Trafford Centre

Hmmmmm, I’m experiencing one of those ‘why can’t we have half star’ moments but on balance I’m dropping down to 2.
The Trafford centre really demonstrates that bigger isn’t always better and this is especially true when you find yourself forgetting where you are because you’ve seen everything before in so many shopping centres around the UK. I found myself half believing that I was in the Metro Centre.
We visited the Trafford centre because we thought we could get all our shopping done in one place but, because I’m not a fan of big chains and tax avoiding coffee empires I found myself wishing I’d hit some of the centres nearer home where the shops and particularly the eateries tend more towards the independent.
It’s a shame I ever thought the Trafford Centre would work for me but the real shame is twofold, firstly that there is obviously a demand for such identikit shopping experiences and secondly that places like this don’t give the visitor a true sense of the area they are visiting or promote what is special about the region. Come on Manchester, you’re better than this!

Fantastic shopping experience free parking and everything all under one roof. Has a great Christmas vibe. Plenty going on for kids like Laser quest, crazy golf or the old favourite the cinema. Lots of fast food restaurants or eat in restaurants something for everyone.

This place is just amazing it’s the best shopping centre I’ve been in besides the American outlets. Everything you need is right in this building. We came here at 12 in the day and left at 10 in the night. I love it mostly because there’s a Victoria secret store with all the perfumes and sprays. Then there is Victoria Pink which has the gym gear and PJs. It’s pricey but we can’t get them in Dublin. The food hall is like a boat in the night time you sit on the deck and the roof is painted like clouds it’s unbelievable. Amazing food choices over ten restaurants and also a five guys burger stall. I had some type of Japanese street food was good. We stayed right across the road so could shop loads an drop bags off to shop some more again! If your in Manchester worth a visit even for some dinner. Check out the china town upstairs :)

unreal it has everything and it is huge little hard to get to but very cheap and had a lot of things to choose from clothing wise when i am back in Manchester i will return

The Vanity Centre
I watched them build this place including the documentary going into good detail about the designers drive towards a centre that delivers an international worldly feel. Including an attempt to create a dramatic and high quality feel to the place. Oh how long ago that feels nowadays when ever I find myself unfortunate enough to be in this level of hell.
Anyone who visited the Trafford Centre may already understand where I’m going as it did used to be an exciting plethora of shops and services with incredible variety. It had a great mall like atmosphere (#mallrats) that made you want to spend the day sinking deeply into some form of escapism. But that is all but gone now because the trafford centre is a husk of what it once was.
Since inception the centre has aggressively killed (#rentlocking) any mind stimulating & creative outlets that once were, instead pushing only vanity shops specifically and mainly womens fashion. The fact of that matter can be seen on the soulless men that lay dead outside the fitting rooms. People used to stroll around the centre smiling now theres an aggressive tonality as competitive females smash past each others with there branded baggage.
It would seem the dream of intus perfect customer is that of a rich footballers wife arriving to adeptly park on a child with her BMW 4×4 in the constantly packed car park. Waling through various clothing shrines with a final stop at our lord and savior selfridge. After ones personal shopper has connived one that you 100% need this seasons 500£ dress (5£inPrimark) you drop more coin on the various samey jewelry so you can stare at something shiny as you head for luncheon.
After your peruse your various restaurant options you decide to frequent one of the 9 Italians that serve mainly bread. You order ball of bready cheese filled pasta with one leaf of salad not to eat but to post on instagram. Finally once you tire of judging other women from a distance you see if your mule (man) can hold any more bags of slave labour clothing before making your way back to the still full car park. «oh I love it here derek lets never leave!»
Satire aside I love capitalism but this place is just a repugnant shallow husk of a building, zoom in deeper to any aspect of the place you realise how much of a smoke and mirrors show it is, a good example is the truly awful paintings. Honestly women, men, we all deserve better and we are better than this rigged game of catch up. The atmosphere as gone completely septic and speaks towards a worrying societal trend towards perpetuating never feeling good enough.
People on the Wigan side of the north trust me you can get any of this stuff online without the hassle and on the Manchester side the city centre will give you are far better day out for your coin. In the end if this failed centre has achieved anything it is only to become satans shrine for the narcissist.
#GoodbyeVanityCentre.
ps
If you want to feel good about yourself sit in your pjs donate some money to the charity mind and watch netflix all day, you cant go wrong :)
pps
If you want to see directly into the eye of the demon try boxing day: D

I’m going to preface this with ‘I love shopping’ so I was really excited when my husband said we should visit the Trafford shopping centre whilst on our trip up north. However, upon arrival, I was somewhat underwhelmed by this place. I recall reading one of the reviews on here and thinking this is what people think is ‘the gem of Manchester’? The car parking was good. They had free wifi in parts. However, the shops were ones you could get just about anywhere in the uk, which for the most part is helpful because you know what you’re getting and after all we are creatures of habit. But having said that, I’m sure Manchester has a lot of up and coming new designers, what about supporting these guys by introducing some of their work to the wider public. This would mean getting more creatively designed pieces which were unique.
I haven’t eaten in a mall since I was about 10 years old and I wasn’t going to restart here but one wrong turn later and lured towards the interesting looking decoration, we found ourselves slap bang in the middle of the massive food court. The selection was wide but I’d hate to think how packed out it can get on a weekend.
Having seen enough we slowly turned around and headed back home!

