Got an hour to spare? Fancy learning more about Manchester in your lunch break? Do you want to impress your friends or relatives with fascinating facts about your city?

Then take one of our Urbis tours. Whether you are interested in Manchester’s history old or new, shopping and retail to something more spiritually uplifting we have something that will suit all tastes and can even tailor make our tours just for you.

Choose from any of the tours below and with new tours being developed all the time, there are always reasons to come back to Urbis.

 booking

 To book or enquire about our tours please ring 0161-605-8200 or email tours@urbis.org.uk

new tours

suffragette city

Wednesdays 3pm

£3

Uncover Manchester’s roots in the fight for equal rights for women. From discovering where the Suffragettes displayed their first militant action to how and why woman fought for the right to free birth control. Look at the movements both for and against woman’s suffrage and discover the women that influence the radical movements of today. 1 ½ hrs

radical city

Mondays 11am

£3

From cultural revolutionaries to middle class reform and democratic rights discover Manchester’s radical heritage on this new walking tour. This tour promises to raise many issues relevant to us today.  1 ½ hrs

Manchester Music Tours

Factory Records Tour

Please be aware that on sat 16 Aug this tour will not be running

Saturdays 2pm

£3

TOUR STARTS AND FINISHES AT CORNERHOUSE

Walk in the footsteps of Manchester’s music history with Urbis’ Factory Records Tour. The tour will guide you through sites that played a key role in the Factory Records story. Stops include the Free Trade Hall (the venue of the legendary first Sex Pistols gig), the site of the original Hacienda nightclub, MICC (formerly G-mex) and Factory HQ.

See Factory’s influence on the city first hand and explore the history behind the music we love.

To book a tour please call 0161 605 8200

the 60s magical music tour

£5 (includes coffee or tea at the Twisted Wheel) 

Take a tour of some of the key sites from Manchester's musical heyday. Discover where all star acts such as The Hollies, The Small Faces, Ike and Tina Turner, Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix and The Bay City Rollers plus many more played on the circuit. Visit the spots where Manchester's Northern Soul crowd used to hang out, and the celebrated haunts like the Oasis club where entry cost 25p, and find out how the Twisted Wheel kept its music Manchester's best loved secret. A must, whether you want to reminisce about the good old days or find out the roots of musical Manchester.  

 Dates available:

September:

Saturday 13^th & 27^th

10.30 am – 12.30 pm

October:

Saturday 11th & 25th

10.30 am – 12.30 pm

November:

Saturday 8th & 22nd

10.30 am – 12.30 pm

December:

Saturday 6th & 20th

10.30 am – 12.30 pm

 More Info
 

available tours

• Introduction to Urbis - daily at 1pm 
• Urbis Architecture
• After the Cloud 
• Millennium Quarter
• Medieval Manchester
• Faith in the City
• Instant Manchester
• Religious Art tour
• Radical City
• Suffragette City

More information

TOUR SCHEDULE:

Mondays:                  

11am  Radical City
1pm    Introduction to Urbis

3pm    After the Cloud                                               

Tuesdays:                 

11am   Instant Manchester
1pm     Introduction to Urbis 
3pm     Around Cathedral Gardens

Wednesdays:           

11am    After the Cloud 
1pm      Introduction to Urbis 
3pm      Suffragette City

Thursdays:               

11am   Medieval Manchester 
1pm     Introduction to Urbis 
3pm     Urbis Architecture

 Fridays: 

11am   Instant Manchester
1pm     Introduction to Urbis 

Saturdays:                

11am   After the Cloud                              
1pm     Introduction to Urbis

2pm     Factory Records (meet at Cornerhouse)

3pm     Around Cathedral Gardens
 

Sundays:                  

11am   Instant Manchester

12pm   Tavern Tour

1pm     Introduction to Urbis

3pm     Urbis Architecture

feedback

“Fascinating. Little pieces of history that we’d have ordinarily missed”.

“I work in the city and didn’t know all the great things about Urbis. I will definitely be back.”

“Great tour because it was short and sweet yet very informative and engaging”.

“Tour was very interesting and understandable for foreign people. We’ll be back.”

“Very clear presentation and a very worthwhile part of the visit”.

“Will recommend to friends and family”.

terms and conditions - booked tours

 Please take the time to read this information before your visit to Urbis.

 If you have any particular question or requirements for your visit please do not hesitate to contact Mark Rainey on m.rainey@urbis.org.uk or Frances Ridley on f.ridley@urbis.org.uk or call Urbis on 0161 605 8200.

• Tour groups consisting of over 20 participants will be split and divided between the relevant number of tour guides. 
• Any bookings cancelled less than 14 days in advance will incur a cancellation charge of 50% of the full price. Bookings cancelled less than 7 days in advance will incur a cancellation charge of 100% of the full price.
• Urbis Tours are committed to providing an open and friendly service. All bookings should be handled efficiently and politely, offering creative solutions to individual needs.
• If you are unable to confirm the number of your party when booking the tour we will invoice for a minimum number of 15 participants. If these numbers are to drastically change before or on the day of your booking your tour will be subject to change.
• Please note that if the number of participants changes from the original booking we will raise a new invoice to cover any extra number of participants.
• If you wish to rearrange the date of your tour you are required to inform us 2 weeks in advance. All rearrangements are subject to availability. 

On the Day of your booked tour

• Details of your booking time(s) and the date(s) of your tour are shown on your confirmation letter. Please adhere to these times throughout your visit as we cannot guarantee provision of a tour for late arrivals. The Tours team reserve the right to cancel your booking should your party be more than 1 hour late.

Access

• Urbis aims to be fully accessible by means of ramps, elevators and wide aisles. Some of our exhibitions require physical manipulation. Please be aware that many of our tours are walking tours around Manchester city centre.  Access issues may arise for some of the external venues visited on the tours.   If special provisions are required please inform a member of our staff and we will adjust the tour accordingly.

Health and Safety

• A verbal health and safety warning will be given at the beginning of the tour.
• For further information please contact Mark Rainey  on  m.rainey@urbis.org.uk or Frances Ridley on f.ridley@urbis.org.uk