Travel direct to the Congress venue
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From Manchester Airport
Although the rail link is very useful for getting to central Manchester (see From Manchester Airport to city centre hotels), it does not serve the main University site. The main options are as follows.
Taxi or private hire is the most convenient (but not the cheapest) approach. A taxi to University Place or George Kenyon Hall will probably cost between £20 and £25. The journey time is around 15 to 20 minutes.
Note the distinction between two varieties of taxi in the UK: true taxis (‘black cabs’, ‘Hackney cabs’), available for immediate hire, and private hire vehicles (‘minicabs’), which must be pre-booked. Manchester Airport offers an uncomplicated booking service on arrival. Private hires are generally cheaper, but you may have to wait for your car, whereas you can pick up a black cab straight away from the rank outside the terminal building.
Bus: the 43 bus is a 24-hour service which runs from the Airport, directly serving the University Place/George Kenyon site. It is slow but cheap. Ask for a ticket to the University Precinct Centre (also £2.90 as of March 2013). This is a short distance past University Place, so you will need to retrace your steps slightly. University Place is the distinctive grey cylinder on the right-hand side, opposite the Manchester Museum on the left. The bus journey is around 40 minutes.
Rail: alternatively, if you are travelling light, you could catch a train from the Airport to Oxford Road station and walk for 10 to 15 minutes down Oxford Road to the site. Or, if you want to see something of the city on arrival, you could take the train to Piccadilly and find a bus connection for your southward journey. See our pages on travel from the Airport to the city centre and from the city centre to the venue for further information.
From Manchester Piccadilly rail station
Bus: from Monday to Friday in the daytime, you can take the 147 bus directly from Piccadilly rail station to the University. At other times your best option is probably to walk to Oxford Road/Oxford Street and catch one of the frequent buses there.
Walking: 20 to 25 minutes depending on route. This map may be useful.
From Manchester Oxford Road rail station
Bus: Oxford Road station has a very convenient and frequent direct connection to the University area via the Oxford Road/Wilmslow Road corridor services.
Walking: a very straightforward walk of 10 to 15 minutes, straight down Oxford Road.