Castle Hotel

Manchester


Old-fashioned boozer founded in 1776 with a strong musical heritage: John Peel interviewed Joy Division's Ian Curtis here in 1979 and some of its fine selection of ales – Build a Rocket Boys, Trooper – are named after songs by local band Elbow. There's a small music venue attached that hosts regular gigs.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Manchester attractions

1. Greater Manchester Police Museum

0.11 MILES

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 –…

2. National Football Museum

0.37 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…

3. Midland Bank

0.38 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…

4. Chetham's Library & School of Music

0.42 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…

5. Manchester Art Gallery

0.46 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…

6. Alan Turing Statue

0.47 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…

7. Town Hall

0.5 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…

8. Central Library

0.56 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…