Manchester Maps

Manchester is a relatively new city in U.K, which was born as a result of the industrial revolution. It is a metropolitan borough in the North of England with city status. The city is also one of the largest metropolitan conurbations in the United Kingdom. Manchester is considered as the center of the arts, the media, higher education and commerce. Greater Manchester County consists of the City of Manchester and the other metropolitan boroughs. The city leads in textile manufacture and production that is a major source of income to the city. It is represented by four tiers of government such as Manchester City Council, North West Regional Assembly, UK Parliament and European Parliament. The city is also part of the Metropolitan County of Greater Manchester.

Area & Location: Manchester sits on the east bank of River Irwell. The city is bordered to the north and east by the Pennine moors and to the south by the Cheshire Plain. It is located 53°29' Latitude North and 2°15' Longitude West. Its geographic features have made it the world's first industrial city. Covering a total area of 115.65 sq. km, Manchester has a total population of 441,200.

Transportation: Manchester is a city well known for its transportation facilities that makes it easier and convenient for those who drop in here. The city has an extensive road system that has more percentage of motorway networks than any other city in U.K. It also has a large railway system, which holds the title of the 'first passenger railway in the world'. Manchester has an underground railway system that links it with other main stations. Manchester International Airport, one of the busiest airports in U.K handles 22.1 million passengers and provides direct flights to over 180 destinations worldwide. The city also holds a tram system called 'metrolink' that carries passengers from one city to another.

Hotels: The city is known for its world class restaurants, bars and clubs. Hard RockCafe, chain restaurants such as Wagamama and the coffee chains Starbucks give custom made reception to its guests.The city is famous for beer and Hydes brewery is a long established independent one. Lowry Hotels, Travellers Retreat, Stay Inn, Gardens Hotel, Midland Hotel and Malmaison Manchester are some of the hotels in the city that provide its guests with sumptuous food and comfortable accomodation.

Tourist Attractions: The city of Manchester is a very interested spot for the tourists. The rivers surrounding the city itself add charm to it. The tourists reach here to relax themselves from their hectic routine activities.

Places of Attraction: Besides various skyscrapers in the city, it is also known for many architectures such as Victorian Architecture, Beetham Tower etc. Bridgewater Hall, The Corn Exchange, G-Mex Centre, John Rylands Library, The Royal Exchange, South Manchester Synagogue, Strangeways Prison, Sunlight House, Trinity Bridge over River Irwell, Victoria station, The Victoria Baths and Urbis Museum are other points of interest in the city. Its two large squares, Albert Square and Piccadilly Gardens that hold many of Manchester's public monuments attract toursists from far and wide.

Birmingham Maps

Birmingham is a U.K city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands. Being the largest of England's core cities, it is considered as the second city in U.K. Birmingham is known as the "the workshop of the world" or the "city of a thousand trades. The city, which began as a tiny Anglo-Saxon farming village, has grown and developed into a major industrial and commercial city. It is an ethnically and culturally diverse city, which forms part of the larger West Midlands conurbation. The city also includes several neighboring towns and cities, such as Solihull, Wolverhampton and the towns of the Black Country. Birmingham City Council is the largest local authority in the United Kingdom. The headquarters of the council are based at the Council House in the city center.

Area & Location: Located just to the west of the geographical centre of England, Birmingham has a total area of 267.77 sq. km. It is situated across an area of high ground ranging around 150-200 meters above sea level. The city is surrounded in the south and west of the city by Lickey Hills, Clent Hills and Walton Hill. The city is a home to 1,001, 200 people.

Economy: Much of the Birmingham's economic strength lies with the major industries. Considered as an important manufacturing and engineering center, the city receives billions of pound from its industries. Pen manufacture began in the city has revolutionized writing across the globe. One third of U.K's jewellery is manufactured in the city center.
Design and construction of railway carriages, steam engines, motorcycles, bicycles and automobiles were the main source of income for the city. It was also home to two major car factories. The other major products of the city include motor vehicles, vehicle components and accessories, weapons, electrical equipment, plastics, machine tools, chemicals, food and glass. Arms manufacture in Birmingham became a staple trade. Birmingham, which has over 500 law firms, is known as Europe's second largest insurance market.

