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Car Hire Manchester
All you need to know about hiring a car in Manchester
Whether you know it as the hometown of Trafford FC, Coronation Street or its historic links to Rolls Royce carmakers, the Suffragette movement, or the textiles industry in general, there’s one thing for sure: hiring a car in Manchester – one of the UK’s top cities – is a must.
Whether you’re driving to Manchester for a weekend break, hen or stag do, daytrip, or just passing through, there’s so much to see and do in this Northwest gem:
- History and heritage: A rich tapestry of libraries, galleries and museums – as well as Manchester cathedral – put this city firmly on the map for a spot of culture.
- Sports and entertainment: Trafford and Manchester United are the home teams of this vibrant city, but you’ll also find Manchester Arena and Co-Op Live here for gigs and music.
- Shopping and leisure: From the Michelin-star Mana restaurant and the Arndale mall to your favourite chain pubs and high street shops, spending time – and money – isn’t hard to do here in Manchester.
- Community events: There’s a lot on for LGBT folks and allies, centred around the famous ‘Gay Village’ in Canal Street.
So, when hiring a car in Manchester, you’ll want to be ready – and make sure you don’t miss out on all this fabulous city has to offer.
Major Manchester road links
Greater Manchester links the city to other top destinations around the UK. You’ve probably heard of the Mancunian Way, which joins the A57 and A635; but there are also links to the M60, M56, M62, M67 and M6.
All about Manchester airport
With so much to do in Manchester, it’s little surprise the city is served by an airport – which sees over 28 million passengers every year, and hosts 600 planes every day. As with any airport, booking an advance parking space for your hire car is a must, and means you can relax if you do travel further afield. As for picking up or dropping off passengers, here’s some key information to help you plan your visit:
- The airport is easily accessible from the M6, M60 and M62
- Use the postcode M90 1QX on your satnav or GPS
- Thorley Lane drop-off is a free site, with a shuttle to the terminal
- Drop-off at the door costs £5 for 5 minutes, or £6 for 10 minutes (at time of writing)
Most of all, be aware of charges. If you overstay, you could be slapped with a pricey fine.
It’s coming home in Manchester
Looking to catch the beautiful game? Then you’ll need to be early. Roads around the stadiums quickly get busy, and although there are car parks, these can fill up fast. To grab a space, it might be worth booking through an app like Just Park.
Events to enjoy
We’ve already touched on some of the venues you might visit when you hire a car in Manchester, but what about annual events? Neighbourhood Weekender and Parklife Festival are a big deal in the city, but thankfully there’s lots of parking – you can take a look before your booking on websites like NCP.
Tune in locally
The best way to stay in the loop about travel news while hiring a car in Manchester is switching on to the local radio. We’d recommend BBC Radio Manchester 95.10 and Hits Radio, Manchester 103.0, but you could also visit travel websites like The AA.
Other help and advice
Your Manchester hire car is just a click or call away. Take a look at the great range of cars we’ve got on offer, and book today with Nationwide Hire.