When to visit London and Manchester - climate
July and August are the warmest months of the year, but spring and autumn are both comfortable seasons.

Highlights:
Big Ben, St Pauls, Buckingham Palace, London Eye, Houses of Parliament, Tower of London, Tate Modern

Shopping:
Great streets and areas for shopping are Oxford St, Bond St,  Soho and Covent Garden, Chelsea, South Kensington and Knightsbridge. Visit Portobello Road in Notting Hill for the world's largest antiques market.
Harrods is one of the largest department stores in the world and has seven floors of shopping pleasure, and Selfridges is another must-see department store for serious shoppers.

Cuisine:
Indian is the most popular take-away cuisine in London, and there are more than enough restaurants to choose from!
Nightlife hotspot Soho is packed with restaurants full of trendy types. Nearby Chinatown's golden ducks and Oriental gates draw diners in – for upmarket Chinese, head for Michelin-starred Hakkasan (near Tottenham Court Road). Mayfair is home to smart eateries like Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's and The Maze.
West London - Posh eateries cluster in Kensington and Notting Hill, where it's easy to find romantic little restaurants away from the heat of the West End. Dine on charcoal-grilled Lebanese dishes in Edgware Road's authentic restaurants.
East London - London's East End offers a wealth of good-value, relaxed dining - from Brick Lane curries and bagels to Modern British fare at laid-back gastro pubs, Vietnamese in Hoxton and Turkish in Hackney.
For late-night dining, head for Soho and Chinatown. For tasty snacks, try the city's Farmers' Markets. In London restaurants, a service charge is often included in the bill. Don't be scared to ask before tipping a discretionary 10-15 %.

Some traditional English food:
- Cornish Pasty: A sealed pastry envelope containing seasonal chopped root vegetables and minced beef.
- Fish and Chips: Fish deep fried in flour batter with chips dressed in malt vinegar.
- Shepherds' Pie: A lamb pie cooked in a casserole with a layer of mashed potato acting as a lid. Cottage pie is the beef version.
- Sausage and Mash: "Bangers and mash" - mashed potato, good quality sausages and onion gravy.

Nightlife:
Ministry of Sound is one of the most famous nightclubs of the world, and has become a brand in itself. Its success means that it can attract and afford some of the best DJ's, which is why Ministry of Sound is a busy venue. Fabric is another very well known club, and excellent underground dance music in a unique setting.

Nearby getaway:
Brighton, an hour away, is a quaint seaside town on the south coast of England and is very popular with Londoners during the Bank Holidays. Brighton's trademark is its pebble beaches - you won't find sand here!

Did you know?
- The oldest evidence of humans in the London area dates back about 400,000 years
- The first farmers worked the land 8,000 years ago
- London has over 11,000 restaurants, cafés and takeaways
- There are more languages spoken in London than in any other city in the world

Highlights
The Lowry, Beetham Tower, Chinatown, watching a Manchester United or Manchester City game, Old Trafford football ground, Manchester Museum, Imperial War Museum North, Urbis museum

Music
The famous ‘Madchester’ music scene began at the now legendary Hacienda night club. The city is a playground for musicians and music lovers alike. It is the birthplace of a multitude of well-known artists, and has many live venues to showcase them. Piccadilly Records on Oldham Street is a recommended stop for record fanatics.

Sport
Home to two of the UK’s most well known football teams Manchester’s sporting pedigree is second to none.

Shopping
Manchester is a haven for shoppers - you can walk down the main streets of Manchester and find almost anything you want from small quirky record shops right through to the luxurious Harvey Nichols and Selfridges stores opposite the huge Arndale Centre.

Cuisine
A visit must be made to Manchester’s infamous Curry Mile in Rusholme. This section of Wilmslow Road houses at least 70 Asian restaurants, take-aways and Kebab houses.

Did you know?
- The world famous Coronation Street television soap opera has made its home in Manchester for the past 46 years and is one of the longest running soaps on TV, having over 6,500 episodes broadcast in the UK and around the world
- The Trafford Centre on the outskirts of the city houses the first Selfridges outside of London, along with approximately 280 other stores and restaurants

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