FairFare
Manchester Attraction & Museum Ticket Prices
The main sights and museums in Manchester: official ticket prices and booking sites, plus what to know before you book.
Booking tips before you go
Manchester's best museums cost nothing
The Science and Industry Museum, John Rylands Library and Manchester Art Gallery are all free to enter, and the Whitworth and the People's History Museum are free too (the latter asks for a donation, with most visitors giving about £10 and closed on Tuesdays). Manchester Cathedral is free with a suggested £5 donation. Only special exhibitions are ticketed, and the Science and Industry Museum has some galleries shut for restoration work.
Sources: museum and cathedral official pages fetched 2026-09-19 (Science and Industry, John Rylands, People's History Museum, Manchester Cathedral); Manchester Art Gallery and Whitworth rest on search-result text from their own sites because direct fetch was blocked.
Stadium tours: no tours on home match days
Old Trafford's tour and museum close on home match days and must be booked online, and Manchester United members can get up to 50% off. At the Etihad, a tour booked on a City home fixture day skips the dressing rooms, dugouts, tunnel and press room. Check the fixture list first and book a non-match day, since a wrong date wastes the main draw of both tours.
Sources: manutd.com tour page (fetched 2026-09-19); Man City tour details from a club-sponsored article (Aug 2026) and search-result text, since mancity.com returned 403.
Book online, and look for 12-month tickets
SEA LIFE Manchester is from £16 online vs £22 on the day, and LEGOLAND Discovery Centre from £16 online vs from £20 walk-up, so both reward booking early. The National Football Museum's official ticket and Manchester Jewish Museum tickets are valid for 12 months, so a second visit costs nothing extra. The National Football Museum's official page shows £16-18 for adults, higher than the £13.50 some guides still quote.
Sources: visitsealife.com, legolanddiscoverycentre.com, manchesterjewishmuseum.com and tickets.nationalfootballmuseum.com (fetched 2026-09-19).
Ticket Prices by Attraction & Museum
Prices come from each attraction's official booking site where it could be read; otherwise they are cross-checked against independent 2026 sources, and each item's note says which. Re-check the official site for the current price before booking.
Old Trafford Stadium Tour & Museum
£28–39Manchester United
About 70-minute guided tour plus three-level museum, booked online only; closed on home match days. 2026 guides list adult £28 (child 5-15 £18, family £75), while some cite £29 off-peak up to £39 peak; the official ticket portal returned 403, so check your date at checkout.
Checked: 2026-09-19
Etihad Stadium Tour
£32Manchester City FC
Standard stadium tour adult £32, under-16 £20, family from £60 (a 15% summer discount ended in late August 2026). On home fixture days you cannot see the dressing rooms, dugouts, tunnel or press room; the club site returned 403, so the price comes from a club-sponsored August 2026 article.
Checked: 2026-09-19
National Football Museum
£16–18Urbis building, Cathedral Gardens
Official ticket page lists the adult ticket at £16.00 to £18.00 (Gift Aid eligible; child 5-15 £10-12), valid for unlimited return visits for 12 months; under-5s and City of Manchester residents with proof are free. Some 2026 guides still quote £13.50 online / £14 at the door, so trust the official page.
Checked: 2026-09-19
SEA LIFE Manchester
from £16Trafford Palazzo, Trafford Centre
Dynamic pricing: adult from £16 booked online in advance vs £22 on the day; the earlier you book the cheaper it gets. Under-2s go free, and the site was running a half-price child offer (£6.25 vs £12.50) on the check date.
Checked: 2026-09-19
LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Manchester
from £16Trafford Centre
Adult from £16 booked online in advance vs from £20 walk-up; Anytime Entry £21 online, family ticket from £40. Adults (18+) must be accompanied by a child aged 17 or under, and under-2s play free.
Checked: 2026-09-19
Manchester Jewish Museum
£10Cheetham Hill, closed Tuesdays
Adult £10 (listed as £12 with an optional £2 donation), student or young person 10-17 £5 (£7 with donation), under-10s free. Every ticket is valid for 12 months; open Monday and Wednesday to Sunday 10am-5pm, last entry 4pm.
Checked: 2026-09-19
Museum of Transport Greater Manchester
£7.50Queens Road, Cheetham Hill
Adult £7.50, student £6, under-16s free with an adult, disabled visitors free with proof. Charges can differ on event days, and visitor guides list only a few opening days a week (Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday), so check the museum's opening-times page first.
Checked: 2026-09-19
Science and Industry Museum
FreeScience Museum Group, Castlefield
General admission is free (booking free tickets in advance is recommended), open daily 10:00-17:00; some special exhibitions and events are charged. Restoration work means some buildings and galleries are currently closed, and the site says the Air and Space Hall is permanently closed.
Checked: 2026-09-19
John Rylands Library
FreeUniversity of Manchester, Deansgate
Admission is free with no booking required; open Wednesday to Saturday 10am-5pm (last entry 4:40pm). Expect a queue outside at busy times.
Checked: 2026-09-19
Manchester Art Gallery
FreeMosley Street
Free and open to all with no booking, Tuesday to Sunday 10am-5pm (last entry 4:30pm). The gallery site returned 403, so this rests on its search-result text plus Art Fund and YHA listings.
Checked: 2026-09-19
Manchester Cathedral
FreeFree entry, £5 suggested donation
Free to enter with a suggested £5 donation (contactless accepted); open Monday to Saturday 9:30am-4pm and Sunday 12-4pm. Volunteer-led tours are free for individuals and families on most days 10am-4pm, while groups can book paid tours at £6 per adult.
Checked: 2026-09-19