Private Manchester Self-Guided Tour
Manchester, England
- 2 to 3 hours (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
See the best of Manchester, learn all about its history—and explore totally independently, without worries of crowds—on this private, self-led audio tour. Upon booking, download the app to your smartphone and use when, and as often, as you’d like, for up to three weeks. You’ll see neighborhoods and landmarks like Chinatown, the Royal Corn Exchange, Manchester Cathedral, and much more, and will learn behind-the-scenes stories from the audio narration.
- Don’t worry about getting lost: GPS maps will keep you on track
- This tour is ideal for independent-minded travelers
- Have the freedom to explore Manchester at your own pace
- Discover many of the city’s top landmarks, all in a single tour
What's Included
- 3 weeks unlimited access to this Self-Guided Tour on the app
- Map, directions, GPS route and stops of each tour
- Jake will guide you through an audio guide (no computer-generated voice!)
- Audio guide, videos, pictures, recommendations and all the info you need
- You will get an email with instructions to activate your tour (booking reference isn't the code!)
- In-person Guide
- Any entrance fee for the attractions mentioned during the tour
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Vimto ParkManchester M1, UK
All our tours are self-guided. You will be led by the GPS in the app. Remember to check the "Before You Go" Section of your ticket and give Pandemic Tours App access to your location!
End point
- Castlefield BowlRice St, Manchester M3 4JR, UK
The tour finishes at Deansgate, near the Roman Fort.
Operating hours
- 11/19/2021 - 05/11/2027
Monday - Sunday : 12:00 AM - 11:30 PM
Itinerary
1
A Monument To Vimto
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Alan Turing Memorial
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Gay Village
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Chinatown
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
St Peter's Square
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
The Bridgewater Hall
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
7
Royal Exchange Theatre
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
8
The Shambles
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
9
Manchester Cathedral
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
10
The John Rylands Library
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
11
Castlefield Urban Heritage Park
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Guardian Telephone Exchange (Pass By)
The Midland (Pass By)
Manchester Central Library (Pass By)
12
Manchester Central
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
The Corn Exchange (Pass By)
The Old Wellington (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Please check "Before You Go" Section of your e-ticket!
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.1
based on 37 reviews
Anirudh_M, Apr 2025
I booked this expecting a small-group walking tour in Manchester, based on the title and the prominent photo showing a group of people on what looked like a guided tour. Nowhere did it clearly say this was just an app-based audio experience. There was no live guide, no schedule, and no actual “tour” to attend. It turned out to be something I could have done with a free app.
What’s more frustrating is that when I contacted the operator for clarification, they admitted it's self-guided and app-based—but refused any refund, even though I hadn’t used the tour. Viator’s platform also didn’t offer a refund option, which felt like a trap.
This felt less like a cultural experience and more like a paid app download disguised as a tour. I’ve done several walking tours across the UK and have never felt misled like this.
Be very cautious before booking. Read everything carefully—even then, the visuals and framing of this listing do not reflect the actual experience.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Hi there,
We’re sorry to hear you were disappointed with your experience, but we do want to clarify a few key points for others reading this.
First and foremost, the name of the experience is "Private Manchester Self-Guided Tour". This is stated in the title itself, and throughout the listing we explain that it’s a self-paced audio tour delivered via our app — not a live, guided group tour. The product has no schedule, no physical meeting point, and no in-person guide, all of which are clearly stated before purchasing.
As for refunds, because access codes are automatically issued and redeemed digitally, we cannot offer refunds once a code has been used. In your case, our system shows the code was activated — meaning the tour was accessed.
We always aim to deliver value at an affordable price, and this experience is under £9 — for over 2 hours of curated content and an interactive city map. If you were looking for a live guide, we genuinely believe you may have misread the listing.
We’re a small team trying to offer flexible and accessible cultural experiences. If something’s not clear, we’re always available to answer before purchase. We simply ask that reviews reflect the product for what it is — not what it wasn’t meant to be.
Best regards,
Norton_R, Jan 2024
Fantastic Manchester self-guided tour! Easy to navigate with clear instructions. Loved the great recommendations for local spots and the nice stories that brought the city's history to life. A must-try experience!
(Must download the pandemic tours app through your appstore to access, but dont worry very user friendly)
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Hi Norton!
Thrilled to hear you enjoyed the Manchester self-guided tour! We're all about making exploration easy and engaging. Jake will be delighted to know his stories and recommendations hit the mark. Thanks for recommending us and for highlighting the app's user-friendliness. Can't wait to bring you more exciting tours!
Happy travels,
S_Z, Jul 2023
Far too complicated to get it running. I’m a software engineer and it took me more than half an hour including support chat. Code did not work…
Battery of mobile was empty after a bit more than an hour.
Response from Host, Jul 2023
Hey Stefan!
We appreciate your feedback. We noticed your brief support chat mentioning a "tour tab" and tried our best to assist based on that. Effective communication is key, and we did all we could with the info you shared. Curious, as if your battery drained, perhaps the code worked later? We genuinely apologize for any hiccups you faced and would truly value more insights on your experience. Your perspective can only help us improve. Thanks for your time!
Best,
rafael_s, Feb 2023
Pues, no lo pude utilizar, solo en el primer lugar, pensé que te guiaba con GPS para llegar a los sitios...debería completarse con eso para no perdernos
Response from Host, Feb 2023
Hola Rafael, que lástima que tuviste una mala experiencia!
Nuestra app si te guía con GPS, pero para eso debes darle permiso para acceder a tu ubicación. Tal vez las instrucciones no son suficientemente claras en nuestra app, por lo que revisaremos el procedimiento nuevamente.
Te enviamos un mensaje ya que nos gustaría saber con más detalles el por qué no te gustó la app. Espero puedas darnos otra oportunidad en el futuro!
Margarita_M, Jun 2022
Besonders uninteressante und ausschließlich touristische Spots, Reihenfolge ganz schlecht zusammengesetzt.
Response from Host, Jul 2022
Hi there, we are really sorry to hear you didn't like the content of the app. The idea is to provide tourists with an idea and orientation of the city, that's why the tour is focused on touristic areas, which are generally the city centres (and we describe that in the information before purchasing). But we understand that not everyone has the same taste so we will make our best to improve!
From $12.35
per person-You will not receive a refund if you cancel.
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