Travel & Tourism

The day-long holidays you can go on with a flight from Manchester

Far-flung day trips.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 20th February 2024

If you ever feel like you need a change of scenery, but get put off by all the admin of booking hotels and annual leave to actually leave Manchester, these there-and-back-in-a-day flights might be about to change the game.

Manchester Airport has rounded up a handy list of the places you can fly to for a day trip from our home city.

You could be lounging with an Aperol Spritz in a beautiful European city by 10am, and home in time for your usual bedtime.

In fact, you can get as far as Morocco, Ibiza or Majorca with time for an explore and a couple of meals before you have to head back to the rain.

Recent research from travel agents’ association ABTA shows city breaks have overtaken beach holidays as Britons’ favourite type of overseas trip.

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And Manchester Airport is finding that these compact one-day city breaks are starting to take off, with budget airlines offering flights with no baggage charges or hotels to worry about.

And half the time, these flights are way cheaper (and faster) than an Avanti service down to London for the day…

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Manchester Airport serves around 200 direct destinations, many of which have return flights the same day.

12 day trips you can do with a flight from Manchester Airport

Dublin

Dublin is one of the cities you can get to with a flight from Manchester for a day trip
Dublin is one of the cities you can get to with a flight from Manchester for a day trip
  • Ryanair
  • Depart Manchester 06:55, Arrive Dublin 07:55;
  • Depart Dublin 21:55, Arrive Manchester 22:55.

A pint of Guinness, some live music in Temple Bar, and a wander down colourful cobbled streets – just a hop across the Irish Sea will land you in Ireland’s vibrant capital. It’s probably the most common international day trip you can do from Manchester with regular Ryanair flights.

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Amsterdam

  • easyJet:
  • Depart Manchester 07:05, Arrive Amsterdam 09:25;
  • Depart Amsterdam 21:30, Arrive Manchester 21:50.

With a flight time of just one hour and 20 minutes, and flights available in the early morning and late evening, you can give yourself a full 12 hours to explore the Dutch capital. This beautiful, cultural city is home to the Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank House, plus a buzzing food and drink scene.

Ibiza

  • Jet2.com:
  • Depart Manchester 17.10, Arrive Ibiza 21.05
  • Depart Ibiza 10.50, Arrive Manchester 12.40

Forget New York being the city that never sleeps – Ibiza is the island that never sleeps. If you’re a party animal and can manage on barely any sleep, you can jet to Ibiza after work and arrive in time for the clubs opening, party the night away and be home less than 24 hours later.

Paris

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  • easyJet:
  • Depart Manchester 07:05, Arrive Paris 09:35;
  • Depart Paris 21:35, Arrive Manchester 22:00.

The ‘City of Light’ offers plenty to keep you busy – and flight times are only around an hour and a half, again with daily early morning and late evening flights available. If you’re well-organised, a full day will give you more than enough time to go on a sightseeing tour of the city – from the Eiffel Tower to the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre, with a few people-watching cafe stops along the way.

Alicante

  • Ryanair:
  • Depart Manchester 08:30, Arrive Alicante 12:15;
  • Depart Alicante 21:20, Arrive Manchester 23:10.

In less than three hours you could swap Manc drizzle for Spanish sunshine, with regular Ryanair flights to the Costa Blanca hotspot of Alicante. That gives you more than nine hours to soak in as much sun as sangria as possible.

Belfast

  • Ryanair:
  • Depart Manchester 07:25, Arrive Belfast 08:25;
  • Depart Belfast 20:55, Arrive Manchester 21:55.

Northern Ireland’s capital is a fantastic destination for a mini-break. Titanic Belfast tells the story of the how the famous cruiseliner was built in the city’s docks, and Belfast also boasts a zoo and a castle. The National Trust-owned Crown Liquor Saloon in the city centre is a popular spot for a beer and pub lunch – its look and feel has changed very little in nearly 200 years. And you can smash it out in a day with flights arriving by 8.25am and returning to Manchester at 8.55pm.

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Barcelona

A day trip around Barcelona is possible with return flights from Manchester
A day trip around Barcelona is possible with return flights from Manchester
  • Ryanair outbound / Vueling inbound:
  • Depart Manchester 06:40, Arrive Barcelona 10:00;
  • Depart Barcelona 19:20, Arrive Manchester 20:50.

One of Europe’s liveliest and most fascinating cities is only two and a half hours away, and you can get there and back in a day from Manchester by mixing a Ryanair and a Vueling flight. Admire the majestic La Sagrada Familia, explore the Gothic Quarter, and visit the city’s football stadiums. Or just hit the beach and eat tapas. Whatever.

