Private Manchester Self-Guided Tour
Description
Forget about crowds, schedules or lines! With this self-guided experience, your smartphone is your new private guide. Stroll around Manchester at your own pace, having the opportunity to take astonishing pictures and enter any attraction you fancy. You will learn about Manchester's history; from when it was founded as a Roman Fort until it became the amazing city it is today. As you walk through these streets, you will learn about its industrial past, encompassed mostly through its innumerable canals and storehouses all over. You will also learn the role this city played (and still plays) in football, culture, music, art, science, architecture, international relationships and even war; where you’ll get to know every important figure in this tale. Plus, you get a unique list of recommendations so you get the most out of your visit. PS: when booking, you will get an email with instructions on how to download our app and how to unlock the tour
Tour Options
Itinerary
Here is where the tour starts. This is the first stop of 18! You will get a brief description of the whole tour and particularly at this stop, you will discover the amazing history behind the most famous soft drink the North has ever made, which was originally produced in this location.
In this stop, we will tell you who was Alan Turing and why was (and still is) so important for the city. Also, you will learn some practical things about Sackville Gardens and all its monuments. You will start to get some perspective of the Gay Village and all its past in Manchester.
We will guide you around this beautiful and emblematic area of Manchester to teach you all about its history. Strolling around Canal Street you will hear about the dark past of the street and how people helped to turn the odds and worked to build the lovely sidewalk it is today.
Walk around the archway and discover the amazing shops and restaurants of this ethnic enclave. You will learn who's city is Manchester twin in China and why the archway was built here.
We will guide you through the famous St Peter Square and you will learn everything you need to know about this place and its emblematic buildings: Manchester Central Library, the oldest free library in the country; The Midland Hotel, one of the first luxury hotels in the north; Manchester Town Hall, one of the most beautiful town hall in the country; and more. You will also hear every exciting story that happened here in the past and understand why it is called St Peter Square.
Discover the incredible Bridgewater Hall and all its surrounding area charged with vivid history. We will also tell you two of the north's most horrible stories that happened in the past that haunts citizens until today: The first in 1819 and the second in 1963, both in the premises of Manchester Central Station.
Here you will learn all about the Cotton Industry, how it developed so strongly in Manchester and what were the consequences for the city. You will understand the pivotal role that this building played in the industrial past of Manchester. Here, we will tell you the story of the IRA Bomb as well and how it affected the entire city.
Definitely the most beautiful square around the city centre. Here you will see the oldest pub in town and learn about its history, so you understand why it is typically full (and relatively cheap). Also, you will learn about the boom of the cotton industry and how it made an opportunity to exploit the trade of other markets through the Royal Corn Exchange (another astonishing building in this square).
We will guide you around the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Manchester, the seat of the Bishop of Manchester and the city's parish church. Manchester Cathedral is one of the many emblems of the city, and it's a must-visit for every passer-by.
Discover one of the best-kept secrets of Manchester, and probably one of the nicest libraries in the country, the Harry Potterish - John Rylands Library. We will tell you everything you need to know about this extraordinary building, which is grace is on the inside, so if you have time our recommendation is to venture inside.
In our final stop, you will learn about the beggings of the city: its Roman Heritage. Feel like a roman exploring the reconstructed buildings of this amazing park. You will learn why the city is called Manchester. Then, we will let you stroll around the beautiful canals of Deansgate with a list of recommendations for things to do and places to eat around the city.
Another interesting landmark of this area is The Guardian Telephone Exchange, called the "Best kept secret in Manchester". We'll help you unveil this secret hiding in plain sight.
Discover the magnificent landmark of the city centre, The Midland Hotel, which has been part of life in Manchester for over 118 years, is worldwide renown for its beautiful architecture. We will tell you all about it, plus some incredible stories that have happened here during the years.
Hop into the legacy of what once was the first public lending and reference library of the UK, provided by Manchester local council after the passing of the Public Libraries Act 1850. Of course, this isn't the original building, but we will tell you everything about its history and how it became the beautiful Greek structure it is today.
What now is a convention centre, once was used as Manchester Central Train Station by The Midland Railway. Join us to discover everything that happened in this place, from one of the worst massacres the north has ever seen (before the train even existed) to the mysterious story behind a suitcase left in this same station in 1965.
Come to discover what once was one of the most exciting market exchanges around the north, where the commercialization of other goods thrived thanks to the cotton industry in the city. The first Corn Exchange was built on this site in 1837 and we will tell you how it became a Listed Building which now houses a Food Court, a Hotel and more.
Discover probably the most famous and oldest pub in the city centre: The Old Wellington and Sinclair's Oyster Bar. Once famous for housing John Shaw's Punch House, during this tour you will understand why so many people visit this Pub on a daily basis.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(38)
What a fun way to see the city. Gave me a chance to explore different parts of the city at my own pace while I was seeing the sites. I will be using the service again. I ended up walking about 9.5 km while exploring. Felt good to get some exercise after a day of being on a plane.
9.5 km — now that's a proper way to shake off a long flight! We love that you got to explore Manchester at your own pace and squeeze in a workout while you were at it. Thank you for planning to come back; we'll be ready whenever you are. Happy exploring!
This tour is accessed via the Exploro app and it was quick and easy to setup after purchasing. The tour took us about 3 hours and it is good to get a nice day as it is all outside with some opportunities to go inside some of the stops. James’ historic references were great and the app is really easy to use navigating to each stop via google maps. Great value for money 👍🏻
Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re thrilled you enjoyed Manchester and that the app and content worked smoothly for you. James will be happy to hear this! 😊 Thanks for choosing Exploro and for taking the time to share your experience.
Very well crafted tour!! Excellent planning, very well guided and loved the whole experience, what a fabulous way to explore Manchester! At one’s own pace, with a little history at each stop and some fabulous tips along the way!! Go for it!
