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Car hire in Manchester

Hiring a car in Manchester

The largest and most populated city in the north of England, Manchester is perhaps best known for its sporting history. Home of Manchester United and Manchester City, it has both historical and recent success under its belt as a city domestically and overseas. However, Manchester has far more to offer than simply the collective victories of its red and blue inhabitants.

With cultural, artistic and historical delights abound, Manchester is one of the most vibrant and exciting cities in the whole of the UK, and its tourist attractions are plentiful. For those who want to soak up the culture, museums, art galleries and places of musical importance are excellent options, while those who prefer the bars and restaurants will find many wonderful ways to spend their time in Manchester.

What you need to know

A lot of what you will want to see in Manchester is reasonably central in the city, so there are some places where you can spend a day travelling by foot. However, the wonders of the city for the more adventurous lie further abound, and whether you want to head out to the beautiful cultural hub that is Salford Quays, or see more of what Lancashire and beyond has to offer, hiring a car is the very best way to make the most of your trip to Manchester.

Before you come to Manchester, it's always the best option to choose to book your car hire through Holiday Autos. Our simple website means you can select your preferred pick up and drop off dates and easily compare prices from more than 1,500 suppliers, choosing the right car to suit your needs, whether travelling as a family or on your own, and with free amendments and no cancellation fee, you can relieve the pressure of booking so far in advance.

Where to pick up your car

When you arrive at Manchester Airport (MAN), there are a number of different options for where you can pick up your car, and it depends entirely on which terminal you arrive at. If you're in Terminal 1, you simply need to come out of the baggage claim area and keep walking straight ahead until you find the car hire desks in front of you. For Terminals 2 and 3, you need to exit the arrivals hall by the front door and cross the road. From here, head towards the taxi and bus ranks and you'll find the car hire desks tucked away conveniently behind these, perfectly placed for collecting your vehicle and getting on the road straight away.

Best Car Hire Companies Manchester

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Car Hire Reviews Manchester

  • “The pick-up was easy, it took 5 minutes from arriving at the desk to driving out the car, and the return took even less time. Booking with Holiday Autos was easy and I received the car that I had asked for, just perfect!”
    Diane T

Where to go

When you've picked up your car and documents from the airport, all that will be left to do is to choose what you want to do in Manchester and beyond during your time in the city.

Whether you want to explore the important places that have helped shape Manchester's famous music scene and spawned legends such as The Smiths, Oasis and Joy Division, or you want to spend some time exploring its museums and galleries, you will find something that will inspire and amaze within Manchester, allowing you to enjoy a fantastic holiday in one of the best cities the UK has to offer.

Nearby Manchester

While Manchester itself is a fantastic city to visit, there are many other places you can head to in Lancashire and beyond that will help to give your holiday a real rounded feel to it. For example, why not head to Liverpool, less than an hour's drive from Manchester? Here, you can find some of the best cultural experiences around, from the Cavern Club that spawned the Beatles to the numerous museums and galleries that are dotted around this fantastic and unique city.

Slightly further afield is one of the UK's most famous coastal hotspots. Blackpool, only around 30 minutes from Manchester, is best visited in the summer months when the cold winds aren't blowing in from the sea, but you can head there at any time of year to enjoy the numerous traditional attractions it has. Whether you're enjoying an ice cream or a donkey ride by the sea, or hitting the rides at the famous Pleasure Beach, you'll really be soaking up what the British seaside holiday is all about.

Longer drives

Having a hired car means that you don't need to stick to Manchester and its immediate surroundings, of course. Having the ability to hit the road unlocks most of northern England and allows you to really explore the best of what the region has to offer. One good place to head to is Leeds, in West Yorkshire. The city is only around 70 minutes away by car, and here you can find some fantastic things to see and do. For example, head down to Clarence Dock, where you can find the famous Royal Armouries museum, or into the city centre where you can find the new Trinity Centre, offering some of the best shopping around.

If you want to head a little further out, you could also head to York, about 90 minutes from Manchester. Here, there's so much history and culture to soak up that you'll be struggling to fit everything in. Try heading to the National Railway Museum to catch a little of the more modern history of the city, or head towards the Jorvik Viking Centre and the famous York Minster to delve a little deeper into the true history of what made York what it is today.

Top attractions to visit in Manchester

No visit to Manchester will be complete without taking in the attractions and sights it has to offer both in and out of the city, and when you have hired a car from Holiday Autos, the freedom to do so opens up so many opportunities to enjoy your stay and experience the best of what the city can offer.

Music scene

The music scene in Manchester is one of the most historic and successful in British history. And while the past has seen it spawn so many good artists, the modern age of Manchester's music scene is also incredibly strong, with hundreds of bands having made a name for themselves in the city. You should try to hit one of the many gigs that take place at the city's plethora of amazing venues every week. From the HMV Ritz and Sound Control all the way to the Apollo and Manchester Arena, there will be something to tickle your fancy on the calendar in Manchester for sure.

Football museum

Manchester is football. When you think of the city and its past, it's almost completely synonymous with football and success in said sport. So it makes sense that when the FA decided to open the National Football Museum, that this would come to Manchester, and it's a truly must visit venue. With stories all the way from Pele to Marcus Rashford, this museum is billed as the biggest and best in the world, and it's totally unmissable for anyone who counts themselves a true football fan.

Trafford Centre

Finally, it would be a shame to come to Manchester and not enjoy the fantastic shopping opportunities the city offers at its Trafford Centre. Located five miles outside the centre, it's a short car drive away, but it's worth the journey to visit one of the UK's largest retail outlets. And with nearly 300 stores under its roof, you're sure to find something that will meet your tastes when you head to the Trafford Centre.

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