You don’t have to be inner-city to be in a city.

What it’s like

A waterfront neighbourhood that actually feels like one.

The Quays are a working district reinvented — old docks turned into bars, theatres, broadcasting hubs and waterside walks. The Lowry's two stages run year-round; the Imperial War Museum North sits across the swing bridge; and there's a weekly farmers' market just along the front.

On the water itself: paddleboarding, sailing and dragon boating in summer; long walks and skyline photography in winter. The trams run every six minutes into central Manchester — and you can also hop on the bus to Old Trafford for the football.