Travel – old

A link to allow you to book hotel accommodation in Manchester City Centre, within a short walk of the Convention Centre, will be available here. These are specially negotiated rates for those attending the conference.

Manchester Central Convention Centre, Manchester, M2 3GX
There is useful information about getting to the Convention Centre (MCC) through this link.
The most common route will be to fly to Manchester airport either directly or through another airport such as London Heathrow.

Arriving at Manchester Airport

Train from the Airport

The best way from the airport to MCC is to take the train. After collecting your luggage, look for the signs in all three terminals that will guide you to the railway station which is a walk of about 10 mins from the furthest terminal. The train journey takes 20-30 mins depending which train you get. Most coaches have luggage areas at one end or the other.

The station nearest to the MCC is Manchester Oxford Road which is a walk of less than 10 mins to your destination. Make sure you take a train that stops at Manchester Oxford Road. During the daytime there are around 5 trains per hour. In the evening or on Sunday there will be around 4 per hour except if you are going very early. You can find train schedules at: www.nationalrail.co.uk

On leaving the station go down the hill to the left. At the junction at the bottom you essentially go straight ahead along Oxford Road until you reach the Midland Hotel (by the tram tracks). The convention centre is behind the hotel. See map below.

There are additional trains from the airport to Manchester Piccadilly station (all of the Manchester Oxford Road trains stop here first). It is about 20 mins walk from here to your destination. You can also take a tram from Piccadilly Station to St Peter Square which is directly in front of the Midland Hotel (this is two stops on the tram). It is about 1 mile by road so you could also take a taxi, but that is not recommended unless you have heavy luggage. The fare could be 10 GBP depending on your luggage and traffic.

If you take the train you must buy a ticket before you board. There is a ticket office as well as ticket machines.

If you take the tram from Piccadilly then you must have a ticket before you board.  The tram fare is included in the train fare from the airport to Piccadilly. Otherwise, you will need to buy a single ticket for the two stops from a machine.

Tram from the Airport

You can also get a tram from the Airport directly to St Peter’s Square close to MCC. You can find the tram on a platform at the train station. The tram is slower than the train and will take around 60 mins. This may be a convenient way to travel especially if you do not have much luggage. The tram is not recommended if you have large or heavy suitcases. The tram runs every 12 mins.  You must buy a ticket before you board the tram from the ticket machine on the platform.

Taxi from the Airport

Black cabs (metered taxis) will be available outside each terminal which can take you directly to your destination. The distance is around 10 miles so it will take 25 to 45 mins depending on the time of day. These cabs are charged on a meter and you can expect to pay around £25 (2018 price). The rate will be higher after 10pm. Most black cabs only take cash in pounds. When returning to the airport it may be possible to book private hire taxi in advance which should be slightly cheaper, especially if you team up with others.

Arriving by Train from the UK

If you arrive from another UK city (e.g., London) these trains go to Manchester Piccadilly station. See above for directions from there. Some trains from UK cities also stop at Manchester Oxford Road.