Manchester for Families: Free and Paid Picks

Families can spend several days in Manchester and pay very little. Prices are in pounds sterling (GBP).

Free picks

Science and Industry Museum. Free, open daily 10:00 to 17:00. Children under 12 will like the Experiment gallery, and the Power Hall has working steam engines. A separate Power Up gallery runs at weekends and in holidays with its own ticket. Parts of the historic site are under conservation work.

Manchester Museum. Free. Stan the T. rex is on the ground floor. Live animals in the Vivarium are off display until May 2027. Closed Mondays.

Imperial War Museum North. Free entry, at Salford Quays.

SEA LIFE Manchester. From about GBP 16 booked online. Sharks, turtles and rays, a stingray bay and a shark shipwreck. Over 2,000 creatures.

LEGOLAND Discovery Centre. Adults may only enter with a child. A joint ticket with SEA LIFE starts from about GBP 34 and lasts 90 days. Both venues are cashless.

The Snow Centre Manchester. An indoor slope close by. Check the current price list before you go.

Quarry Bank. Family ticket GBP 60.00 from 1 March 2026. Children can learn about the apprentices who worked at the mill, with the house itself visited by guided tour.

On the water

The Salford Watersports Centre at Salford Quays runs canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding and sailing sessions. Do not let children play at the edge of the canals or rivers in the city centre.

Park days

Heaton Park is a very large public park north of the centre. The heritage tramway there has been out of service for repairs, so confirm its status on its website. Check the park’s own pages for other facilities.

Planning tips

  • Book timed slots for the science museum and for SEA LIFE on weekends and in school holidays.
  • Pack a spare layer, because the best free days out here are indoors and queues form outside in the rain.
  • Mornings are calmer than afternoons at the football and science museums.
  • Children under 5 go free at Quarry Bank, and National Trust members enter without paying.

Getting there cheaply

A child bus single is GBP 1 and an adult single GBP 2 on the Bee Network. The adult day ticket is GBP 5.

Read more: Manchester animal activities and Manchester group activities .

Official pages: SEA LIFE Manchester , Quarry Bank . Look at family tickets on GetYourGuide .