Old Trafford guide: getting there, tours and parking

This Old Trafford guide covers the practical stuff: how to get to the ground by tram, train, bus or car, where to park, what the stadium tour and museum involve, what's around the ground and who to contact about accessibility. The short version for matchdays is to get the tram, get there early, and expect to queue on the way home.

Last checked 19 October 2026. Travel arrangements change for individual games, so check Transport for Greater Manchester's matchday page before you set off.

Getting to Old Trafford by tram

The tram is the easiest way in. Transport for Greater Manchester's Man Utd matchday page lists four Metrolink stops that serve the ground:

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• Old Trafford on the Altrincham line
• Trafford Bar on the East Didsbury and Manchester Airport lines
• Wharfside on the Trafford Park line
• Exchange Quay on the Eccles line, via MediaCityUK

The Old Trafford stop is a 10 to 15 minute walk from the stadium and is fully step-free, according to the club's own access statement. TfGM runs extra double trams on the Altrincham and Trafford Park lines on matchdays. The ground is in Zone 2, and TfGM's page gives a one-day anytime travelcard from the city centre at £4.30 for adults, or you can tap in and out with contactless.

After the final whistle, TfGM says trams on the Trafford Park line won't stop at Imperial War Museum, so use Wharfside or walk to Exchange Quay. If you're heading to Altrincham, use the Old Trafford stop rather than Trafford Bar. TfGM warns of delays of up to 50 minutes in and around the ground after the game. Plan for it.

By train

There's no regular train to the ground itself. TfGM notes the old Old Trafford station by the stadium is no longer in use, and Football Ground Guide says the same about the station behind the South Stand. Most fans arriving by rail come into Manchester Piccadilly and take an Altrincham tram from the station, which TfGM puts at about 20 minutes. From Victoria, take an Altrincham tram too. From Oxford Road, walk to Deansgate-Castlefield and pick up an Altrincham tram there.

By bus

TfGM lists the 30, 250, 255, 256 and 263 as the buses serving the ground, with matchday diversions from 30 minutes before kick-off until an hour after. After the game, TfGM runs "load and go" buses from Chester Road, outside the Ford garage at Throstles Green, to Deansgate-Castlefield, Portland Street and Piccadilly Gardens.

Driving and parking at Old Trafford

Don't drive if you can avoid it. TfGM says congestion builds from about two hours before kick-off and suggests adding up to half an hour if you're coming in from the south via M60 junction 7 and the A56. Sir Matt Busby Way, Warwick Road and Wharfside Way close after the match.

Official matchday parking has to be booked online, and the quickest way to the official car parks is via Parkway and Wharfside Way from M60 junction 9, per TfGM. The better option for most people is Park and Ride: TfGM says you can park for free at sites including East Didsbury, Ladywell, Parkway and Sale Water Park and get the tram in. For the stadium itself, the address postcode is M16 0RA; on non-matchdays, use M16 0SZ for the car park.

There are free cycle racks at N2, E2 and W2, per TfGM. Bring your own lock.

Matchday tips

Every bag gets searched, and anything over the size limit has to go to a bag drop, so travel light. Away fans use the turnstiles in the South East corner, which open two hours before kick-off, per the club's visiting supporters' guide. Smoking, including e-cigarettes, is banned throughout the stadium.

Old Trafford stadium tour and museum

The Old Trafford tour lasts about 70 minutes and takes in the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand, the home dressing room, the tunnel, the dugouts and the press room. Museum entry is included, spread over three floors: the trophy room, the Munich room and academy exhibits on level 3, the kit room and legends corridor on level 2, and stadium history plus the treble trophies on level 1. Football Ground Guide suggests allowing two and a half to three hours for the whole visit.

Opening times are 9.30am to 4pm Sunday to Thursday and 9.30am to 5pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Tours are closed on home matchdays, and the club warns they can be cancelled at short notice when fixtures move, so don't book non-refundable travel around a tour until the fixture list is settled. Book through the club's ticket site, where current prices are shown; official members get up to 50% off. The tour route has 177 steps, and the club says flat-route tours can be arranged if you contact the museum team at least 48 hours in advance.

What's around the ground

Outside, you'll find the statue of Sir Matt Busby, the United Trinity of Best, Law and Charlton, and the Sir Alex Ferguson statue unveiled in November 2012. The Trinity stands in front of the East Stand and the Ferguson statue outside the stand that carries his name, per Juventus's guide to the ground. The Munich plaque, remembering the victims of the 1958 air disaster, is on the south end of the East Stand, and the Munich clock is nearby. Spend five minutes there. It matters more than anything in the Megastore.

The Red Café next to the museum entrance is open 9am to 4pm daily, according to the club's tour page. If you've got time to kill, Salford Quays is close by, with The Lowry and Imperial War Museum North, and Emirates Old Trafford cricket ground is just down the road.

The state of the place

Be ready for a ground that shows its age. Old Trafford has been United's home since 1910 and, as RTHK reported in June, it has had no major redevelopment since 2006 and has dealt with a leaking roof, poor drainage and rodent sightings. The club promised roof and drainage repairs for summer 2026. Repairs that were overdue for years, carried out while the owners talk up a £2bn new stadium on a site they bought in June, 350 metres north-west of the current one. The ground deserved better upkeep long before anyone drew up plans to replace it.

Accessibility at Old Trafford

Contact the club's accessibility team at accessibility@manutd.co.uk before you travel. Both the club's access statement and Level Playing Field's guide to Old Trafford say disabled parking must be booked in advance through that team. Both also list the Ability Suite, a matchday lounge for disabled supporters, a Changing Places toilet, and commentary headsets for blind and partially sighted fans. Assistance dogs are welcome, but let the club know in advance. Level Playing Field also lists a mobility buggy from car park N3 for fans with mobility problems who don't hold a blue badge, bookable in advance.

FAQs

What's the nearest tram stop to Old Trafford? Old Trafford (Altrincham line), Wharfside (Trafford Park line), Trafford Bar and Exchange Quay all serve the ground.

Can you park at Old Trafford on matchdays? Yes, but official parking has to be booked online in advance. Park and Ride sites are free and avoid the worst of the traffic.

Is the stadium tour open on matchdays? No. Tours are closed on home matchdays.

How long is the Old Trafford tour? About 70 minutes, plus time for the museum.

Need a ticket first? Read how to get Man Utd tickets. Can't get one? Here's how to watch Man Utd on TV in the UK. And for the football you'll actually see there, the 1-1 with Spurs is a fair place to start.