One of the city's best-kept secrets is this superb museum housed within a former Victorian police station. The original building has been magnificently – if a little creepily – brought back to life, and you can wander in and out of 19th-century cells where prisoners rested their heads on wooden pillows; visit a restored magistrates' court from 1895 and examine the case histories (complete with mugshots and photos of weapons) of some of the more notorious names to have passed through its doors.
Greater Manchester Police Museum
Manchester
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
28.59 MILES
One of England's most impressive collections of sculpture is scattered across the formidable 18th-century estate of Bretton Park, 200-odd hectares of…
0.98 MILES
Manchester's rich industrial legacy is explored in this excellent museum set within the enormous grounds of the old Liverpool St station, the oldest rail…
0.87 MILES
The story of Britain's 200-year march to democracy is told in all its pain and pathos at this superb museum, housed in a refurbished Edwardian pumping…
1.54 MILES
Manchester's second most important art gallery is arguably its most beautiful, following a restoration that saw the doubling of its exhibition space…
0.47 MILES
A superb collection of British art and a hefty number of European masters are the highlights at the city's top art gallery. It's home to the best…
Chetham's Library & School of Music
0.53 MILES
Founded in 1653 in a building that dates from 1421, Chetham's is the oldest public library in the English-speaking world, a trove of dark shelves lined…
1.68 MILES
Designed to be the grandest baths in Britain when they opened in 1906, this Grade II–listed Edwardian classic retains much of its former grandeur despite…
20.26 MILES
Adjoining Buxton's opulent opera house are the equally flamboyant Pavilion Gardens. These 9.3 hectares are dotted with domed pavilions; concerts take…
Nearby Manchester attractions
0.42 MILES
A statue of the noted mathematician, code breaker and gay martyr Alan Turing, who taught at the University of Manchester from 1946–52, when he lost his…
0.43 MILES
The year 1935 saw the opening of Edwin Lutyens' stunning art-deco Midland Bank, now home to a branch of Jamie's Italian – even if you don't eat there it's…
0.47 MILES
This museum charts the evolution of British football from its earliest days to the multi-billion-pound phenomenon it is today. One of the highlights is…
0.47 MILES
A superb collection of British art and a hefty number of European masters are the highlights at the city's top art gallery. It's home to the best…
5. Chetham's Library & School of Music
0.53 MILES
Founded in 1653 in a building that dates from 1421, Chetham's is the oldest public library in the English-speaking world, a trove of dark shelves lined…
0.54 MILES
Manchester's most impressive building is the Grade I–listed town hall, completed in 1877 after a design by Alfred Waterhouse. The Great Hall is decorated…
0.59 MILES
Britain's largest municipal library was built in 1934 to resemble the Roman Pantheon. A major refurbishment has seen the addition of a wonderful Children…
0.68 MILES
Less a library and more a cathedral to books, Basil Champneys' stunning building is a breathtaking example of Victorian Gothic, no more so than the…