England Guide
The Northwest
Arrival
Manchester international airport (0161/489 3000 
www.manchesterairport.co.uk ), ten miles south of the city centre, is a major UK point of arrival. There are direct train services from the airport to Manchester Piccadilly as well as to Liverpool, Blackpool, Lancaster, Leeds and York.
Manchester has three main train stations: most long-distance services pull into Piccadilly Station, facing London Road, on the east side of the centre, with some services continuing onto Oxford Road Station just to the south of the centre. Trains from Lancashire and Yorkshire mostly terminate at Victoria Station on the north side of the centre. All three stations are connected to central Manchester via the Metroshuttle free bus service; Piccadilly and Victoria are also on the Metrolink tram line.
Most long-distance buses use Chorlton Street Coach Station, about half-way between Piccadilly train station and Albert Square, though some regional buses drop passengers in nearby Piccadilly Gardens instead.