England
Manchester
Away-day guide
Manchester is one of England's easiest football weekends: both major grounds are connected by tram and the centre has plenty of pubs, cheap curry cafés and late-night areas. The main trap for away fans is choosing a strongly home-supporting pub near the stadium, so drink centrally or around Salford Quays unless you know the door policy.
Public transport
The compact centre is walkable: Piccadilly to the Northern Quarter is about 10 minutes, Victoria about 20 minutes and Deansgate around 20–25 minutes. Bee Network buses and Metrolink trams cover the wider city. On trams, tap a contactless card or phone on the platform reader before boarding and tap out after the journey; every passenger needs a separate card or device. Paper tickets are available from platform machines. On buses, buy from the driver or use contactless. A Bee Bus single is £2 and the Bee Bus day ticket is £5. Metrolink singles depend on zones, from £1.40 for one zone to £4.60 across all four zones. From central Manchester, both major stadiums require Zones 1+2; the adult Zones 1+2 day travelcard is £4.30 anytime or £3.50 off-peak. Travel to Manchester Airport requires all four zones. Contactless automatically applies the relevant daily cap when the same card or device is used. Rail tickets are separate from ordinary tram tickets unless the product specifically includes rail. Use the Bee Network app for live departures and disruption, but National Rail or a train operator's app is better for local rail journeys.
Typical prices
- Beer (0.5L)
- GBP 5.75
- Coffee
- GBP 3.5
- Meal, mid-range
- GBP 35
- Taxi from airport
- GBP 40
- Single transit ticket
- GBP 2
✈ Airports & cheaper alternatives
- Manchester Airport MAN primary 14 km Direct trains run from the airport station to Manchester Piccadilly, usually taking 15–25 minutes. Metrolink trams also run into the city but take roughly an hour. Coaches serve Manchester Coach Station. The obvious choice and usually worth paying a little more for on a short trip because transfers are quick and run throughout most of the day.
- Liverpool John Lennon Airport LPL alternative 55 km Take bus 500 to Liverpool South Parkway, then a train to Manchester Oxford Road or Piccadilly. Direct coaches to Manchester may also suit some flight times. Often cheaper for budget flights, but allow at least 70–100 minutes for the transfer and check the return connection for early departures.
- Leeds Bradford Airport LBA alternative 75 km Take the A1 bus to Leeds station, then a train to Manchester Victoria or Piccadilly. Allow roughly 90–120 minutes overall. Can be cheaper on particular routes, though the bus-and-train transfer makes it less attractive for a one-night trip.
🍺 Supporters' pubs
Manchester United
Home fans: The Bishop Blaize, The Trafford, The Tollgate, Railway Club and the matchday bar at Hotel Football/Café Football. The Quadrant is another regular United gathering point, while The Old Nags Head in the city centre is strongly United-associated.
Away fans: Salford Quays and MediaCity are the safest established areas for visiting supporters. Lime, Matchstick Man and The Dockyard are generally mixed rather than hard-core home pubs. The Tollgate is described as welcoming supporters of different teams, but it becomes heavily United on matchdays. Avoid testing The Trafford or The Bishop Blaize in away colours: The Trafford states that it is home-fans-only, while The Bishop Blaize is a packed United pub and may require a match ticket. Door policies can change according to the opposition.
Pubs immediately around Old Trafford often refuse away colours or large visiting groups. Salford Quays is the practical compromise: close enough to walk but less partisan than the streets beside the stadium.
Manchester City
Home fans: Mary D's is the main City stronghold. The Townley, Grove Inn and The Corner Shop around Grey Mare Lane, Ashton New Road and Beswick are also established home-supporter pubs.
Away fans: Visiting supporters are normally best drinking in the city centre around Piccadilly, the Northern Quarter or Ancoats, with Piccadilly Tap and The Waldorf commonly used as neutral options. The Townley is sometimes described as the most relaxed pub near the stadium, but only for discreet visitors without colours; Manchester United supporters should avoid it. Away fans should avoid Mary D's, where checks may be used to exclude visiting supporters. Other pubs around the ground are also City-oriented.
There are few dependable away pubs beside the Etihad. Drink centrally, then walk or take the tram. Whether the stadium fan area admits visiting supporters can vary by fixture.
Sourced from supporters' forums — always follow your club's and police advice for the fixture.
Nightlife
The Northern Quarter is the best all-round area for independent pubs, beer bars, music and late food. Ancoats is close by and a little calmer, with breweries and modern bars. Deansgate and Peter Street suit bigger groups wanting mainstream bars and clubs, though prices are higher. Canal Street and the Gay Village stay lively late and are generally welcoming, while Oxford Road has cheaper student pubs and live-music venues. Printworks is convenient for large late-night venues beside Victoria station but can be busy and heavily door-controlled at weekends.
