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Band on the Wall
A top-notch venue that hosts everything from rock to world music, with splashes of jazz, blues and folk thrown in for good measure.
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Bar Centro
A Northern Quarter stalwart, very popular with the bohemian crowd precisely because it doesn't try to be. Great beer, nice staff and a better-than-average bar menu (mains around £5 to around £8 ) make this one of the choice spots in the area.
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Bridgewater Hall
The world-renowned Hallé Orchestra has its home at this enormous and impressive concert hall, which hosts up to 250 concerts and events a year, with a widespread programme that includes opera, folk music, children's shows, comedy and contemporary music.
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Britons Protection
Whisky - 200 different kinds of it - is the beverage of choice at this liver-threatening, proper English pub that also does Tudor-style meals (boar, venison and the like; mains around £7 ). An old-fashioned boozer, no fancy stuff.
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Club V
White leather sofas and club nights with names like Angel Deelite and Venus don't always augur well if you're looking for some really good music, but this little basement club defies all expectations with its devotion to garage and funky house.
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Cornerhouse
Your only destination for good art-house releases; also has a gallery, bookshop and café.
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Dukes 92
Castlefield's best pub, housed in converted stables that once belonged to the duke of Bridgewater, has comfy, deep sofas inside and plenty of seating outside, overlooking lock 92 of the Rochdale Canal - hence the name. If it's sunny, there's no better spot to enjoy a pint of ale.
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Filmworks
Ultramodern 20-screen complex in the middle of the Printworks centre; there's also an IMAX theatre.
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G-Mex Exhibition Centre
A midsize venue that hosts rock concerts by not-quite-supersuccessful bands as well as exhibitions and indoor sporting events.
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Kro 2
Kro Bar's younger brother is next to the BBC. It's closer to the city but not quite as classy as the original.
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Kro Bar
The ice-cool hand of Scandinavian design is all over this terrific bar in the middle of student-land. An excellent bar menu (mains around £7 to around £9 ) packs the punters in at lunch, while DJs keep it going at night until closing.
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Lass O'Gowrie
A Victorian classic off Princess St that brews its own beer in the basement. It's a favourite with students, old-timers and a clique of BBC employees who work just across the street in the Beeb's Manchester HQ. It also does good-value bar meals (mains around £6 ).
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Library Theatre
Old plays and new work in a small theatre beneath the Central Library.
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Lowry
Two theatres - the 1750-capacity Lyric and 460-capacity Quays - host a diverse range of performances, from dance to comedy.
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Manchester Cathedral Summer Concerts
Hosts a summer season of concerts by the Cantata Choir and ensemble groups.
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Manchester Opera House
West End shows and lavish musicals make up the bulk of the programme.
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Manchester Roadhouse
Local bands are put through their paces in front of what is usually an enthusiastic crowd.
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Music Box
Deep in Jilly's Rockworld complex you'll find our favourite club in town and - judging by the queues - almost everyone else's, too. The punters come for the superb monthly club nights, such as Mr Scruff's Keep it Unreal, as well a host of terrific one-offs.
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Odeon Cinema
Chain cinema that shows only mainstream releases on its seven screens.
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Old Wellington Inn
The Old Wellington Inn, one of the oldest buildings in the city, was severely damaged twice by bombing, in 1940 and then in 1996, but this irrepressible Tudor pub still manages to stay on its feet. It's a Manchester institution and a lovely spot for a pint of genuine ale, particularly when it's sunny outside.
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Peveril of the Peak
If you're tired of 'olde worlde' chain pubs this is the place for a quiet ale. Make sure you stop for a moment and admire its beautiful green tiled facade: it's a wonderful relic of the Georgian era, remodelled with great attention to original fittings at the turn of the century. It's named after the stagecoach that once made the regular run to London.
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Ra!n
A rival to Dukes 92 for best outdoor drinking, indoors Ra!n is both trendy new-style bar and old-fashioned boozer. Whatever your mood, you'll find the right ambience in this former umbrella factory.
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Royal Exchange
Interesting contemporary plays are standard at this magnificent, modern theatre-in-the-round.
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Royal Northern College of Music
Presents a full programme of extremely high-quality classical music and other contemporary offerings.
