Date spot in Manchester
John Rylands Library
Walk through the neo-Gothic library on Deansgate, opened in 1900, and up to its vaulted Historic Reading Room, lined with stained glass and statues.
Why it's a good date: It feels more like a cathedral than a library, and it costs nothing to get in. It isn't open every day, so check before you go, and expect a short queue at busy times.
Photo: Eirian Evans, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
More from our Manchester guide
Manchester Art Gallery
Mosley Street, city centre
Address: Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3JL- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Free
Wander the free city gallery, from Pre-Raphaelite paintings such as Waterhouse's "Hylas and the Nymphs" to its changing exhibitions.
Why it's a good date: It's right in the middle of town, so it fits round lunch or before dinner. Each of you picks the painting you'd take home and makes the case for it.
Photo: Pemolo, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
The Whitworth
Oxford Road, by Whitworth Park
Address: Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6ER- Culture
- Free
- Outdoors
See what's on at the University of Manchester's free gallery, whose glass-walled extension looks straight out into the trees of Whitworth Park.
Why it's a good date: It's calm and rarely crowded, and the park outside gives you somewhere to walk and talk about what you've just seen.
Photo: Charlesdrakew, Public domain (cropped and resized)
Royal Exchange Theatre
St Ann's Square, city centre
Address: St Ann's Square, Manchester M2 7DH- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Mid-price
- Big night
See a play in the round, in a glass-and-steel theatre pod that sits inside the great hall of Manchester's old cotton exchange.
Why it's a good date: Every seat is close to the action, and the hall is a sight before the play even starts. Book ahead for the big productions and make a night of it in town.
Photo: David Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
