Shopping

Manchester city centre is one of the North West's best locations for shopping. The prime retailing area is based around the pedestrianised Market Street and the massive Arndale Centre, which has undergone a £150m renovation project over the last decade, including the opening of the northern extension in 2006.

Anyone looking for high fashion should investigate the area around King Street, St Ann's Square and the Victorian Barton Arcade, where big names such as Armani, Vidal Sassoon, Diesel and DKNY sit snugly alongside smaller, independent shops.

Everyone from H&M to Harvey Nichols has a store here. In fact, you'd be hard pushed to name a store not in Manchester.

Other shopping destinations worth investigating include:

• The Triangle, which houses independent jewellers and names like O'Neill, Westworld and Jigsaw;
• The Northern Quarter, home to a host of alternative shopping options, including  second-hand clothes, musical instruments, tattooists, printers and record shops. The best known of them all is Afflecks, with its five floors of affordable indie fashions;
• The Designer Outlet Village next to The Lowry, Salford Quays;
• The Trafford Centre, Britain's second largest indoor shopping centre, with more than 280 stores to choose from.

Markets

There are regular Farmers' Markets selling fresh, local produce, plus seasonal European and international Markets visit the city - a chance to pick up something a bit different.

Chinatown offers lots of great ethnic shops selling everything from East Asian food to silk fabrics and calligraphy pens.

You can even pop into the Buddhist centre store to stock up on yoga and relaxation accessories.

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