Every year, Lonely Planet publishes its much-anticipated list of top travel destinations, hand-picked by a panel of experts. Now it’s back for 2023, with 30 picks that will make you want to ditch the day job and roam the world for a year. But if you don’t have so much time (or money) on your hands, you may be interested to know that one rather buzzy UK destination made the cut: Manchester.
For its 2023 round-up, the travel site split the planet into five categories: eat, journey, unwind, connect and learn. The thriving northern city features under ‘learn’, praised for its dynamic arts scene and described as a place that has ‘grown in both size and renown in recent years, metamorphosing into a brilliantly creative, proudly musical and gastronomically diverse hub’.
The city is described as ‘one of the best – if not the best – cities in the UK, with something for everyone’, and was included alongside other destinations like Lima, Sydney, Montevideo, Dresden and Marseille. Publishers praised the city’s thriving arts scene, highlighting the reopening of the refurbished Manchester Museum and the newly expanded Manchester Jewish Museum, along with the £186 million Factory International arts venue which is set to open in 2023. Nightlife tips include cocktails at Three Little Words or the Refuge, jazz at Matt and Phred’s and live music at Band on the Wall.
And this isn’t the first time that the buzzing northern city has been named one of the world’s best travel destinations. Back in October, National Geographic named Manchester one of the most exciting and extraordinary places across the globe for 2023. The publication noted that the city was an exceptional destination to visit as a family, and celebrated its diverse offering of galleries and museums.
You can check out the full ranking from Lonely Planet here.
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