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    Piccadilly Gardens

    3.5 (34 reviews)

    Piccadilly Gardens Photos

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    Sophie C.

    British tourists in foreign cities always go find a square or park with a fountain. Its like a magnet, you just can't resist. Yet somehow a lot of us have been resisting Piccadilly Gardens as a place to hang out. The weather. Aha, of course. You're not going to go take a picnic and eat ice creams on the grass in a downpour are you? So they have had to work harder to hold our attention so we don't just walk right through. There is the Manchester Real Food Market on the second and last weekend of each month (Friday and Saturday) - cute little white tents selling fresh fruit and veg, flowers and tons of local produce. Buying local cheese from the market - tres francais non? We have also just had a weekend of dance, parkour and street theatre called Platform 4 Piccadilly, with Xtrax, complete with the Mancunian steel band Hi-Tech. This outdoor festival also happened last year and is just the kind of thing you seek out in Spain or Italian cities on balmy nights, so why not our own? Watch this space, literally, for more of la meme...

    alexandra s.

    Piccadilly Gardens is not my cup of tea when it comes to a place I would like to sit and relax. The place is rammed packed during the summer months around the water fountains with screaming children and tired mothers. I hate to spoil the impression that has been given in previous reviews but from my perspective this is not an idyllic place from which to observe Manchester. I appreciate this place attracts some great outdoor markets but I believe a backdrop of Primark and Starbucks is not a place I want to spend too much time hanging around in. Each to their own though eh.

    Sam R.

    Less of a park to come and sunbathe or play Frisbee in, Piccadilly Gardens is more a pleasant place to eat your lunch without having to trek away from the centre of Manchester. With places like Rice, Kro and Pizza Express around the small gardens, and lots of places to grab a sandwich, you could do a lot worse of a hot lunchtime than sitting on a bench here and watching a few square meters of grass for your 30 minute lunch break. Think of the alternatives. Arndale food hall? Probably not. What's refreshing about Piccadilly Gardens is that the fountains do actually work. So many of these new fountain things in Britain's cities just don't. Well, they do here. But to save water they don't always turn them on which is a fair enough policy. When they are on, there's always some stupid teenagers pushing their friends into them and getting them wet. Classic. Piccadilly Gardens becomes a venue for the Christmas Markets and other various events around the year. A great addition to the city.

    Qype User (imumb…)

    Manchester's Piccadilly Gardens was the original site of the Manchester Royal Infirmary. The infirmary occupied the site at Piccadilly from 1752 to 1910 (when it moved to its current site on Oxford Road); the lowered area (as before 2000) of the gardens arose from the hospital's basement. In 1914 the infirmary had been fully removed from the site, and after several years of trying to decide how to develop the site, it ended up being left and made into Manchester's largest open inner city green space. The square at Piccadilly Gardens is currently the central hub of Manchester's public transport system. The square is only 5 minutes' walk from the mainline Manchester Piccadilly railway station and 10 minutes walk from Manchester Victoria railway station. Queen Victoria statue with Piccadilly Plaza in the background The square was revamped in 2001 2002, after a design by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando, to include new green space and fountains, although the original statues all remain. The redesign was part of the massive construction process that covered Manchester in the build up to the city hosting the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Previously the square was becoming increasingly run down and was considered unsafe. At a contract cost of around £10 million Piccadilly Gardens was renovated and ended up being shortlisted in 2003 for the Better Public Building Award.

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    12 years ago

    Come a cross Piccadilly gardens, it was great place to relax for a hour having your tea with friends!

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    13 years ago

    best place to go in the summer and run through the water after a day of hard shopping.

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    Piccadilly Gardens Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Piccadilly Gardens

    A small Farmers' Market is set up here on Saturday mornings, and a temporary ice-rink is sometimes put in over the Christmas period

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    Whitworth Park - A great place for a Hamster Wheel Workout.

    Whitworth Park

    3.3(12 reviews)
    1.6 miOxford Road Corridor

    When I lived in Whitworth Park (the halls, for I am not a vagrant) my parents came to pick me up on…read morethe way up to visit family in the north-east. Due to the fact that my Mum is always early and my Dad is always thrifty, they had brought a picnic and suggested eating it in the park. The problem was that it was March and not even a particularly warm or dry March, so we huddled up against each other and sat on a cold, graffitied bench and ate our tuna sarnies. That was the only picnic I've eaten in Whitworth Park and pretty much the only time I've sat down in there. On the other occasions I was put off by the combination of tramps, builders and school kids, which made it hard to relax. I found it much more pleasant to sit in Whitworth Park (the halls) or walk for 20 minutes to Platt Fields Park. But still, I quite like this park. It is a nice green break from the monotony of curry houses (if approaching from Rusholme direction) and university buildings (if approaching from other direction). I just want to know how they keep on putting the cone back on top of King James' head. Anyone?

