Solve riddles from the National Football Museum past the Cathedral and the John Rylands Library to the Science and Industry Museum, and hear the stories behind the world’s first industrial city, all on your phone, at your own pace. 4.7 · 15 reviews✓ Instant access✓ Start any time✓ No guide needed
Manchester. Route, every stop, local tips and prices on our local site: worldcitytrail.co.uk →
New for Manchester: six interactive city guides to food, sights, family, nightlife, day trips and budget. See the guides →
Scavenger hunt 4.7 (15)
Best for first-timers, couples and families: solve a riddle at each of the 10 stops, then unlock the stories of cotton, railways, football and radical history.
4.50 £ - 9.50 £See details and book →
Outdoor escape game
For puzzle lovers, friends and team building: crack an independent puzzle hidden at every attraction, with up to three hints whenever you get stuck.
4.50 £ - 9.50 £See details and book →
Self-guided audio tour 5.0 (2)
For a relaxed walk without puzzles: listen to stories at each stop while you take in Victorian landmarks, squares and old warehouses at your own pace.
3.50 £ - 7.50 £See details and book →
The Manchester scavenger hunt starts at the National Football Museum and passes Manchester Cathedral and the Royal Exchange Theatre on the way to Piccadilly Gardens. From the Manchester Art Gallery you continue to St Peter’s Square, the Town Hall and Albert Square, then to the John Rylands Library and finally the Science and Industry Museum.
The 10 stops cover about 4.4 km, roughly 58 minutes of walking. You can start elsewhere or change the order in the app, with Google Maps guiding you. No entry tickets are needed: every riddle uses the outside of the buildings.
Manchester grew rich on cotton and became the world’s first industrial city. The Royal Exchange was once the hub of the cotton trade, St Peter’s Square recalls the Peterloo Massacre of 1819, and the Science and Industry Museum stands on the site of Liverpool Road station, terminus of the world’s first inter-city passenger railway. The neo-Gothic John Rylands Library looks more like a cathedral than a library.
A game makes you look closely at carvings, statues and details you would otherwise walk past, and the stories that follow explain what you have just seen. Everyone plays on their own phone, there is no schedule, and you can stop for a pint whenever you like.
The Manchester scavenger hunt takes about 3 hours. It has 10 stops and about 58 minutes (4.4 km) of actual walking; the rest is solving riddles and listening to stories. You can pause at any time and continue later or on another day.
It starts at the National Football Museum near the Cathedral and finishes at the Science and Industry Museum in Castlefield. In the app you can choose a different starting stop or change the order.
No, you need neither a guide nor a time slot. After booking you receive a reference by email; download the World City Trail app, enter it and start whenever you like.
Yes, the Manchester scavenger hunt works well for families. The riddles need observation and logic, not prior knowledge, so children can join in with an accompanying adult. The route is not suitable for wheelchairs and is difficult with strollers.
You can play the Manchester scavenger hunt in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish or Dutch. Audio narration is also available for the stories.
Yes. Buy one ticket per player and form teams of up to 5 people; larger groups split into several teams. For team building, the outdoor escape game with its independent puzzles is a great fit.
Book the Manchester scavenger hunt now and spend three hours solving riddles between Victorian landmarks, cotton history and football, starting whenever you are ready.
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