From Manchester Airport to the Congress venue and George Kenyon Hall, and Victoria Park halls
Click the index or marker pins to show full details of each location.
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 or the halls of residence to the south. The main options are as follows.
Taxi or private hire
This is the most convenient (but not the cheapest) approach. A taxi to Victoria Park will probably cost between £15 and £20; to University Place or George Kenyon, probably 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, passing close to Victoria Park and directly serving the University Place/George Kenyon site. It is slow but cheap.
If you are going to Victoria Park, ask for a ticket to Rusholme (£2.90 as of March 2013) and get off immediately after the Total garage. The bus journey is around 35 minutes. There is then a walk of around 10 minutes to the Victoria Park halls.
If you are going to University Place or George Kenyon, 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.
Train
If you are headed to University Place/George Kenyon and 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.