The best museums in Manchester

Manchester is strongly associated with football, so it's no surprise that the National Football Museum is located here. This city centre museum features lots of exciting exhibits for football fans, like the oldest surviving FA Cup trophy and the world's first international football shirt. There are also temporary exhibitions, tours, and activities for all ages.

You can discover Manchester's rich industrial and scientific history at the Science and Industry Museum. This place focuses on innovations that have changed the world, going from the Industrial Revolution up to today. This free museum offers exhibitions and events aimed at all ages, including special activities during school holidays.

Part of the University of Manchester, Manchester Museum is more than 130 years old. This museum has collections related to archaeology, anthropology, and natural history, with millions of artefacts contained in a neo-Gothic building. There are permanent galleries and temporary exhibitions, in addition to a shop and café.

Visit the People's History Museum to get inspired by historical figures. This museum tells the story of how British democracy has developed, showcasing an eclectic collection of historical and contemporary artefacts. Expect to see political posters, trade union materials, ceramics, satirical cartoons, and personal items here.

Manchester Jewish Museum in Cheetham Hill is housed in a former synagogue and holds more than 31,000 items related to Jewish migration and settlement in Manchester. This museum connects Jewish stories to wider society, celebrating our similarities and differences. There are events and exhibitions, as well as a shop and café.

Based in a 1930s bus garage, the Museum of Transport is the ideal place to discover the history of Greater Manchester's transport network. Check out historic buses, trams, and coaches, take a ride in a heritage vehicle, and explore other related objects like road signs, uniforms, and equipment. There's also a shop and tea room.

62 Nelson Street was once the home of Emmeline Pankhurst and today it's The Pankhurst Centre, a museum where you can learn more about the suffragette leader and women's fight for the right to vote in the UK. As well as being a museum, this venue is also the headquarters of Manchester Women's Aid.

IWM North is the first Imperial War Museum location in the north of England. It's housed in a purpose-built building and explores the impact of war through powerful immersive experiences and installations. There are permanent displays as well as short-term exhibitions covering a range of topics like animals and war and remembrance. 

Elizabeth Gaskell's House in Plymouth Grove is a Grade II-listed villa and museum that was home to one of the Victorian age's most important literary figures. Here you can explore different areas of the house as well as its gardens. A variety of exhibitions and activities are on here, including activities for families and kids.

Rochdale Pioneers Museum tells the story of the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society, and is considered the birthplace of the worldwide cooperative movement. Explore a recreation of the Society's first shop, opened in 1844, and learn more about how it all started. The museum is based in a charming brick building.

Clayton Hall Living History Museum is a Grade II-listed manor house from the 15th century surrounded by a moat. Here you can explore six different Victorian rooms with dressing-up costumes, artefacts, and activities that reveal what life was like in the late 19th century. There are also regular history talks at this volunteer-run museum. 

Head to Stockport if you're a fashion lover - it's home to Hat Works, the country's only museum dedicated to hats. It's based in a Grade II-listed Victorian mill and features an extensive collection of headgear, as well as objects related to making hats and the hatting industry. Guided tours of the collection are also available.

Set in a restored warehouse next to the canal in Ashton, Portland Basin Museum is a free museum set across two floors. Here you can learn more about the area's industrial history and heritage, with spaces including a recreated 1920s street and a kitchen and parlour that shows how we lived in the past. There's also an educational play area.

At The Fusilier Museum in Bury, you can explore the history of the XX Lancashire Fusiliers and the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, with artefacts from 1688 to the present day. It's a relaxed and family-friendly attraction that hosts events and exhibitions throughout the year. There's also an award-winning on-site café.

Enjoy a free and fascinating day out at Salford Museum & Art Gallery. There's so much going on here, but the museum is well-known for Lark Hill Place, its reconstruction of a 19th century Salford street. There's also a local history library, four diverse galleries of art and artefacts, changing exhibitions on different themes, and lots of events and activities.

A major attraction on the East Lancashire Railway, Bury Transport Museum is based in a Grade II-listed warehouse. Here, you can see a wide range of heritage vehicles, including horse-drawn trams, buses, and steam rollers. There are lots of interactive elements and a busy programme of workshops, activities, and exhibitions.

Greater Manchester Police Museum & Archives is a museum in the Northern Quarter based in a former police station. It features items related to policing in Greater Manchester, including uniforms and police transport. Visitors can visit cells and a courtroom and try hands-on activities. Private tours are also available.

At Bolton Steam Museum you'll find Europe's largest collection of working mill engines. They're housed in the cotton store of a former mill and the entire museum is run by volunteers. A variety of fascinating machines are set up here, plus there are regular steam days so you can see them in action. This museum is free to visit.

Based in Rochdale, Fireground traces the history of the fire service and has a replica fire station for visitors to explore. You can see fire vehicles and other artefacts like uniforms, fire-fighting equipment, models, and paintings. Events like fun days and memorabilia sales are also on here regularly, plus the museum organises visits for schools.

Bolton Museum holds a wide array of art and historical exhibits, as well as an aquarium, in a 15th-century building. The wide range of items in the collection include Egyptian mummies, local artefacts, ceramics, and plant specimens. There are more than 70 types of fish in the aquarium, plus there's a shop for souvenirs and books.

Check out 10,000 years of Stockport's history at Stockport Museum. You can discover the area's entire history under one roof, with lots of family-friendly attractions. This free museum features exhibits on medieval life in Stockport, the Victorian textile trade, the impact of World War I, and historic images of Stockport Market.

History comes alive at Stockport Air Raid Shelters. Head underground to explore almost one mile of air raid shelters that protected local residents during the Second World War. Displays and audio guides reveal what life was really like in 1940s Britain, and you can buy 1940s souvenirs from the gift shop. Tours are also available.

Salford's Ordsall Hall is a popular museum and visitor attraction. The house has a history going back hundreds of years and lets all ages discover more about Tudor times. Tour the house and gardens, explore the interactive exhibits and join activities including ghost nights - it's rumoured to be haunted.