Majorca

  • Jet2.com outbound / Ryanair inbound:
  • Depart Manchester 06:30, Arrive Majorca 10:15;
  • Depart Majorca 21:30, Arrive Manchester 23:15.

Majorca is consistently one of the most popular destinations for passengers travelling from Manchester Airport, year after year, the travel hub says. It’s a family favourite with golden sandy beaches that are conveniently closed to the airport. You can spend more than 11 hours relaxing and living the island dream before you have to fly home again.

Cork

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  • Ryanair:
  • Depart Manchester 07:45, Arrive Cork 09:00;
  • Depart Cork 20:20, Arrive Manchester 21:35.

Another popular Irish destination, although perhaps lesser known than Dublin or Belfast, is Cork – the Republic of Ireland’s second city. It is one of the cheapest overseas day trips you can take from Manchester, with return flights frequently available for between £30 and £40pp with Ryanair. The English Market is a great place to grab a bite to eat, and the city also plays host to a number of museums and galleries, great shopping and authentic Irish pubs.

Newquay

  • Loganair outbound / easyJet inbound:
  • Depart Manchester 08:35, Arrive Newquay 10:00;
  • Depart Newquay 17:00, Arrive Manchester 18:10.

Flights to Newquay, Cornwall’s biggest resort town and a water sports mecca, take a little over an hour from Manchester – waaay quicker than trying to drive to one of the UK’s most popular destinations. You’ll have a good seven hours to surf or kayak or kitesurf or explore the beautiful location on dry land, if you prefer.

Agadir

  • Ryanair outbound / easyJet inbound:
  • Depart Manchester 06:20, Arrive Agadir 10:15;
  • Depart Agadir 19:15, Arrive Manchester 23:25.

Did you expect Africa to pop up on this list? Because we didn’t. But you can go all the way to Agadir in Morocco for a nine-hour day trip, where attractions include themed gardens, its Museum of Arts (which explores the surrounding region’s Berber heritage), the Souk El Had market, and beaches.

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Munich

  • Lufthansa:
  • Depart Manchester 06:55, Arrive Munich 09:55;
  • Depart Munich 21:55, Arrive Manchester 23:00.

Beer and bratwurst are top of the agenda for day-trippers to Munich, which is just a two-hour hop from Manchester. Its old town is filled with gothic architecture, including the Residenz and Alter Hof palaces, along with traditional beer halls like the 16th century Hofbräuhaus. That’s 12 hours of steins and sausages.

Milan

Visit fashion capital Milan and get back the same day
Visit fashion capital Milan and get back the same day
  • Ryanair:
  • Depart Manchester 06:15, Arrive Milan-Bergamo 09:25;
  • Depart Milan-Malpensa 22:15, Arrive Manchester 23:30.

Milan is a global centre for fashion, and its iconic cathedral and the neighbouring square are the main draw for tourists. The surrounding area is filled with boutique stores, restaurants, pizzerias and ice cream shops. There are always lots of flights daily between Manchester and Milan’s two airports too.

All flight times correct and available on various dates across the year at the time of writing. Timings and availability are subject to change.

Featured image: Unsplash

Travel & Tourism

Inside Manchester Town Hall as more scaffolding comes down and reopening date confirmed

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Inside Manchester Town Hall as more scaffolding comes down and reopening date confirmed

The Manchester Town Hall at long last has a path to completion, and as the scaffolding around this landmark building creeps down, the council has shared a glimpse at the work that’s happening inside.

The Grade I-listed building has been hidden behind scaffolding and white sheets for more than five years, with its once-in-a-century regeneration delayed by a number of factors.

But now, at long last, Manchester City Council has confirmed a completion date for the project, with work on the Manchester Town Hall set to complete in spring 2027.

Those of us wandering through town or attending the Manchester Christmas Markets in recent months will have noticed the scaffolding around the beautiful structure slowly unveiling its beautiful facade.

First came the clock tower, then down came the huge temporary roof (which had been keeping the building watertight while roofing works were carried out), and now there’s movement around the sides of the town hall too.

Inside, an army of skilled workers have been carefully restoring and repairing this heritage building, safeguarding it for future generations.

In images shared by the council, we can see the ornate ceilings, intricate stonework, and grand hallways of the Manchester Town Hall for the first time in years.

And addressing the ‘unique challenges’ faced during the restoration, the report has laid out a ‘more certain’ completion date of spring 2027 and a budget increase of an additional £95 million – taking the overall project budget to £524.8 million.

