Manchester

I lived in this city for 3 and a half years. Today, unlike a few decades ago, the service sector dominates. Second to London economically, it is home to hundreds of offices. Touristically there is not much; the most interesting destination, at least for anyone who, like me, is a football fan, is the Old Trafford stadium (wonderful). For shopping it is the top. Gigantic shopping centres and streets packed with shops leave you spoiled for choice. It is also a university city, with students from all over the world. A city that is alive in the evening too, especially from Wednesday to Saturday. Here too, as in other European cities, a travelcard is available for public transport. The main ticket office is in Piccadilly Gardens. An international city, here you can see people from even the most remote corner of the world.

It has an international airport, and you can also get there by landing in Liverpool; there is a shuttle service that reaches Manchester city centre in 50 minutes.