity, it’s hard to leave.
Right next to the Northern Quarter is Ancoats, an area packed with great food, small businesses and cute little cafes. This is a nice little retreat of creativity, with lots of personality, it really feels like a home away from home. The area even features its very own tourist attraction, two rows of Victorian terraces that have been preserved, also known as Anita Street.
Manchester has a reputation for pioneering change, this is reflected in our next district, Gay Village, an area in the city which runs alongside the Rochdale Canal, hence the name Canal Street. This place is packed with many bars and clubs to dance the night away in and often becomes the start or ending of a great night out.
Manchester music venues
Gorilla is an intimate live music venue situated right next to Manchester Oxford Road train station. With a capacity of around 600, this is a great music spot to discover upcoming artists or maybe even get tickets to exclusive performances by some of the bigger names in the industry.
Over the years, this independent vendor has been attracting the likes of Dua Lipa, Sam Fender and The 1975, who even hosted their very private listening sessions within these four walls in 2023.
There’s a lot of history here, including a very special sparkly toilet seat…
Coming in with less than half the capacity of Gorilla, The Deaf Institute – also on Oxford Road (where you’ll be spending lots of your time) – can hold 250 music lovers and has done since 2008. This is the perfect spot for discovering that hidden gem that will more than certainly go on to make it big.
Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, Johnny Marr and Florence Welch (yes, of ‘The Machine’) are just a few of the many acts to have graced the stage of this historic venue. As well as brilliant music, make sure to appreciate the decorum of the performance space – it’s quirky and loveable.
The next music venue you can’t miss… no, really you can’t. New Century Hall has over 1000 LEDs spanning across the ceiling of the performance space and these lights are the ideal atmosphere-setter for any artist or audience member.
Reopened in 2022, the lineup for this place has always been a treat too, even back in the day when they hosted the likes of The Hollies, The Kinks, Jimi Hendrix and more. More recent acts include Snow Patrol, Kelela, The Japanese House and even hip-hop pensioner duo, Pete and Bas.
Ever fancied watching a gig in a chapel? Albert Hall has you sorted. There’s two floors to this historical venue and a fantastic draping lightbulb set-up hanging from the ceiling which artists use to create an atmosphere that can’t be beaten. Sam Smith, Kelis and Tame Impala are just a handful of names that have rocked this stage and the big names don’t stop coming!
The first and only outdoor concert spot on this rundown, Castlefield Bowl. Big names include Jungle, Avril Lavigne, Loyle Carner and everyone’s favourite Geordie Sam Fender, who left the crowd chanting a chorus of ‘woah-oh-ohs’ to ‘Seventeen Going Under’ for what felt like an eternity.
Attracting 8,000 spectators per show, it’s a biggie and a favourite of ours but it’s safe to say that these are just the tip of the iceberg. From the Ritz and the Apollo to the legendary AO Arena and the brand-new state-of-the-art Co-op Live, we do live music better than anyone. That’s just straight facts.
Manchester food and drink
Manchester is home to a vast landscape of impressive palates from all different kinds of cuisine. This city has always been bustling with rich food culture but it’s only getting bigger and better.
Take Zouk for instance: they serve up traditional Indian and Pakistani dishes fit for everyone to enjoy. They offer students a 10% discount between 8am-4pm with their restaurant only being a 2-3 minute walk from both University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University, it’s irresistible.
Northern Quarter Chicken restaurant Yard and Coop provides students with a Manchester ‘Yard Card’. This scheme entitles them to 20% off their bill Monday to Thursday and free wings on a Wednesday, with veggie options too! All you have to do is download an e-card to the wallet on your phone.
The Courtyard knows the way to a student’s heart – cheap drinks! Cocktails start at £2.70. These drinks are great fun to order with examples like ‘Minion’, ‘Haribo’, ‘Post Water Malone’ and ‘Bubble Trouble’ just to name a few. This bar also offers a beer and burger deal for £8 which runs from Sunday-Friday for all to enjoy even veggies and began.
We have tonnes of these recommendations, by the way – you just need to keep an eye out on The Manc Eats Instagram, where there are plenty more deals to be found.
Another Northern Quarter delight is Korean-influenced food joint Wolf at the Door, which has an array of food choices and its own happy hour. Also available from Sun-Fri from 3-7pm, glasses of wine and house beers are £3.50 with selected cocktails priced at £6. Sign me up!
Cafe Marhaba offers up curries for under £10, a perfect way to enjoy a meal out while trying not to break the bank. This authentic Pakistani cuisine fits a cosy 20 diners but also provides a takeaway service too. Located on Back Piccadilly, it’s right in the heart of Manchester city centre.
There’s also a collection of restaurants, activities and bars to take advantage of at Printworks. All the retailers are easily accessible and compiled into their useful and handy app of the same name. Most places within this venue offer some neat student prices and offers that you should definitely check out.
If Manchester’s foodie scene was a meal, consider this barely even a starter. We hope you have big stomachs…
Manc nightlife – a.k.a. the best in the world
Our city is no stranger to bars and clubs – after all, we were home to the infamous Haçienda which hosted artists like Oasis, New Order, Madonna and even The Stone Roses. Manchester has clubs galore, and many fit any music taste, no matter how niche.