Tourist Attractions: Birmingham is known for its museums that preserve the industrial history of the city. The Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery that contains collections of archaeological findings, ethnography, natural history and social history delights the visitors. The Birmingham Thinktank, one of the newest museums in the city, Sarehole Mill, a water mill museum and Cadbury World, a museum that shows the stages and steps of chocolate production not only gives real pleasure to the visitors, but also help them learn much about the city and its industries. Birmingham, which has over 8000 acres of parkland open spaces, has number of parks where the tourists can enjoy along with their children. Sutton Park, the largest park that covers 2400 acres, is the largest urban nature reserve in Europe. Another major park in the city is Cannon Hill Park and Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The city is known for numerous squares in Birmingham city center that contain memorials and pieces of art. Four major squares in the city center are Centenary Square, Chamberlain Square, Victoria Square and St. Martins Square in the Bullring. source : mapsofworld.com

London Map

London, the capital city of the United Kingdom, is one of the major global cities of the world. The city is spread over an area of approximately 609 square miles and houses a population of around 7.5 million. The Metropolitan Area Population of London ranges from 12 to 14 million and it has a population density of 12,331 per square mile. London is the major cultural and economic center of the world with an immensely diverse population in cultural and linguistic terms. This is more evident because about 300 languages are spoken in the city.
Planning your trip to London :
Planning by length of stay - if you're only in London for a day, a weekend or a week use our SHORT STAY pages where we show you how to cram as much into your days as possible.

Weather - likely to make or break your visit. Although there are plenty of things to do in London in the rain, a week of low slate-grey skies and constant rain is not condusive to having a good time. The best season to come weatherwise is Late Summer or Autumn - latterly we've been having Indian Summers from mid-September to the end of October with clear blue skies and 20 degree temperatures. Eventually the weather breaks as the storm fronts move in off the Atlantic, then clears up for Christmas. February - April can be dire, and the heights of summer are very unpredictable. Consult the Meterological office here for facts and figures but beware predictions - they are so often wrong.When it's raining there are plenty of museums and galleries to visit - and the tube system is generally very good outside of rush hour. What you'll miss out on is strolling through London and seeing the many unique pleasures by the wayside.

Hotel Location Best to be near a tube station, buses can be slow and unreliable, and taxis expensive. The yellow circle line on the tube map marks the division between central and not-so-central London. Outside of that Zone your transport bill will rise - and once you're in LT zone three, considerably. The best restaurants are in Islington, Soho/Chinatown and the south west of London which is where the life is. The City is a dead zone evenings and weekends.

TRANSPORT All the airports have good rail links into the centre - Heathrow is on the tube, it takes about an hour and costs about £4. High speed rail links have been built to Heathrow and Gatwick and Stanstead, and as they are run by private companies they're very reliable and clean. However they are expensive and often not much quicker than normal trains - which are rarely advertised, but run in parallel - often on the same tracks.

London for Kids :
If you are traveling to London, the capital of England, for any length of time, whether it be a week or a day, you need to find some fun, child-friendly activities to keep your little people happy! It would also be helpful to know that many places in London that are open to the general public now have child-changing facilities so there won.t be any unexpected problems!

The first thing you should do is to take your kids on the different modes of public transport available in London. There is the underground ride, which can be exciting if it is any child's first time. You could also consider taking them on top of the one London's infamous red buses. Get a map of the city and get your children to try and make a route that you can travel along. This way it means that your children can get involved in the planning also and it will seem less boring for them.

As for the main sightseeing attractions in London, take them to fascinating and large attractions. Tower of London and Tower Bridge for example. They will not really care about the history of the famous landmarks, but the sheer size of them will amaze even the most grown up of kids!

If you have kids that are slighter older, why not consider taking them to the grue some London Dungeon! This can scare small children, but older kids, especially boys seem to love it! There iss the world famous waxworks - Madame Tussauds as well so your son or daughter can have their picture taken standing next to their idol!

London Restaurant Guide :
London is a cosmopolitan city where it is possible to sample cuisine from all corners of the world. There are establishments to suit every taste and pocket, from burger restaurants like the Hard Rock Cafe on Piccadilly and Planet Hollywood near Leicester Square, to those serving exquisite modern cuisine such as Quaglino's near Piccadilly or the Blueprint Cafe at the Design Museum. Britain is famed for its pubs and London has literally thousands to choose from, where you can sample a pint of British beer, enjoy good-value bar meals and savour the friendly atmosphere.

So, here are some top restaurants in London, you can decide to dine in one of these fantastic restaurants or one of the other 100 more London restaurants.

Indigo is set in Convent Garden, right in the middle of London. It is an informal restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere with an inspired, yet modern European menu. During the day you can either have breakfast, lunch and also pre-theatre suppers and dinners.

The Langtry Restaurant is set in Knightsbridge, London and is a restaurant that is simply full of history. Again, part of a hotel, but this time the Cadogan Hotel, this restaurant offers a warm and intimate setting with foods that are imaginative yet delicious.

The Tamarind Restaurant is for those that want to experience Indian glamour mixed with 60.s modernism but in a subtle way. Situated in Mayfair, this restaurant offers everything that you would expect from the high class area.

If you are looking for a more cosmopolitan setting for your dinner, then why not come to the Artisan Restaurant in Mayfair? It is elegantly designed with beautiful chandeliers and dark wood features.