Travel advice has now been issued ahead of the Manchester Christmas Markets, with millions of visitors expected to attend the attraction over the coming weeks.
The arrival of the wooden huts and festive teepees signals the start of the Christmas season for the city, with the smell of sizzling sausages and mulled wine in the air.
Every year, the Manchester Christmas Markets attract around nine million visitors from around the region, the UK and beyond.
It’s arguably the biggest visitor attraction in the North West and can get busy – and that often trickles over into the roads and public transport.
So Transport for Greater Manchester has now shared a bit of travel advice to help you soak up all those lovely festive vibes without sitting in a traffic jam.
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The Bee Network is the most convenient way to get around, with fast, frequent and later services running whether you’re Christmas shopping, at your work party or just enjoying all the city centre has to offer.
There are also discounted tickets for families – a group of one to three children with one or two adults are able to enjoy unlimited off-peak travel on any bus for £9, or make use of the full Metrolink network over an entire weekend (from 6pm on a Friday until last services on a Sunday) for £9.50 (now available on the Bee Network app).
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In comparison, four hours parking in the city centre is on average £13.46.
As for car journeys, they’re expected to take on average 20% longer around the city centre in the lead-up to Christmas, especially at the weekends.
Those who do drive are encouraged to use one of the Park and Ride sites across the Metrolink, bus and train network.
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TfGM has stressed that you can use Starling Bank bikes to nip around town itself, as well as the many tram and bus stops.
And the V1 and 36 bus services – connecting Manchester with Leigh and Bolton via Salford – now operate 24 hours a day, meaning you don’t have to worry about missing the last bus home.
TfGM’s Chief Network Officer Danny Vaughan, said: “The opening of the Christmas Markets means the start of the festive season for many people, as the countdown to the big day begins and everywhere gets much busier for a few weeks.
“It can be a hectic time of year, but choosing the Bee Network and leaving the car at home is a smart way for people to save time and money, keeping more cash in their pocket for shopping, nights out and festive treats.
“There is a great range of affordable tickets on offer, including for families. So, get on board with us to take the stress out of things by making your journey as reliable, comfortable and affordable as possible.
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“Our frequent bus and tram services can avoid you sitting in traffic and stressing over finding somewhere to park, and for short journeys consider cycling, walking or wheeling – it is often the quickest, healthiest and most cost-effective way to make your journeys.”
The Manchester Christmas Markets are open from Friday 8 November until Sunday 22 December.
Manchester Christmas Markets 2024 prices – how much is food and drink this year?
Featured image: The Manc Group
Travel & Tourism
Two Greater Manchester towns have been named in The Sunday Times’ best places to live
Thomas Melia
Esteemed UK newspaper The Sunday Times’ has published its list of the ‘Best places to live in the UK 2025’, and it features two Greater Manchester boroughs.
Us Mancs didn’t need anymore clarification to know that where we live is incredible but we’ll always take it, especially when the compliment is coming from none other than The Sunday Times.
The publication revealed its annual guide of ‘Best places to live 2025’ which featured more than 70 different locations throughout the nation.
Although we may have been pipped to the top spot, Greater Manchester is featured not once, but twice, which is pretty impressive.
Claiming the victory this year is the market town with a name as pretty as its surroundings, Saffron Walden, which is only 15 miles from Cambridge.
The locations were ranked through a number of key categories including transport, house prices, broadband, schools and a new addition, mobile signal.
All the contributors to the full list acknowledge the obvious missing puzzle piece,food, and we know if this was factored in a few more Greater Manchester locations may have nabbed the ‘Best places to live’ honour.
The first Greater Manchester based entry is The Heatons, a hotspot nestled between the city centreand the city of Stockport, which is actually four neighbourhoods – Heaton Chapel, Mersey, Moor and Norris.
These areas are home to living history in the form of the iconic century old Savoy Cinema and lots of open green spaces.
Food may have been missed off The Sunday Times’ list but it certainly didn’t go a miss on ours.
Mossley has been named on The Sunday Times Best Places to Live list. Credit: Instagram, @ariadneexploresThe Heatons also made the list. Credit: Instagram, @fourtheheatons
The second spot which managed to grab the title of ‘Best places to live 2025’ is Mossley, a town packed to the brim with cosy cottages, blissful walks and a close-knit friendly community.
It’s not too far from Dovestone Reservoir and the Peak District National Park – when you’ve got all this greenery on your doorstep you’re bound to be in a good mood.
Our friends over in Leeds at The Hoothave lots to cheer about as Ilkley, Hebden Bridge, Easingwold and Ripon all got a mention.
You can find out the full rundown on all the spots up and down the country that have been selected as part of ‘The Sunday Times’ Best places to live for 2025′ HERE.
Greater Manchester unveils latest vision to bring local rail under the Bee Network
Danny Jones
Mayor Andy Burnham and fellow local leaders have unveiled the latest plans behind the vision to bring the Greater Manchester and nearby train links under the Bee Network.
For starters, the plan is to add a total of eight rail lines to the ever-growing public transport system.
Posting the latest schematic on social media this Friday, the Greater Manchester Mayor celebrated the unified tap-and-go service for buses and trams at the start of the week and has now ended it by sharing the next steps with the 10 boroughs.
We started the week by integrating buses and trams into a single tap-and-go system.
The update is in response to the UK government’s ‘A Railway Fit for Britain’s Future‘ reform bill, the national consultation of which is well underway and closes to local authorities and the public at large on Tuesday, 15 April.
The overall aim is for Greater Manchester to reach an agreement with the government in devolving power to Mayoral Combined Authorities when it comes to the planning and developing of local infrastructure and train services.
Put simply, the goal is to achieve local responsibility and accountability for rail travel as the city-region looks to continue establishing its own ‘London-style’ public transport framework (i.e. the Oyster card which is valid for buses tubes, local railway and so on).
In addition to this, they are hoping to make new arrangements for funding, fares and services through the Railway Bill, which would hopefully see rail fares in and around Greater Manchester, as well as neighbouring areas like parts of Cheshire and Derbyshire, fall under the Bee Network cap.
Once again, this regional push is a reaction to the country’s various rail companies’ continuing struggle to provide both affordable and reliable train travel.
Sub-quality rail services in the North, especially, are a big driving force behind the plans to loop train travel into the Bee Network.
Detailing a three-phase plan to carry out these city-region specific changes as the Labour Party looks to establish Great British Railways – a new body bringing track and train together – local authorities are already working closely with the Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT).
Speaking on the masterplan, which culminates in a full ‘Bee Network Rail by 2030, Burnham has dubbed it “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rewire how the railways are run”, and one that can set a standard for other areas up and down the country.
The Mayor went on to add: “We’re already delivering change in Greater Manchester and have seen the positive benefit that greater local control and accountability for our tram, bus and active travel has had, with increasing numbers of people getting on board – but rail is the missing piece of the jigsaw…
“A Bee Network fare cap – including rail – would mean that people commuting into the city at peak times from Glossop could pay a cap of around £14 including return train travel as well as trips on buses and trams.
“Devolution is working for people in Greater Manchester, but we know that many other areas are at different stages of their journey […] We know the government share our ambition to restore confidence and get more people choosing the train, and we’ve been really encouraged by our conversations so far on how things can be done differently.”
Daisy Jackson -
8th November 2024 
