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Places listed on this page.
Free means general admission. Special exhibitions and events can be ticketed, some places ask you to book a free slot, and some suggest a donation. Check the venue before you go.
Every entry below is a gallery, museum, craft centre, historic house and library in our Manchester guide whose own website said, when we read it, that entry is free. We quote what the page said, link the page, and do not give opening hours, because they change. If a venue's page changes, we remove it at the next check.
Free museums, galleries and sites
- Official site for Castlefield Gallery (opens in new tab)
Castlefield Gallery
Its page says the gallery is always free to visit.
- Official site for Imperial War Museum North (opens in new tab)
Imperial War Museum North
Its page says entry is free and you do not need to book.
- Official site for Manchester Craft and Design Centre (opens in new tab)
Manchester Craft and Design Centre
Its page says exhibitions are free to visit.
- Official site for Ordsall Hall (opens in new tab)
Ordsall Hall
Its page says the hall is free to visit (open Sunday to Thursday when checked).
- Official site for People's History Museum (opens in new tab)
People's History Museum
Its page lists free entry, with a suggested donation.
- Official site for Science and Industry Museum (opens in new tab)
Science and Industry Museum
Its page says entry to the museum is free, donations welcome.
- Official site for The Portico Library (opens in new tab)
The Portico Library
Its page says the library is open to the public and free to enter.
Free self-guided walks
Following a walk costs nothing, though places you pass may charge. Each walk page has a map, the route, stops and a GPX file.
- Castlefield to Ducie Street on the Rochdale Canal: A 2.4 km towpath walk through Castlefield, past the Rochdale Nine locks and into Piccadilly Tunnel.
- Bridgewater Canal towpath: Castlefield to Stretford: Almost 5 km of the Bridgewater Way from Castlefield Basin out along the canal towpath.
Getting around Manchester for less
Local transport: Bee Network. The Bee Network's tickets and passes page lists bus tickets, tram fare zones, contactless tap and go, the Bee Network app, a smart card, and cash and card payment. It also links a ticket finder tool.
Fares and tickets: Bee Network tickets and passes (opens in new tab), Bee Network journey planner (opens in new tab). Our getting around guide compares every destination.
Where next in Manchester
Open the Manchester guide for neighbourhoods, eating and getting there. For sights that need a timed ticket, see what to book ahead; for indoor ideas on a wet day, see the rainy-day guide.
Other destinations
- Free things in London
- Free things in Bath
- Free things in Bristol
- Free things in Cambridge
- Free things in Cornwall
- Free things in Edinburgh
- Free things in Glasgow
- Free things in Liverpool
- Free things in Northern Ireland
- Free things in Oxford
- Free things in the Cotswolds
- Free things in the Jurassic Coast
- Free things in the Lake District
- Free things in the Scottish Highlands
- Free things in Wales
- Free things in York