The Trafford is good as it gets, it’s a huge place with many different retailers under one roof e. g Apple, Currys to a whole load of designer wear shops. There is a huge food court to keep you going while you go around the shops.
It’s the best shopping centre around and providing you time it right you can get there from Manchester City Centre or the surrounding towns either by car or bus, quite easily. It has a lovely atmosphere and all the staff are willing to help, they even have free wifi throughout!

Despite how extremely busy it can get on weekends, we always somehow manage to find a parking space (even in December). We only tend to come here on a Saturday, packed with people who’ll get in our way constantly (Despite this, we always come back).
You can find some good bargains in some of the shops and we always leave with at least one thing.
There was a time we decided to go on a Tuesday evening. For some dumb reason, a heated argument between my parents and older brother about him lying about being ill in order to avoid his job somehow resulted in us going to Wetherspoons without him.
Anyhow, I was quite amazed at how eerie it was. Not many people around which meant I could just walk without having to dodge or swerve to avoid bumping into people. One of my best experiences in the Trafford Centre.
My advice for anyone wanting to visit this place is: Come during the week, it’ll be less crowded and you’ll be less likely to attack someone for getting in your way.

I went here while on holidays on Saturday 13^th September. It has everything you could need. Plenty of shops (however a few repeat themselves), plenty of restaurants and different food types, an arcade and even a cinema.
The place is massive so make sure you grab one of the tourist maps /​shop guides when you walk in to help you find your way around!

This is a huge shopping mall. If they don’t have it here, it probably doesn’t exist. There is a huge food court to keep you going while you trek around the shops. The décor is very interesting. Lots of marble and statues. It looks like one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces was turned into a mall.

Holy shopping Batman! This place is for the serious shoppers and not for the faint of heart. Even though my old… er age seems to be decreasing my enthusiasm for large shopping malls, the Trafford Centre is really in a league of its own and must be admired. Let’s start with the cons and get those out of the way, because there are some and I think a lot of people will agree with these. The first: traffic and getting to the Trafford Centre. While some of it is just because of the volume of people wanting to go, some of it is down to those first-​time tourists who don’t know where they are going, but this past weekend we discovered some of it is down to young drivers probably out for the first time with loads of their friends in the car, music turned all the way up, smoking those silly e-​cigarette thingies, trying to text, and not really paying attention to where they are going. And I am kind of surprised that no one thinks «If I miss my turn, I’ll just go around the roundabout again». Sigh.
Anyway, another con… parking, even though it is free. Busy or not, finding parking is always a bit difficult and probably a bit more complicated than it needs to be. I also don’t understand why it is ok to park on the sidewalk (sorry, pavement) when there are parking spots available… and those spots being too far away is not an acceptable reason. Lastly, walking through some parts of the centre can be a bit difficult because of the amount of people. I don’t find it as difficult as say… The Bullring in Birmingham (where it can take 20 minutes to get on an escalator to the next floor), but it can still be difficult and/​or frustrating.
Now onto the good parts of the Trafford Centre. It is huge and not only that, they have a variety of stores. Something for everyone really and I don’t think I have seen a space that isn’t being utilized. The entire area has been developed as a whole family, whole day experience which, for the effort of getting there and getting parked, is nice. There is a cinema, adventure golf, Lego Discovery, and Sea Life… so a bit more than shopping. Another plus, the size and variety of the food court. While the theme thing could be a bit cheesy, I kind of think it is great how they did something different with the area instead of just leaving it as a generic food court. On the ground floor of the food court it is mostly fast food type places, but oh the choices! On the next floor there are more restaurant type places, but mostly chain restaurants. The food court is large enough to handle the amount of people, which is nice that you don’t have to send one of your party to go and wait for people getting up and pounce on their table.
Another reason I like the Trafford Centre… some of the American things/​stores when I am missing home. For example, Victoria’s Secret, even though I have yet to buy anything as I am a bit afraid of the prices. And Five Guys Burgers… not really sure why people are still queuing up at Burger King and McDonald’s when you can have Five Guys. To be honest, with those and then looking across the way to see Wal-​Mart, Costco, and a Krispy Kreme, it is almost like I am back in the states. Strange more than comforting. Having been to some of the large malls like The Bullring, Meadowhall, the Westfield in London… I think I do prefer the Trafford Centre because even though it is busy, it seems to cope (minus the parking/​traffic issues) quite well.

urgh! i hate this place, yet i’ve given it 4 stars. read on.
i used to visit once a year thinking it would have the answer to my christmas shopping woes, but i cant even bring myself to do that now.
Not even the food court can entice me with its fake twinkling sky… i have no interest and even if my favourite restuarant was there i dont think i’d bother.
its useful, but not at all pleasurable and i feel like i’m sharing the breath of everyone in there. Claustrophobic and oppressive.
Having said that, for those of you that love to shop and love the high street this is a fantastic place. i’m really glad people like it and it helps the economy and jobs in manchester… its just not for me which is why despite everything i just said i admit this is a personal opinion on ‘malls’ in general rather than the range and accessibility of the shops themselves which to be honest is pretty great!
so i guess if someone that hates it still gives it 4 stars it must be pretty good!
#themostconfusingreviewever ??

