By Luna Sickau, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf (Germany)

The city that never sleeps. I know that this is what people say about New York, but Manchester can compete with this (if you know the right places to go).

There are loads of different opportunities to go out (almost every day of the week) and 42’s is my absolute favourite one. They are playing Indie and Rock music and the music scene of Manchester is not missing on the playlist. A must visit for everyone who wants to have a good time with friends and likes to dance until the night is over.

Some people might not be the dancers – but in the NQ you can sit together with your new friends and have a good time without going into a club.

My German roots made me go to the Manchester Oktoberfest and we had a good time (even though it wasn’t very German and even the music was English, they tried to get the famous ‘Wiesn’ abroad – another sign for the multicultural city).

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. And I definitely fell in love with MANCHESTER CHRISTMAS MARKETS 2018. There are many different areas around the city where little stands of food, drinks and Christmas gifts present their goods – some of them try to be German as well. My favourite one is the market at the Albert Square in front of the town hall with its lovely old wooden stalls and Christmas lights.

Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night is on the 5th of November. There are lovely bonfires and fireworks around the city and in different parks.

If you want to find out what the Britains are celebrating at this day check out http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/uk-now/read-uk/bonfire-night

If you need to escape the buzzing city for a day and the weather is not too bad, you should take a train from Manchester Piccadilly into the Peak District. This National Park offers you a large number of different hiking routes and little villages to visit and the view once you made it to one of the peaks is amazing and worth the walk.

When my mum came over to Manchester for a visit, we decided to climb the Mam Tor (Hope Valley) (one of the famous peaks in the area). If you are a fan of nature and fancy a hike without the best path walks, feel free to go to the Peak District. Please wear hiking shoes or at least boots or learn from your mistakes as we did!

Media City UK is a place where I love to go when I need some fresh air. You can have a walk around the area and the wind will blow your mind free. You can sit at the waterfront and enjoy the silence or have a look around the big media companies like BBC. If you go one a weekend its calm, on weekdays you’ll see business people and students.

In the background you can see the Imperial Way Museum which is worth a visit (in the UK you have free access to almost every museum).

If you prefer staying in the city center there are multiple places to go. Manchester is versatile city …

… one of the best spots (especially for Harry Potter fans) is the John Rylands Library. The building is absolutely amazing and you can feel the power of the place while you’re standing in the old halls between thousands of old books.

If you’re into football you need to see a match in an english stadium. As tickets are always sold out, the secret is to go to a Champions League game! The ticket prices are affordable (at least for students) and the chance to get a ticket is relatively high. I’ve made it to matches of Manchester City twice and absolutely loved the atmosphere in the stadium – even if the fans are extremely quiet in comparison to a real german football match.

To conclude my little “What to do in Manchester”-guide one last advice. If you feel like you have seen all of Manchester – there are other cities around. I would recommend Liverpool – it is only a 1 hour train ride away from Piccadilly Station and its quite different to Manchester.