Food & drink
Manchester is strong on curry cafés, pies, fish and chips, casual Asian food and proper cask beer. Try a rice-and-three curry in the Northern Quarter, a meat-and-potato pie, an Eccles cake or Manchester tart, and look for locally brewed pale ales and bitters. The Curry Mile on Wilmslow Road has late-opening South Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants, while Chinatown works well for groups wanting shared dishes. For a cheap central feed, This & That on Soap Street and Yadgar Café on Thomas Street are long-standing curry cafés serving filling rice-and-three combinations. Manchester Arndale Market has inexpensive burritos, noodles, kebabs and other quick food, while Chinatown is good for large shared portions. Around Oxford Road, student cafés, takeaways and pubs are generally cheaper than Deansgate or Spinningfields. Central Wetherspoon options include The Paramount on Oxford Road and The Moon Under Water on Deansgate; The Piccadilly Tavern is another central pub but is not a Wetherspoon. Sinclair's Oyster Bar is normally inexpensive but can be strict about groups, clothing and football colours. City supporters commonly use Mary D's and The Townley near the Etihad, but these are home pubs rather than options for visitors. Away fans heading to the Etihad are better off drinking centrally, with venues such as Piccadilly Tap or The Waldorf subject to fixture-specific door policies. For Old Trafford, venues around Salford Quays may be more suitable, but groups should still check matchday admission policies in advance. Lou Macari's Fish & Chips is close to Old Trafford for a quick matchday meal, though queues build before kick-off. There is little genuinely cheap or reliably away-friendly beside the Etihad, so eat in the centre first.
Cheap eats & beer
For a cheap central feed, This & That on Soap Street and Yadgar Café on Thomas Street are long-standing curry cafés serving filling rice-and-three combinations. Manchester Arndale Market has inexpensive burritos, noodles, kebabs and other quick food, while Chinatown is good for large shared portions. Around Oxford Road, student cafés, takeaways and pubs are generally cheaper than Deansgate or Spinningfields. For budget beer, try central Wetherspoon pubs such as The Paramount on Oxford Road, The Moon Under Water on Deansgate or The Piccadilly Tavern; prices vary sharply on event weekends. Sinclair's Oyster Bar is normally inexpensive but can be strict about groups, clothing and football colours. City supporters commonly use Mary D's and The Townley near the Etihad, but these are home pubs rather than options for visitors. Away fans heading to the Etihad are better off at Piccadilly Tap or The Waldorf before travelling east. For Old Trafford, Lime, Matchstick Man and The Dockyard around Salford Quays are the established mixed or neutral choices. Lou Macari's Fish & Chips is close to Old Trafford for a quick matchday meal, though queues build before kick-off. There is little genuinely cheap or reliably away-friendly beside the Etihad, so eat in the centre first.
Staying safe
Manchester city centre is generally straightforward on match weekends, but watch phones and wallets on packed trams, around Piccadilly Gardens and in late-night queues. Avoid walking along canal towpaths after drinking: lighting is patchy, exits are limited and falls into the water are a recurring risk. Do not wear away colours in established home pubs around either stadium. Large groups should contact pubs in advance, particularly for derbies, European games and evening kick-offs. After full-time, expect tightly packed tram platforms; if the queue feels uncomfortable, walk towards the centre or wait for it to clear. Use licensed black cabs, an established booking app or official taxi ranks rather than accepting lifts from touts.
On matchday
Old Trafford's away section is normally in the south-east corner, between the East Stand and Sir Bobby Charlton Stand; the Etihad away allocation is in the South Stand, with the levels used depending on the ticket allocation. Follow the entrance details printed on the ticket because segregation routes and turnstiles can change. Keep colours covered if using pubs close to either ground, and do not assume a venue admitting away supporters for one fixture will do so for another. At Old Trafford, Sir Matt Busby Way and nearby roads are controlled or closed around matches. All train services at Manchester United Football Ground railway station are suspended indefinitely, so use Metrolink stops at Old Trafford, Wharfside or Exchange Quay instead. At the Etihad, crowd controls affect Ashton New Road and Alan Turing Way, and queues form at Etihad Campus tram stop after full-time; walking back to Piccadilly takes about 30–40 minutes and can be quicker than waiting. Police may hold away supporters inside briefly after high-risk fixtures. Check the club's away guide and Bee Network disruption notices on the day.