CATEGORY · RAINY DAY APPROVED

Immersive & Touring Exhibitions in Manchester

Manchester's take on this leans playful rather than stuffy. The Museum of Illusions in the centre packs in over 65 hands-on tricks, from a vortex tunnel to a photo hanging off a Metrolink tram, tickets from £21.50 and booking required. A couple of miles out, the Museum of Transport has vintage buses you can actually climb aboard, entry from £6, with free parking and a cafe for when everyone needs a sit down. Manchester Cathedral, right in the centre, costs nothing to wander round, and some days you will catch a volunteer-led tour if the timing works out. For the price and the standing-and-staring factor, the cathedral is the one to try first, especially with older kids who can cope with a quieter, slower visit. Younger children tend to do better with something to touch, so the transport museum's buses or the illusions museum's hands-on exhibits are the better bet, just budget for the £21.50 entry at the illusions museum if you are going as a family. Both museums are indoors, useful if the Manchester weather turns, and the transport museum has baby change and accessible toilets built in.

✓ 5 places✦ 2 free to visit