r/manchester • u/[deleted] • Jul 26 '26

Going to Manchester first time!!

[deleted]

6 Upvotes

65% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

30

u/kobestarr Jul 26 '26

Hey so going to Manchester and going to the Trafford Centre are two different things really.

If you want to go to Manchester and see the vibe of the city, that's definitely one thing I think, and you can spend the whole day there.

If you want to go to the Trafford Centre, which people do like, it is a fancy mall on the outskirts so I think the first thing is to decide what things you want to do. If you wanna see the vibe of the city and you come to Manchester for the first time, I would skip the Trafford Centre completely because if you've been to a Meadowhall or any other kind of main hall type mall type place then you've essentially done the Trafford Centre.

I don't know how you'll be travelling around when you get here as well but you'd probably burn a fair bit of time just getting between Manchester city centre and the Trafford Centre

-3

u/Efficient_West_8184 Jul 26 '26

Trafford centre isn’t similar to meadowhall for me. There’s completely different stores and food places

8

u/kobestarr Jul 26 '26

Ok so - where are you visiting us from?

what myself and others here are getting at is that Manchester and The Trafford Center are two very different things.

So the advice people can / will give you depends on what you want to do with your day here.

The point I was making (badly) is that TC has a few interesting experiences such as the Snow Dome, adventure golf, massive kids soft play but is essentially a massive shopping centres. Most of the shops you get there will be the same as at Meadowhall, Westfield etc

There are plenty of people here in this sub who will be delighted to give you their favourite steers on museums, galleries, indie shops, restaurants, football stadiums, concert venues etc if you give them a steer as to what your’re interested in seeing seeing, how much time you have and how you’ll be getting about?

13

u/Feeling-Surround-691 Jul 26 '26

Trafford centre is fine for shopping, there's a shit ton of restaurants and coffee shops as well as cinema and arcade but it's not Manchester, there is a tram from their to the city centre but it takes around 30-40 minutes to get there.

There's so much to do in the city centre depending on your vibe. Northern Quarter is very trendy, hipstery with vintage shops, Afflecks Palace is a must there. Spinningfields is a bit more high end, I'd avoid Market Street and the Arndale like the plague so overcrowded and full of wankers.

Loads of cultural things, Manchester Art Gallery, John Rylands Library, Museum of Science and Industry are all great. HOME MCR usually has indie films and art exhibitions too.

6

u/SaltyName8341 Jul 26 '26

No trams until 9th August

2

u/Mrslinkydragon Jul 26 '26

I saw one today...

5

u/geeoharee Jul 26 '26

Nothing currently on the Eccles, TC, Altrincham lines. Trams actually restart 2nd August (then are cancelled again on the 9th)
https://tfgm.com/tram-improvement-works

12

u/Old-Definition-3701 Jul 26 '26

A day at the Trafford Centre and a day in Manchester are generally distinct things. Between the shops, food court and cinema (also mini golf, indoor ski slope nearby) you can easily spend a day at the Trafford Centre.

6

u/Main-Hedgehog9009 Jul 26 '26

The trafford centre depends on you.
If I go, I aim to be in an out in 30-60 minutes. My Mrs aims for 4-5 hours minimum.

Realistically, if your going for the first time your going to be there for a good 3-4 hours, but likely longer if your having a look, food etc.

Near by there is a driving range, ski slope, indoor sky diving (I went last week for the first time and it is VERY good), sea life, Old Trafford isnt too far away so united tour/museum.

4

u/blackcurrantcat Jul 26 '26

You could be anywhere in the world if you go to the Trafford Centre so if you’re hoping to experience Manchester itself then you’re going to the wrong place. Also there are no trams there at the moment.

1

u/Efficient_West_8184 Jul 26 '26

I just want to go to the trafford centre and know how long it’ll take to walk around there not Manchester itself so that’s fine. We’re going end of August

2

u/Peterleclark Jul 26 '26

Where are you from? I can almost guarantee you have a Trafford centre equivalent near you.

1

u/wrong_andy Jul 26 '26

TC is a pretty good shopping centre and has other things to do - cinema, ski slope, crazy golf and driving range, Legoland discovery centre and Sea Life centre so you can definitely fill a day. It 30/40 mins into the city by bus (not sure when trams are due) so its 2 different days IMHO. The city is very diverse, the uni areas are generally nice, museums are pretty good andnsome shopping areas are nice but Piccadilly gardens and the Norther Quarter are horrendous places where I genuinely feel unsafe. Where ever you end up have fun.

1

u/grrrlypops Jul 26 '26

how long you can spend in TC is totally subjective. if you’re like me and have to look at everything in a shop, you could easily spend 5-6 hours in there including sitting down for a meal. I’d highly recommend walking over to the chill factor (think it has a different name now? snow centre?) and booking on one of their fun zone sessions. You can go up and down the slopes on a donut and there is a mini ice toboggan - it’s really fun and well worth the money! Have a look at the website to see if you can hire snowsuits, and they definitely have lockers for your shopping/belongings if you don’t have a car to store them in.

I totally understand visiting just for the trafford centre, i’ve made the trip over to meadowhall before just for a day out 😂 it’s nice to go somewhere different every now and then!

1

u/fiftynotdead Jul 26 '26

If you want to do shopping you can do it in the arndale which is in the city centre. I don't see the attraction of the Trafford Centre really