    After trekking around, looking for a place to relax, I saw this well-sized park and figured it'll…read moredo. And it did! Fairly decently sized, this is a good park right near the university that offers visitors the chance to choose from a plethora of space. Thankfully, my visit did not coincide with hordes of screaming children, so I was able to stroll about and find a seat and enjoy a quiet park. Even sitting next to the playground I was free of yelling and gallivanting children. Although there was a random woman who walked up to the Hamster Wheel and decided she needed a workout (she seriously just walked in it for a couple minutes like it was a treadmill...see my photo for proof!). Granted, this time of year the ground was a bit wet and muddy, but I think this could be a lovely space on a warm (and dry) day to just sit under a tree and breathe the fresh air.

    Photos
    Whitworth Park - The beautiful view of the path of Whitworth park during December. it was just a very pretty view. I had to take a picture!

    The beautiful view of the path of Whitworth park during December. it was just a very pretty view. I had to take a picture!

    Whitworth Park - The King

    The King

    Whitworth Park

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    Alexandra Park - Promenade

    Alexandra Park

    4.8(5 reviews)
    2.1 mi

    Undoubtedly my favourite park in Manchester. There is everything: trees, flowerbeds, a little lake,…read moretables to have a picnic, benches. Also, there's usually plenty of events going on, such as markets, cricket matches and other cultural or social activities. It is the ideal place to do sport. Running is a standard thing to do, and it is possible to find some panels around the park which show the various lengths for the paths you can choose, so that you are always able to figure out which distance you have covered. There is a cricket pitch, where local teams plays over summer, and four tennis courts, which can be booked online for free. In most cases there are a few available, so you can just turn up and play, but especially on weekends I would recommend to book in advance. Recently I have noticed that a ping pong table has been installed close to the tennis courts. Close to the lake there is a cafe that is actually run by Tea Hive, the coffee shop in Chorlton. On weekends it is open until 5pm, while on weekdays it closes at 4.30pm.

    In the whole of the United Kingdom, Alexandra Park Manchester comes second! Yep, that's rights, out…read moreoff the whole country, it's the second best... in the category 'parks called Alexandra Park'. Beaten only by its London rival Alexandra Park, which features miles of hills and a palace, this medium sized green space in Moss Side can hardly complain about its ranking. Plus it couldn't complain anyway because its a park not a person. Apparently the park was an important space in the Victorian period, but I've forgotten what it was like then, so I'll just focus on the now. Basically it's a big green space with some nice paths to stroll around and a nice little lake. More impressively is the fact that it plays home to an annual Caribbean Carnival! Less impressive that that but still worth of note is that it host many amateur football games an an annual 5K run. For this kind of thing you'll want the athletics webpage rather that the park one displayed above, that's at : www.openathletics.org.

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    Alexandra Park
    Alexandra Park
    Alexandra Park

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    Chorlton Water Park - Views of Chorlton water park

    Chorlton Water Park

    3.7(18 reviews)
    4.1 miChorlton

    A bittersweet experience was had on my first ever visit to Chorlton water park. Driving here is a…read morelittle strange with it being situated in such a densely populated area. You get the feeling your Satnav is taking you to the wrong place. Don't worry it's not. An old reservoir was transformed into a huge lake a while back and that's the park's main feature. A mile radius around the lake acts as a perfect biking/ hiking trail which isn't too strenuous and is littered with relaxing spots with great views. There's an icecream van to cater for all your refreshment needs and does a lot of business on a hot summer's afternoon. It's a perfect venue to have a picnic and for young families (There's a large play area for kids) All in all a lovely green space in a heavily populated urban area. My only beef with the place was the unsafe nature of the car park. Make sure you park in an area that's camera visible. I returned after a pleasent afternoon to find my windscreen cracked quite badly. I hadn't parked under a tree, falling debree was thus out the question so I suspected some sort of foul play. My little trip therefore cost me nearly £150. Perhaps the place is cursed for me, but don't let that put you off.

    When I first moved to Chorlton and I heard people talking about this water park I had visions in my…read morehead of chutes and river rapids. Sadly, the water park bears absolutely no resemblance to Stoke-on-Trent's Water World or Florida's Blizzard Beach. Instead it is a large man-made lake with a path around the edge which attracts walkers, joggers and cyclists. The path is well-surfaced and links on to the Mersey Valley trail, which is unsurfaced. However, there is a car park and visitor centre if you don't fancy the trek down from Chorlton or Didsbury. The water park was formed in the 1970s when gravel was dug up from this area to build the M60, and the area was flooded to form the lake. Despite the fact that the water park is surrounded by the M60, the busy Princess Parkway and Chorlton town centre it is a surprisingly peaceful and serene place - so peaceful that it is the place that the hippies flock to for the summer solstice.