Calling all Indie and Alt music lovers, 42’s (42nd Street) is the place for you! There’s poster upon poster draping these walls and an LED tunnel for you to walk through before you enter the dancefloor and bar area. You normally hear some Arctic Monkeys or Catfish and the Bottlemen blasting through the club, but sometimes you’ll even catch a cheeky ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ by Sophie Ellis-Bextor if you’re lucky.
FAC251 – more commonly known as Factory – caters to all. This club is made up of three different floors, the first being Pop/R&B and Rap, then up two flights of stairs for Indie and another flight for the third room which sounds out house, techno, as well as drum and bass. Factory is a student staple and is a happy medium for friends who all have very different musical interests.
This next spot is made for metalheads, moshers and those who proudly proclaim emo was never ‘just a phase’ is aptly named Satan’s Hollow. This club isn’t just all talk: the interior boasts a fully-fleshed horror theme; there are cut-out cages, a figures and frames and a caricature devil lurking in the corner. Don’t forget their £2 tuesdays where entry costs less than a meal deal… before 12am.
The next two night out destinations are situated in Manchester’s Gay Village and are just one of many bars and clubs located on Canal Street. You really are spoilt for choice.
The Brewers Manchester boasts an impressive light-up dancefloor and hosts special drag events such as ‘Filthy Gorgeous’ every Tuesday, which is also their weekly student night. Bar Pop usually has a drag queen DJ on hand to provide some dancefloor fillers that you and your friends can let loose to as well.
Retail and shopping
Studying and student life can be hard, so what better way to unwind than some retail therapy? Manchester has plenty of shops to fill that clothes-shaped void. Here are just a few favourites.
Starting strong with Afflecks, if you don’t find anything to buy here, we’ll be impressed. This three-storey building houses many independent retailers stocking everything from clothes to posters, badges, jewellery and even piercings. There’s a whole selection of cafe’s and food hubs to sit back and relax after carrying all your bags around.
For music aficionados, there are record shops aplenty in Manchester’s NQ; one in particular, Vinyl Exchange, has been stocking rare and most-wanted vinyl records since 1988. Make sure you check out both floors as you might just find that album that you’ve been wanting since forever.
Vintage shops are quite common round here too, with Blue Rinse being one of the largest. Alongside offering some incredible knits, jackets and tees, this second-hand clothing shop also has a kilo sale where shoppers fill a bag with whatever they like for a set price per weight. You’ll never be indecisive again!
Pop Boutique has a lot of retro inspired clothing and is only a minute away from Blue Rinse. This is another vintage shop which has everything from clothing to furniture and accessories. Another pro to this retailer is you get to walk around with a cute reusable branded bag for the rest of the day – win-win.
Sometimes it’s good to know that you can come home to a nice comforting cuppa. Bird and Blend offers just that, in a whole array of flavours you never knew existed. Ever had birthday cake tea? How about candy floss? This tea shop has it all. With an instore brewery too, you can walk out of the shop with a tea to go and one all wrapped up for later. Keep it handy for the mooch around the rest of the shops.
For your consideration:
Manchester Arndale is the city centre’s leading shopping centre which boasts a collection of fashion retailers, foodie joints and its own independent market.
This retailing giant hosts an annual fun-filled MCR Student Social which is a day packed with events and discounts which benefit students across Manchester. This year sees the event taking place on Thursday 26 September from 12pm through till 7pm, don’t miss it!
Beyond the city centre – there’s a reason they call it Greater Manchester…
Although there’s needless things to do in Manchester, it can also be good to venture out of the city every once in a while – and you’re never short of your next day out!
Trafford Centre may possibly be one of Manchester’s best shopping centre’s to date. With a long list of retailers and food chains this is a shopper’s paradise. Not to mention the phenomenal architecture which takes you back to the Roman and Greek design style with grand staircases, statues and fascinating fountains.
This next destination is all about the brands. From Calvin Klein to Champion, New Balance to Nike, Cheshire Oaks has got you covered. It may be a longer drive than the last location but the shops certainly make up for it. They even have an enticing student discount ranging from 10% to 20% depending on which brand you settle on. Discounts are always welcome around here!
As you head towards the outskirts of the city and Greater Manchester, it’s a whole new world and you might find you stumble across a favourite spot like the so-called ‘student central’ areas of Fallowfield, Rusholme, Withington and so on. Don’t worry, we cover those two – for instance:
Read more:
- The Warehouse Project 2024 – full calendar, lineups, tickets, stage times and more
- Trafford Centre’s massive student night returns next month with up to 50% off on big brands
- Game-changing new app launches to make sure Manchester is ‘a safe city for everyone’
As ever, Manchester city centre and the nine other boroughs have a lot to offer, so we obviously couldn’t list ever single place on this student guide.
However, this is a great starting point for getting around and can help begin your journey in our jam-packed city centre and the surrounding areas. Being a student is a truly special chapter in life and you’ve picked a wonderful place to start it.
Go on now, off you pop! Get enjoying the best city in the world.
Oh, and if you still need to order any essentials for uni, it’s worth us reminding you of those little tips like this to make things even that tiny bit easier.
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