Due to its relatively small size and the amount there is for visitors to see at ground level, Manchester is a great city to explore on foot (good pocket maps are available free of charge from the Tourist Information Centre, see Sightseeing Overview). But the local travel network ran by Public Transport for Greater Manchester (GMPTE) (tel: 0870 608 2608; website: www.gmpte.com) is excellent, offering a comprehensive range of bus, train and tram services throughout the city.

The main bus station is at the recently redeveloped Piccadilly Gardens, slightly to the east of the city centre. Free Metroshuttle services operate along three circular routes in the city, linking the main attractions as well as the city’s four railway stations. Pedestrians should also keep an eye out for the trams that operate through the city centre with services out to Bury in the north, Altrincham in the south and Salford Quays (close to Old Trafford cricket and football grounds) and Eccles in the west.

Night services operate along the main routes on Friday and Saturday nights. Day Tickets and Travelcards allowing unlimited bus and rail travel for seven days, a month or a year are also available from GMPTE.

There are two types of taxis in Manchester: five-passenger black cabs operated through the local council and four-passenger private hire cars. Officially, only the black cabs can be flagged on the street or use one of the many taxi ranks located throughout the city in the town centre at all the major train and bus stations. Private hire cars are usually slightly cheaper than black cabs but should be booked in advance and officially shouldn’t be flagged down in the streets or use the taxi ranks. To prebook a black cab call Mantax (tel: (0161) 230 3333). For private taxis, try Street Cars (tel: (0161) 228 7878) or Taxifone (tel: (0161) 236 2322), both located close to the city centre.

There are numerous car hire companies operating in Manchester. Avis (tel: (0161) 236 6716; website: www.avis.co.uk), Europcar (tel: (0161) 436 2200; website: www.europcar.co.uk) and Hertz (tel: 0870 850 2652; website: www.hertz.co.uk) all have offices either at the airport, in the city or both.

Oybike (tel: 0845 226 5751; website: www.oybike.com) operates in the city allowing visitors to hire out bikes via a mobile phone. The Oybikes are docked at special stations and can be unlocked via a code (issued from the call centre) typed into the onboard keypad. When the bike is returned to a docking station, a code is displayed on the keypad which must be telephoned back to the call centre which terminates the rental period. Rental periods begin at just 15 minutes but can be extended for up to 24-hours, and multiple day rentals are also available.