Local information

This page contains information about the local environment, local transport, travelling to the conference, accommodation, and sightseeing. If you find any information listed here to be inaccurate, please do not hesitate to reach out to polinetworks2026@gmail.com so we can update the page. Thank you.

Location and local transport

The conference venue, Oddfellows Hall, is located on the edge of campus towards the city centre (Google Maps). The walking distance to Albert Square, a central location in the city centre, is about 19 minutes. The walking distance to the Old Quadrangle and historic main building of the University of Manchester, in the other direction, is about 10 minutes.

Oxford Road, often described as one of Europe's busiest bus routes, hosts three universities right next to each other: Manchester Metropolitan University, the Royal Northern College of Music, and the University of Manchester, with close to 90,000 students studying within close proximity during term time. August will be a quieter month but will offer the same amenities, including coffee shops, restaurants, small supermarkets, and pubs.

Oxford Road is located between the city centre in the north and the Curry Mile, an area with many restaurants, in the south. Both are easy to access using the frequent buses running on Oxford Road. To plan bus journeys, we recommend the Bee Network App for real-time bus tracking and ticket purchases. It's also possible to pay on the bus by tapping your card when you board the bus at the front. An overview of bus fares and tickets can be found here. Typical bus fares are £2.00 for a single journey, £5.00 for a one-day pass, and £20.00 for a seven-day pass (depending on ticket type). You can also explore other parts of the city using the MetroLink light rail tram network.

Travelling to the conference

For international visitors, we recommend arriving at Manchester Airport and taking the train to Oxford Road Station. Manchester Airport is an international airport with direct connections to many European and global destinations, including the Americas and Asia. The full list of destinations can be found here.

You can get to the conference venue by local train (ideally to Oxford Road Station; Piccadilly Station is a longer walk), with only a short walk to the surrounding hotels, or by tram, bus, black cab taxi, Uber, or Bolt.

If you arrive at one of the London airports or train stations, take a train to Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester's main train station for south-bound trains. The journey takes about two hours from London Euston Station.

To enter the country, you may need a visa and/or complete an electronic travel authorisation form (ETA), depending on your citizenship. More information on entering the UK can be found here. We are able to issue confirmation letters about invitations if you have been invited to present a paper or poster; see the registration page for details.

Accommodation

The city centre and campus areas offer many accommodation options in all price categories. The Hyatt Regency on campus offers preferential rates for University of Manchester guests, but it is about the same walking distance to the venue as some of the other options, which may be similarly priced. Unfortunately, the University of Manchester does not offer dormitory accommodation. However, some very affordable options are listed below. Information about rates may be inaccurate and should only be interpreted as an approximate guide based on past or online information.

Higher-end accommodation

The Hyatt Regency is a modern 19-storey four-star hotel located right on campus (Google Maps) and offers preferential rates for University of Manchester guests. In the past, the rate per night was approximately around £130–150. Further information can be found here. The walking distance is around five minutes.

The Manchester Deansgate Hotel (formerly Hilton) is a modern four-star hotel located on floors 1–22 of the 47-storey Beetham Tower (Google Maps), which overlooks the city centre, with a cocktail bar with spectacular views on the 23rd floor. However, it is a 20-minute walk to the conference venue. In the past, the rate per night was often around £135–140.

The Edwardian Manchester Hotel (a Radisson hotel) is a modern five-star spa hotel located between the city centre and campus, but more adjacent to the city centre (Google Maps). It is a 15-minute walk to the conference venue. In the past, the rate per night was often around £135–165.

The Midland is a grand Edwardian four-star hotel built in 1903 and located between the city centre and campus, but more adjacent to the city centre (Google Maps). It is a 15-minute walk to the conference venue. In the past, the rate per night was often around £140–150.

The Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is a historic four-star hotel located right between campus and the city centre (Google Maps). In the past, the rate per night was approximately around £120–170 depending on room size. The walking distance is around five minutes.

Mid-priced accommodation

The Maldron Hotel is a modern four-star hotel located between campus and the city centre within a five-minute walking distance from the conference venue (Google Maps). In the past, the rate per night was often approximately around £70–100.

The Holiday Inn Express is located between campus and the city centre within a five-minute walking distance from the conference venue (Google Maps). In the past, the rate per night was often approximately £70–80.

Affordable accommodation

The Ibis Hotel on Princess Street is a modern three-star budget hotel located between campus and the city centre within a five-minute walking distance from the conference venue (Google Maps). In the past, the rate per night was often around £50–60.

The Pendulum Hotel is another three-star budget hotel located between campus and the city centre within a five-minute walking distance from the conference venue (Google Maps). In the past, the rate was often around £50–60.

The Travelodge Manchester Upper Brook Street is another budget hotel located on campus but on the south side of campus with an 18-minute walk to the conference venue and bus connections to both the conference venue and city centre (Google Maps). Indicative rates are around £50–70 but can sometimes be as low as £35 per night with advance booking, with some variation.

Recommended sightseeing

In the city centre

Manchester was the cotton spinning capital of the world during the industrial revolution. In the Science and Industry Museum, located in walking distance of the city centre, you can admire the original spinning machines from the 19th century, with free admission.

On Deansgate, a central street running along the edge of the city centre, you can also visit John Rylands Library for free, a beautiful neo-Gothic library opened in 1900 and part of the University of Manchester.

The Cloud 23 Bar, a cocktail bar on Deansgate, offers fantastic 360-degree panoramic views from the 23rd floor of the Beetham Tower; we recommend making a reservation, but you may be lucky without a reservation.

At the north end of Deansgate, you can find Manchester Cathedral and Exchange Square, with pubs and shops, and the Arndale Centre, a large shopping centre inside Manchester city centre, as well as the pedestrian zone with more shops and cafes.

You should also explore the Northern Quarter, a dynamic neighbourhood known for its independent shops, creative spaces, and diverse culture.

Beyond the city centre

Outside the city centre, it is worth visiting Chetham's Library, the oldest surviving public library in Britain, founded in 1653, including Karl Marx's desk, where Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels famously met and worked while in Manchester.

Football (soccer) fans may fancy visiting Manchester United's Old Trafford Stadium or Manchester City's Etihad Stadium. While the conference takes place out of season, both clubs offer stadium tours that can be pre-booked.

Manchester is also well known for its vibrant music scene, with many music venues. Keep an eye on the gig guide to see upcoming concerts, and consider going to one of the many smaller live music venues.

On campus

On campus, we recommend visiting Whitworth Hall, the main University of Manchester building built around 1900, with its Old Quadrangle and Christie's, a coffee shop in the historic main building in a library setting with oil paintings of all previous vice-chancellors. In the basement of the adjacent Rutherford Building, Ernest Rutherford carried out experiments in 1917 that initiated the first artificial nuclear reaction (often described as "splitting the atom" in popular accounts).

Within walking distance from the conference venue, you can find the Alan Turing Memorial in Sackville Gardens on the LGBT+ Trail, which is part of Manchester's Gay Village. Alan Turing, the father of modern computing and famous WW2 codebreaker, who was an academic at the University of Manchester and tragically died in 1954 after prosecution for homosexuality.

The Manchester Museum, located at the heart of campus, displays cultural and natural objects and offers free entrance. The Whitworth Gallery on campus has arts exhibitions and offers free entrance.