What's so exciting for Mancunian and visitor alike is how much of the city centre's facilities are new. This striking modernity gives the lie to the old smoky chimney cloth-cap stereotype, yet still takes place in an architectural context which respects and preserves the best of the city's grand Victorian bequest. The new city centre includes open squares and boulevards, penthouse suites and water features which would all have seemed unthinkable five years ago. Indeed, it took the huge destruction of the 1996 bomb to force the authorities into a bold and visionary masterplan. Manchester today has a confident, European air.
Pavement cafes line both quirky squares and elegant streets.
Canalside bars provide dreamy vistas and creamy beers. Thronging crowds bar-hop through the famous Gay Village, where the annual Mardi Gras is a great excuse for the whole city to party. Whatever your taste, a short walk will bring an amazing choice. Bars and restaurants have boomed, doubling in the last five years to 450 licensed premises in the city centre alone. These days, visitors to Manchester are offered a truly cosmopolitan smorgasbord.