Manchester Music Tours
Manchester Music Tours
Manchester Music Tours
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Music themed guided tours around Manchester that include walking, driving, scheduled, private bespoke, bus tours, general and band/genre specific tours, such as; The Smiths/Morrissey, Joy Division, The Hollies, Oasis, Factory Records, Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses, tours led by Inspiral Carpets drummer and Manchester Music veteran Craig Gill.
Manchester, Greater Manchester, England
Awards
Travellers' Choice
2024
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
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5.0
298 reviews
Excellent
282
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10
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Terrible
6
jonnyboy1973
Aberdeen, Scotland106 contributions
Oct 2023 • Friends
We booked on the Manchester Music Tour for October 2023 and travelled down from Scotland for it.
Rose was a fantastic tour guide taking us through Manchester’s music scene and history at various locations throughout the city. We visited several Manchester musical landmarks in a 4 hour tour.
My wife who isn’t a huge Manchester music scene fan also enjoyed it. It was Rose’s engaging commentary and interesting stories that we found the best part.
I highly recommend this tour to anyone especially if they have an interest in the Manchester music scene from the 1970s onwards.
We intend to also do the Oasis and also the Stone Roses tours over the next couple of years.
Rose was a fantastic tour guide taking us through Manchester’s music scene and history at various locations throughout the city. We visited several Manchester musical landmarks in a 4 hour tour.
My wife who isn’t a huge Manchester music scene fan also enjoyed it. It was Rose’s engaging commentary and interesting stories that we found the best part.
I highly recommend this tour to anyone especially if they have an interest in the Manchester music scene from the 1970s onwards.
We intend to also do the Oasis and also the Stone Roses tours over the next couple of years.
Written 28 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James F
1 contribution
Jul 2022 • Friends
The Manchester Music Tour is an absolute must if you’re visiting the city. Even if you’re not a fan of the music, Rose’s compelling narrative about the people she is close to is worth the money alone. Some amazing tales about the legends of Mancunian music scene bring the iconic locations to life and I couldn’t recommend it enough. Will definitely be back to do it all over again next time I find myself in the city.
Written 11 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
julianvalentine
Clitheroe, UK16 contributions
Dec 2024 • Friends
Tom (son) bought this as a birthday treat and came with me on the tour. We loved it!
Rose was brilliant and clearly very knowledgable about the music history of Manchester as well as the social history. Would highly recommend MCR music tours you will love it……thanks again Rose 😁
Rose was brilliant and clearly very knowledgable about the music history of Manchester as well as the social history. Would highly recommend MCR music tours you will love it……thanks again Rose 😁
Written 24 December 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James TN
Beckenham, UK42 contributions
Jul 2023 • Solo
I had been wanting to do The Smiths tour for a very long time and decided to treat myself to a weekend in Manchester to finally visit for my 50th birthday. I was apprehensive that it wouldn't live up to my expectations but it surpassed them all!
Our guide John was brilliant and is an integral part of the Manchester music scene himself. The bus, with 9 other Smiths disciples, was great fun too as we travelled around the city to some great spots. Strangeways, The iron bridge and Kings street, The Holly Named Church and the Cemetery were all absolutely brilliant but the highlight was Salford Lads Club. Iconic outside (from the Queen is Dead photoshoot) but also fascinating inside. The Smiths room is great but learning about the history of the club, the work it does today and for 120 years is so heart warming. The tour was fantastic and I can't recommend it enough. six stars.
Our guide John was brilliant and is an integral part of the Manchester music scene himself. The bus, with 9 other Smiths disciples, was great fun too as we travelled around the city to some great spots. Strangeways, The iron bridge and Kings street, The Holly Named Church and the Cemetery were all absolutely brilliant but the highlight was Salford Lads Club. Iconic outside (from the Queen is Dead photoshoot) but also fascinating inside. The Smiths room is great but learning about the history of the club, the work it does today and for 120 years is so heart warming. The tour was fantastic and I can't recommend it enough. six stars.
Written 1 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
N M
4 contributions
Nov 2024 • Couples
The MMT was the highlight of our visit to Manchester and a must-do for any fans of the Manchester music scene. Rose is a brilliant guide who was engaging, personable and made our experience that much more memorable. As she was part of the scene back in the 80s and knew most of the main players who shaped the industry, her insight was wonderful in painting a picture of what it was truly like back when the Hacienda and the Factory were still around. We visited the Salford Lad's Club, the Epping Walk (Joy Division) bridge, Strangeways and Sifters. We were also given a small walking tour of the main highlights of the music scene and told about the people and places important to that era. Without the tour we would never have known where to go or what to see. Thank you, Rose!! Please don't ever stop - you made the trip for us.
Written 25 November 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jack
1 contribution
Jan 2024 • Couples
My wife and I went on the Oasis tour with Rose as our tour guide. This is probably the most authentic tour we've ever been on! Rose's personal experience, growing up in and around the Manchester music scene, shines through as someone who doesn't just appreciate the history -- she's lived it.
This tour is truly built for fans, but anyone can come away with a deeper appreciation for Manchester's music scene and the pride that comes with keeping these stories alive.
This tour is truly built for fans, but anyone can come away with a deeper appreciation for Manchester's music scene and the pride that comes with keeping these stories alive.