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    Chorlton Water Park - Chorlton water park

    Chorlton water park

    Chorlton Water Park
    Chorlton Water Park - Chorlton water park

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    Chorlton water park

    Platt Fields

    Platt Fields

    4.0(9 reviews)
    2.3 miFallowfield

    Platt Fields is the biggest and best park in the area. Its green hills stretch out, well, about a…read morefive-minute walk, behind Fallowfield. So Manchester is not the best for green spaces. Nonetheless, Platt Fields isn't bad. I couldn't recommend it for a long afternoon walk or a day-trip with the extended family, but for a kick around with a bunch of mates or walking a dog it'll do just fine (as long as your dog isn't a fussy one). Its got plenty of open green space for football, and during the summer its pretty busy so you can always find people to have a game with. It does have a little cage for 5-a-side games but its gets so muddy its practically unplayable and you're better off setting up your own goal posts with jumpers just like you did as school. If you didn't do this at school, its achieved by taking two jumpers and placing them on the ground, creating a space in between them that serves the function of a goal. You then kick the ball into this structure. Its also got a skate park, if that's your thing, but later on this tends to be frequented by hoodlums and WKD. The lake is absolutely the highlight, and contains plenty of floating birds to feed. It does have boats which apparently can be rented out, though I have yet to see this occur, possibly through lack of demand, as you would be able to cross the lake in well under a minute. The boats can be put to good use collecting balls that are inadvertently kicked into the lake, but the park wardens are an obstacle. It also has some swings, but they're rubbish.

    Coming from a village where it cost you about 3 quid to see a rubbish fireworks display, I was…read morehappy to see the abundance of free bonfire night celebrations organised by Manchester Council. This bonfire night is not as big as those in Heaton Park and Wythenshawe Park, but unlike the village celebrations, it is always on bonfire night itself (remember remember the 5th of November, not the 9th or 10th!) and is always packed with students and families. It's a pretty standard affair - everyone crowds around the barriers forgetting that the fireworks are actually going to be high in the sky, then rushes over to crowd around the giant bonfire. There are of course the obligatory hot dog and donut stands with plenty of rides including the one which launches a pair of you high into the sky above the park (it's good fun, trust me). If you want some free bonfire night fun but don't have a car and don't fancy the crush on the metro to get out to Heaton Park, then PFP is the place to go.

    Photos
    Platt Fields
    Platt Fields - The snowman

    The snowman

    Platt Fields - Springtime in Platt Fields...can't believe I got a photo without a Magicbus in the background?!

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    Springtime in Platt Fields...can't believe I got a photo without a Magicbus in the background?!

    Heaton Park - Website Photo

    Heaton Park

    4.2(35 reviews)
    3.8 mi

    A last minute decision on a damp, drizzly winter Sunday, but a good one. Forgot how vast this place…read moreis! Walked down the hill past the hall and round the lake, slowing to admire the signets and stop the dog munching all the food left for the birds! Round the other side of the lake, the woods are incredibly quiet; it's easy to forget you're right on the edge of such a large city and the motorway is about a mile away. This is the highest point in the city and the views are amazing.

    Fancy a picnic in Manchester? Don't look at me like I've escaped from a mental unit, there's plenty…read moreof places to take a basket, blanket and a punnet of Scotch eggs in the city. If you don't believe me, you've clearly never seen the rural idyll that is Heaton Park. Easily accessible by the Metrolink from the city centre, Heaton Park in Prestwich is historical, green and gorgeous. It's home to a golf course as well as Heaton Hall, a beautiful manor which you can view by partaking in guided tours, the exciting kind where people wear costumes. There is literally far too much going on here for me to include in this little introduction but some noteworthy events include Oasis's huge homecoming gigs where they decked Heaton Park out like a festival. Technologically it was a nightmare, but good old Noel Gallagher promised refunds if they didn't get the sound sorted. Another thing you must, MUST do in Heaton Park is try and catch an open air Shakespeare production. They make the most incredible use of the surroundings, but an insider's tip is to bring a mackintosh, umbrella and perhaps even a flask and foldable chair. The former two are obviously due to the inclement Manchester weather, the latter... well, we all need our home comforts. Actually, add some kind of chewy sweets to that list, you choose your favourites. Just don't rub it in, the poor actors have to do this in all climates and are probably dying for one of your Skittles. Anything more I can add? Relay races for dogs (I'm totally serious, it's an opportunity for dog owners to meet and interact), health walks, horse riding, learning activities... the list goes on and on, and look out for the festivals and music performances. Heaton Park is a buzzing, thriving community all its own, so if you fancy some fresh air and culture, hop on the tram and bring sensible shoes. You'll love it here.

    Photos
    Heaton Park - Local produce on sale

    Local produce on sale

    Heaton Park - Photo from www.gps-routes.co.uk

    Photo from www.gps-routes.co.uk

    Heaton Park

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    Piccadilly Gardens - parks - Updated May 2026

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