Museum Of Illusions Manchester Review

DISCLOSURE – THIS EXPERIENCE WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST/S FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW.

Reviewed by Fiona Jones

Are you looking for something new and different to do in Manchester? Then, look no further! The brand new Museum of Illusions has just opened on Market Street, in the former site of Sports Direct.

Founded in Croatia in 2015, Museum of Illusions is a worldwide company with over 50 locations across 25 countries and 4 continents. The Manchester Museum is the first in the UK, with one in London coming soon. Whilst a number of exhibits and illusions will be the same at each location, the museum promises a unique experience at each one, so even if you have visited others, there will be some exhibits you haven’t seen anywhere else!  For example, exhibits exclusive to Manchester are the ‘Reversed Room’ where you can dangle upside-down on a Metrolink tram; a famous Mancunian watches you walk past in the ‘Following Eyes Illusion’; and ‘The Building Illusion’ allows you to hang from a Manchester building.

‘The Building Illusion’ was definitely one of our favourites, alongside the Ames Room and the Colour Room. All of these allowed for great unusual photo opportunities. In addition to these Instagram-worthy pictures, we also loved all of the optical illusions that our cameras just wouldn’t capture: for example, the subtle ‘Mirage’ and the incredible Holograms. The ‘Vortex Tunnel’ is amazing but definitely not for everyone – I really struggled to walk through and kept thinking that I was going to fall over!

Every installation, image and illusion room is interactive, and also comes with information alongside explaining how the illusion works. This allows perfectly for education and entertainment to coincide, with a fun experience for all, whilst also learning about the human mind and visual perception. Staff are also on hand all around the museum to ask questions and give more information about the exhibits.

The Museum is well designed with a good layout for walking around. The staggered entry times allow you to see the first few installations and illusion rooms really well without a crowd. We went on a Saturday afternoon and it was very busy (staff said it was their busiest day since opening!) and therefore we did have to wait to see some of the later exhibits. In particular, be prepared to queue for the Infinity Room if you do come at a busy time.

I would recommend the Museum of Illusions to anyone! We went as a couple as part of a date day, but saw a variety of other people attending there and really enjoying themselves: a woman on her own, who staff helpfully took photos for; families with children of all ages; and groups of friends. It was a great activity that took just over an hour, so could easily fit into a fun-filled day in Manchester.

Rating: 4.5/5

Location: 58-66 Market St, Manchester M1 1PW

Tickets for the Museum of Illusions can be purchased here, and is recommended that you book in advance, particularly for peak times: https://tickets.moimanchester.com/event/regular-admission-z2dt8m
Adult (15+) tickets cost £21 each
Children aged 5-14, seniors (65+), students and blue light card holders’ tickets cost £17.50 each
Children aged 4 and under go free