The Manchester Town Hall project has faced challenges since it began in 2020, including the Covid pandemic, a volatile economic climate, and construction industry rising costs.

The council’s report also said that there’s been a shortage of ‘specialist labour capacity in the supply chain, issues with the supply of materials (which under strict heritage rules need to closely match those used in the original construction) and ongoing discovery of further construction challenges, all of which unavoidably cause delays and associated costs’.

Inside the Manchester Town Hall. Credit: Supplied
Inside the Manchester Town Hall. Credit: Supplied

On top of that, three of the contractors working on the regeneration have gone into administration in the last six months alone.

Despite that, most of the external work is now complete, with work now focussing on the interiors.

When it reopens next year, Manchester Town Hall will have a free public attraction The Town Hall Story, which will bring its fascinating history to life.

Before then, a series of hard hat tours are being planned to welcome Mancs inside the building.

Deputy Council Leader Cllr Garry Bridges said: “This project to safeguard Manchester Town Hall and create unprecedented public access is the biggest heritage project the country has seen for many years. Only the restoration of the Houses of Parliament will surpass it in scale.

“A project of this size is extraordinarily complicated and has had to navigate a stream of challenges – from a global pandemic to high inflation in the construction industry and the hidden issues within the building’s historic fabric.

Scaffolding around the Manchester Town Hall is slowly coming down
Scaffolding around the Manchester Town Hall is slowly coming down. Credit: Supplied

“Like everyone, we have been frustrated by the increased time and cost involved. But if we had not acted decisively to invest in the future of this Victorian masterpiece, many parts of which were reaching the end of their natural lifespans, we would have seen it become unusable and obsolete.

“We’re glad that we’re now on a confident path to completion in spring 2027, in time for the 150th anniversary of its original opening. The results of the project will be there for people to appreciate and enjoy for the next 100 years.

“Manchester people are beginning to see the benefits of the expanded Albert Square, at the heart of the city’s best ever Christmas, and there will be many more events to come in a public square to rival the best in Europe.

“When town halls like ours were built in the 19th Century, most Mancunians were excluded from them. But we want to give the building back to the people – inviting them to a new free visitor attraction and to share in a cultural programme around its reopening.

“Now we have a date for completion we can begin to look forward with excitement.”

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Featured image: Manchester City Council

Travel & Tourism

First Bee Network train unveiled as Greater Manchester prepares to integrate public transport in 2026

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Bee Network train

The first Bee Network train has been unveiled, as Greater Manchester prepares to integrate all public transport options in 2026.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has this week revealed a step-by-step plan for bringing the region’s rail lines into the Bee Network to create the first truly integrated public transport system outside London.

With just one year to go until the first rail services start joining the Bee Network, industry leaders unveiled a new yellow Bee Network promotional train and set out how passengers will benefit from new services, improved stations, and simpler fares and ticketing in the months ahead.

The first two lines – which will connect Manchester to Glossop and Stalybridge – are set to join the Bee Network from 13 December 2026.

Contactless ‘tap in, tap out’ ticketing will also rolled out across 17 stations on this date.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) says these initial two rail lines are ‘just the beginning’, with more lines set to follow in 2027 and 2028, and the further roll out of contactless and capped fares will work to join buses, trams, and trains together as Greater Manchester continues its journey to deliver an ‘affordable, accessible, and joined-up’ transport network.

By March 2026, the Bee Network app and TfGM website start to join together.

They will feature comprehensive rail station information, from car park and cycling spaces through to step-free access – with real-time rail departure and disruption information added by the summer, and journey planning available by autumn.

Also, another huge step in the plan, is that from May 2026, TransPennine Express will run 25/7 night-time trains to Manchester Airport as a way of supporting the region’s ‘thriving’ night-time and visitor economy.

Bee Network train
The first-ever Bee Network train has been unveiled ahead of its 2026 launch / Credit: TfGM (Supplied)

Looking forward the future, additional and later-running services on the Airport, Alderley Edge, and Rochdale-stopping lines will be piloted from 2027.

And then, from January 2028, eight rail lines – with 64 stations included – will be fully integrated with Bee Network buses and trams, ‘tap and go’ payments, and daily and weekly fare caps, while the remaining 32 stations will join the system by 2030.

“With one year to go until rail joins the Bee Network, we are on the cusp of delivering a fully integrated, world-class transport system for our global city-region,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham, as the first Bee Network train was unveiled this week.

“These changes will make everyday journeys easier and open up new opportunities for people across Greater Manchester.

Read more:

“I am excited for what the next twelve months will bring as we build a better, more connected future for us all.”

Featured Image – TfGM (Supplied)

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