Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester

What it’s like

Vintage buses to climb aboard, a card game about them, and on special dates a free ride on a heritage service.

This is a bus museum in the proper sense, rows of vintage vehicles you can walk through and look inside, sound effects and old footage playing in the displays, and a card game called Top Buses if your kid wants the facts rather than just the seats. It won't take you all day, but for anyone who likes old vehicles it's a solid couple of hours, and it's all undercover so a rainy Wednesday in Manchester is no bother.

Not every bus on site can be climbed into, some are too fragile and kept behind glass, which is a bit of a shame if your child was hoping to sit in the driver's seat of everything. And because vehicles move around and some are out on the road, you won't always see the full collection on a given visit. Worth knowing before you build up a four-year-old's hopes about a specific bus.

Entry is £7.50 for adults and under 16s go in free as long as they're with an adult, so a family visit is cheaper than it first looks. It's only open Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, 10am to 4:30pm, and there's no need to book ahead. The café does light meals and refreshments and is open all day, handy if a museum visit needs bribery either end.

The heritage bus rides are the bit worth timing your visit around. They only run on specific dates through the year, and on those days you can travel free on the old buses themselves, which is a proper novelty for kids used to modern buses that don't smell of diesel and leather. If you're coming by wheelchair, note the historic buses themselves can't take an unfolded chair, though the museum building has level or ramped access throughout.

Facilities

Need to know

Parking

Limited on-street parking available outside the Museum

Food

Traditional cafeteria serving light meals and refreshments

Wheelchairs

Fully undercover with level or ramped access throughout

Dogs

Assistance dogs welcome

Getting there by bus or train

Approximately 10 minute walk from Queens Road Metrolink Station

Worth knowing

Accompanied under 16s visit free

• Some vehicles are too fragile to open up, so not everything can be climbed into
• The collection changes as vehicles go out on the road, so what's on show varies
• Heritage bus rides only happen on specific dates, check which ones before you go expecting a free ride
• E-bikes, e-scooters and e-unicycles aren't allowed inside
• Closed over the Christmas period through to New Year's Day

Plan your visit

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