Written 21 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John K
1 contribution
Jul 2023 • Family
I have lived in Manchester for over 40 years and my grown up children and myself did the Joy Division tour and we enjoyed every minute of the four hour tour. Rose was a wonderful guide, very knowledgeable with personal insight of many of the characters of the Manchester music scene. She was outstanding! She is right that Manchester does not do enough to celebrate its wonderful music legacy. We were taken to places we knew and shown things we did not know about. It was a wonderful relaxed tour, we look forward to our next tour. Thank you Rose!!!
John, Stefan, Anna and Danny
John, Stefan, Anna and Danny
Written 10 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MozzerianMisanthrope
4 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
I have emailed the email address at least 4 times for itinerary information and get no response. Have called the mobile number attached to the company and noone EVER answers, so if you buy tickets and have any issues or queries good luck getting any response from Rose.
As for the actual tour it's great. Rose sat the entire time with her phone in her hand so I can't see how she doesn't know people are trying to contact her. It won't just be me.
I wanted a full Smiths and JD itinerary which surely isn't much to ask so a disabled person can plan out her trip to Manchester but unless someone who has been on these specific tours actually lists all the places you visit it seems it is too much to ask for Manchester Music Tours to actually answer these straightforward and normal questions a prospective customer might ask.
Even if they listed full itineraries on the ticket purchasing page that would be making people fully informed of where you will be going and exactly what you are purchasing
As for the actual tour it's great. Rose sat the entire time with her phone in her hand so I can't see how she doesn't know people are trying to contact her. It won't just be me.
I wanted a full Smiths and JD itinerary which surely isn't much to ask so a disabled person can plan out her trip to Manchester but unless someone who has been on these specific tours actually lists all the places you visit it seems it is too much to ask for Manchester Music Tours to actually answer these straightforward and normal questions a prospective customer might ask.
Even if they listed full itineraries on the ticket purchasing page that would be making people fully informed of where you will be going and exactly what you are purchasing
Written 21 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Luke P
3 contributions
Nov 2023 • Family
The tour was an incredible experience! Rose is an amazing tour guide and very knowledgeable adding her own anecdotes as someone who experienced the Manchester music scene throughout the years first hand. We visited all the Smiths pilgrimage sites in the Manchester and Salford (including the incredible Salford Lads Club and the Iron Bridge from the Smiths classic "Still Ill" and it was an extremely fun day. Rose told us all the about the history of Manchester in general as well as of course the music which was very interesting in learning more about this wonderful city.
Written 5 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anna
Stockholm, Sweden2 contributions
Mar 2023
This tour (The Smiths) was the absolute highlight of our weekend stay in Manchester! Rose is so lovely and extremely knowledgeable not only about the subject at hand but also the city and the Manchester music scene in general. We could easily have gone on all day! It was so much fun to see the mythological places in The Smiths' history, such as Salford Lads Club (with a wonderful man showing us around) and Strangeways prison, with entertaining and interesting stories about it. It was also a fantastic way to get a better overview of the city. Highly recommend!
Written 17 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mayra S
Lima, Peru
Sorry to hear that Craig passed away , I’m traveling to London at the end of December and I would like to know if there’s a Manchester music tour or if Ian Curtís house was turned into a museum as news said back in 2010s . If so where I can buy the tickets in advance ... Thank you
Written 23 August 2019
Check out seetickets for dates etc.
Written 23 August 2019
The email indicated on the information panel is not been active or nobody is responding. does someone has the information contact?
Written 19 August 2019
Emanuela S
Manchester, United Kingdom
Hello, how could you book this activity? I cannot find any booking option, but it looks amazing! We'll be in manch tomorrow
thanks
ema
Written 24 May 2019
jjm2119
Seoul, South Korea
Hi, I am interested in this tour. So i have a question what time does this tour end?
Written 6 October 2018
donde puedo realizar una reserva?
Written 16 December 2017
I'm sorry to heard about Craig passing.
I want to go around with your tour. Can you tell me if do you know other brilliant tour like you?
Thank you.
Written 9 September 2017
Jaime Marquez
Hayward, California
Is there a private tour for Joy Division, The Smiths, and Stones Roses?
Written 1 October 2019
My teenaged daughter was desperately hoping for a Morrissey tour during our trip to Manchester a couple weeks. I'm so sorry to hear that the owner of this tour company has passed away. Can any of you recommend a similar tour company? Thanks in advance!
Written 18 June 2017
I'm so sorry, but Craig passed away on Nov. 20. I can see on their Facebook page that his former partner is planning on resuming the tours in the near future, but until then I recommend you buy his book (available on Amazon), it'll help you plan your visit to MCR.
Written 30 July 2017
I wanted to book a stone roses tour for next year & have tried emailing via the main website but have had no response about if any dates are being announced so thought I'd try on here. Any info would be great!
Written 12 November 2016
I'm so sorry, but Craig passed away on Nov. 20. I hope for your sake that someone picks up the role Craig took on.
Written 10 December 2016
Philip O
Cambridge, Massachusetts
I would like to book a private Joy Division/Smiths combo tour if possible for a day the first week of March. The website links for booking anything redirect every time to a Canadian pharmacy website. Somewhat fitting given the nature of the music scene I suppose...but how does one actually book something through the website? Thank you and kind regards.
Written 8 February 2016
Hi - the contact icon on the website seems to be working again.
The mobile no on the website is 0044(0) 7958 246 917. He's also on Twitter and Facebook - just look up Craig Gill - the owner. Hope this works
Regards
Yvonne
Written 9 February 2016
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