Getting to the Trafford Centre

Opening times

The Trafford Centre will be open at the following times over the Christmas period.

• Monday 18 to Friday 22 December - 9am to 11pm
• Saturday 23 December - 10am to 10pm
• Sunday 24 December, Christmas Eve - 11am to 5pm
• Monday 25 December, Christmas Day - Closed
• Tuesday 26 December, Boxing Day - 8am to 8pm
• Wednesday 27 to Friday 29 December - 10am to 10pm
• Saturday 30 December - 10am to 9pm
• Sunday 31 December, New Year’s Eve - 11am to 5pm
• Monday 1 January, New Year’s Day - 12pm to 6pm

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Quietest times over Christmas

Black Friday returns on Friday 24 November with many retailers having special offers and deals available throughout the weekend. Avoid the congestion, as here's the latest news on the quietest times to shop.

• Friday 24 November - before 12pm, between 2pm and 5pm, or after 8pm.
• Saturday 25 November - Between 10am and 12pm or after 6pm.
• Sunday 26 November - After 4pm.

The Trafford Centre have done all the hard work for last-minute shoppers too, as the quietest times to shop during the week before the big day are below:

• From Monday 18 until Saturday 23 December - Before 12pm and after 7pm.
• Sunday 24 December - Between 11am and 12pm or between 3pm and 5pm.
• Tuesday 26 December - Between 8am and 10am or between 6pm and 8pm.

Travel in style on Metrolink. The Trafford Centre is on the Trafford Park line and there are trams running on a 12-minute frequency from Deansgate-Castlefield right to the centre (the Trafford Centre stop is right next to the doors of Selfridges).

There are two stops within close walking distance of The Trafford Centre and Trafford Palazzo:

• Barton Dock Road
• The Trafford Centre

You can take a look at the tram network map to plan your route.

To get up-to-date information on tram departures from your location, simply type your stop into our live updates webpage.

Alternatively, to check the service frequency and the first and last tram times from your stop, visit our tram schedule for more information.

Metrolink are constantly improving the network for customers. Until 20 September, there are planned works on the Eccles line between Eccles and Weaste. Make sure you check the Metrolink planned improvements webpage before you travel to see if any works will affect your route.

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Park and Ride

Parkway Park and Ride is only a couple of stops away from The Trafford Centre. Leave the car for free and hop on the tram to beat some of the congestion on the roads.

There are several Park and Ride sites across Greater Manchester where you can leave your car for free, jump on the tram and connect to the Trafford Park line (connecting at Cornbrook).

See all the Park and Ride sites available in Greater Manchester.

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Tickets

Beat the queue at the machines and touch-in and out at the on-stop machines using contactless.

If you're travelling by Metrolink as a family, you can save money with our family travelcard which allows travel for one to three children (aged under 16) accompanied by one or two adults. However, this only is available via the on-stop ticket machines.

The retail complex is located in Zone 3. A return ticket from Manchester city centre costs from £4.30 for an adult. Further information can be found on our tram ticket price webpage.

The Trafford Centre has its own on-site bus station, with connecting services to all corners of Greater Manchester. The bus station webpage lists the station information, all the services available, and there is also a handy live departure board on the webpage to help you on your way.

Some buses that serve the Trafford Centre are listed below, but you can also search for your service number and select your direction of travel on our dedicated bus webpage.

To/from the north: 20, 21, 22, X22.

To/from the south: 18 (Manchester Airport to Eccles), 23, 25, 245.

To/from the east: 52 and 150.

To/from the west: 100, 126, 132, 247.

To/from Manchester city centre: 250 and X50.

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Tickets

Get on board a bus with simple and clear low bus fares.

Adults will pay no more than £2 for a single bus journey, while a £5 1-day AnyBus Adult travelcard will cover unlimited bus travel within the 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester until 3.59am the following day.

For more information, you can visit our dedicated webpage.

If you have to drive to the Trafford Centre, it is likely that the roads around Trafford Park, Redclyffe Circle (off junction 10 of M60) and Lostock Circle (off junction 9 of M60) will be busy between 1pm and 6pm on Saturdays, and between 1pm and 5pm on Sundays.

If you can travel outside of these busy periods, you may find that not only the roads are quieter, but on-site parking may be easier to find too.

To discover your quickest route, you may want to use your journey planner of choice before setting off, factoring in additional time for congestion. You can find the TfGM journey planner on our website.

From 24 September 2023, we will be saying 'yellow' to the first Bee Network buses.

For the first time in 40 years, bus services will be under local control in Bolton, Wigan, and parts of Bury, Salford and Manchester, with the rest of Greater Manchester's buses following in stages:

• From 31 March 2024: Bus services in the Bury, Rochdale and Oldham areas as well as north Manchester.
• From 5 January 2025: South Manchester, Stockport, Trafford, Tameside and the rest of Salford.

If you'd like more information about the Bee Network, you can visit our dedicated webpage. Also, if you are planning a journey by bus and would like to find out if your service is part of the Bee Network, simply search your service number on our bus webpage to find out more about your service.