Thank you so much for this amazing review! We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed exploring Manchester at your own pace. It means a lot to us that the balance of history, local tips, and flexibility hit the mark for you. We believe discovering a city should be both informative and enjoyable, and your feedback truly makes our day. Hope to see you on another of our tours soon!
I booked this expecting a small-group walking tour in Manchester, based on the title and the prominent photo showing a group of people on what looked like a guided tour. Nowhere did it clearly say this was just an app-based audio experience. There was no live guide, no schedule, and no actual “tour” to attend. It turned out to be something I could have done with a free app. What’s more frustrating is that when I contacted the operator for clarification, they admitted it's self-guided and app-based—but refused any refund, even though I hadn’t used the tour. Viator’s platform also didn’t offer a refund option, which felt like a trap. This felt less like a cultural experience and more like a paid app download disguised as a tour. I’ve done several walking tours across the UK and have never felt misled like this. Be very cautious before booking. Read everything carefully—even then, the visuals and framing of this listing do not reflect the actual experience.
Hi there, We’re sorry to hear you were disappointed with your experience, but we do want to clarify a few key points for others reading this. First and foremost, the name of the experience is "Private Manchester Self-Guided Tour". This is stated in the title itself, and throughout the listing we explain that it’s a self-paced audio tour delivered via our app — not a live, guided group tour. The product has no schedule, no physical meeting point, and no in-person guide, all of which are clearly stated before purchasing. As for refunds, because access codes are automatically issued and redeemed digitally, we cannot offer refunds once a code has been used. In your case, our system shows the code was activated — meaning the tour was accessed. We always aim to deliver value at an affordable price, and this experience is under £9 — for over 2 hours of curated content and an interactive city map. If you were looking for a live guide, we genuinely believe you may have misread the listing. We’re a small team trying to offer flexible and accessible cultural experiences. If something’s not clear, we’re always available to answer before purchase. We simply ask that reviews reflect the product for what it is — not what it wasn’t meant to be. Best regards,
Really good tour. Saw many different sides of Manchester, and enjoyed Jake's descriptions and stories. The route covers many different districts of the city, places I would never have discovered on my own.
Hi James, thanks for sharing your experience! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed exploring Manchester's diverse districts and Jake's storytelling enhanced your journey. Our goal is to uncover hidden gems and offer unique perspectives of the city. We hope to have you on more of our tours in the future!
Enjoyed the tour. Didn’t do all Ín one day, which was best. Was a zig zag course, but made it work. Could have used more maps between locations. Background history very helpful. Needed help loading the app, but that’s typical for we older folks with limited tech skills.
Hello Jean, thank you for your review and for sharing your experience. We're glad you found the historical content helpful! We understand the challenges with technology and are continually working to simplify our app's usability. If you need further assistance in the future, don't hesitate to reach out!
Overall an excellent self guided tour. Getting the technology to work was a bit tricky, and I would skip the first two stops. They were in a dodgy part of town and didn’t hold much significance. One of the major squares is under renovation as well. Otherwise informative and a good way to explore the city center.
Thank you for your feedback, Jonathan! I'm glad you enjoyed the Manchester tour. We apologize for the initial difficulty with the technology and the less appealing stops. We continuously work on improving our routes and the ease of our app's use. Regarding the renovation, we'll update our tour to reflect current city conditions to enhance the experience for future users.
I was looking for a walking tour of Manchester, and this one kept coming up high in the Trip Advisor rankings, though for the life of me i can't understand why. It's an app, which is free, and then when you buy the tour, you enter the code, and it uses GPS that activates when you are close to a location. I'm spelling this out, as the instructions on how and what to do were not at all clear. Don't try to use it in your hotel, as you can't get the audio to work there. The app was very wonky, and with about half the entries, you could not pause or rewind the audio clips, though this would not be my biggest complaint. No, the worst part of it was the pithy, inaccurate information it provide at all stops. Very little information of any value was provided, to say nothing of insights. At one stop, they were repeating, word for word, the information on the sign. Thanks for the insights. This is not the tour for someone who wants to learn the history and culture of a city. I could not delete this app off my phone quickly enough.
We are truly sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations. Respectfully, we do want to clarify that our tours are clearly presented as self-guided walking tours. They are designed to give travelers an easy way to explore a city at their own pace, using GPS to guide them to points of interest with commentary, photos, and maps. We understand that this kind of experience is not for everyone. The information provided in the app is carefully researched and reflects the genuine history and stories of the locations—though we appreciate that you may have preferred a more interpretive or in-depth style. Our goal is always to make these tours accessible and enjoyable for the vast majority of customers, and feedback like yours helps us improve. We’re also actively working on diversifying our content so that travelers can choose between different formats and levels of detail. Thank you for giving our tour a try, and for leaving an honest review. We’ll continue to do our best to refine the experience for future visitors. Best regards,
Very good guide to easily get to know a place, without rushing, at our own pace, with a lot of interesting information and it depends only on yourself, what you want to see and your own interest.
¡Muchas gracias por tu reseña tan positiva! Nos alegra mucho saber que disfrutaste de la flexibilidad y la riqueza de información de nuestro tour autoguiado por Manchester. Nos enorgullece ofrecer una experiencia que permite explorar a tu propio ritmo y según tus intereses. Esperamos que vuelvas a acompañarnos en futuras aventuras!
Excellent tour of Manchester. The app was easy to download and use. The tour was easy to follow and provided useful information about the sights as we walked and got to know the city.
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed exploring Manchester with our app and found it easy to use. We aim for every tour to be a 5-star experience, so we'd love to hear if there's anything we could improve to make your next adventure even better. Your feedback is invaluable! Looking forward to welcoming you on another tour soon!