I love the Trafford Centre especially at Christmas time, its a huge place with shops galore from the top range shops like Selfridges and John Lewis to loads of fashion shops. It has a huge food court-​the orient which is designed to be like a cruise liner and has many eateries from low cost to high end. There is also the Barton Arcade which is accessed across a covered walkway which has all the home shops like Next and M&S. There is also a odeon cinema complex with an IMAX screen. There is also free parking throughout. But make sure you get here early as it does get very busy around lunchtime and at Christmas time. If you don’t have a car like ourselves you can get there on the bus or the metrolink shuttle.
i love how everything is in one place and all under one roof. It has a lovely atmosphere and all the staff are willing to help, they even have free wifi throughout!

I’ve always liked the Trafford Centre, as i’ve been coming here pretty much since it opened.
I hate Saturday shopping! It’s too busy. So with the shops at The Trafford Centre being open until 10pm most nights it makes it perfect for me to go in the mid-​week evenings after work.
Their food court, named ‘The Orient’ is very impressive! The largest in Europe or so I’m told, boasting over 30 restaurants, cafes and bars! With favourite fast food chains such as McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut and the like on the ground floor, and bigger restaurants such as GBK, TGI Fridays, Nandos, Las Iguanas, Pizza Express, Café Rouge…(and I can keep going) on the upper floor, it’s safe to say, you’ll find somewhere for eats here! Most recently, Five Guys took up residency here! LOVE.
For shopping, it’s good — all the high street shops under one roof. Great layout — you’ll find what you need. Department stores such as John Lewis at one end of the mall, Debenhams at the other and Selfridges in the middle, cater for high end fashion if that’s what you’re after.
There is an ODEON cinema here too. Which is open quite late so if you wanted to shop, eat, drink and see a film mid-​week — you can.
It’s definitely the best shopping centre around and with it being so close to the M60, providing you time it right (and DON’T try it on Christmas Eve! Trust me) you can get there from Manchester City Centre or the surrounding towns either by car or bus, quite easily.

I visited this shopping centre while on Holiday in the UK with a group of friends and the word– extravagant does not begin to explain how amazing this shopping centre really is. The Centre itself is like a marble palace and it’s so bloody big with many selections of endless shops

The Trafford Centre is the 2^nd largest shopping centre in the United Kingdom and has the largest food court in Europe with the Orient. If you do visit the Trafford Centre, no matter the time expect it to be very busy, it is a very popular tourist destination as it is home to hundreds of shops and a good amount of resturants as well as Legoland and Sealife.
The Trafford Centre has many things you could want from a shopping centre a cinema, so many places for food and drink with something for everyone no matter what cuisine you want or dietary requirements but I just don’t like it.
The Trafford Centre is very busy hence is hard to park in, some areas are not modern at all and I dislike some of the colour schemes, some parts such as the entrance near the car park Regents Crescent does need refurbishment,
The Trafford Centre is a nice tourist attraction if you are visiting Manchester for the first time but after numerous visits you begin to see the flaws and get annoyed, I think it is just too big and some of the shops are just un-​needed, they is so many food places I am shocked how all of them can survive and make a prophet.
The Car Park is not just a nightmare for parking, it is also bad for getting in and out, I have never used the bus station what can be viewed from the Car Park but that looks like it is also in need of refurbishment.
They is some nice shops and restaurants in here with some places having more than once branch due to the large size like Starbucks having one branch near Waterstones, just in the walkway and one in a actual stall near a enterance/​exit.
Free parking is always a winner for me, it is hard to see even in the smallest of shopping centres so having it here, in a shopping centre which could easilly charge people ultra high end prices, at one of the UK’s biggest shopping malls is fantastic to see from a customer point of view.
With some refurbishment, the Trafford Centre could be alot better but to be honest it is more of a touristy attraction than a regular place for Mancuians to do shopping, I would say it is just too big and for locals to use the Manchester Arndale instead, although this is nice for tourists to visit on a one time affair I can’t recommended it elsewise hence I can only give 2 stars to The Trafford Centre.

Not the nicest place to be when it’s busy.
Add to this some very ignorant drivers who like to park on the pavement even when there are many spaces available it makes it a last resort for shopping.
Only go late at night and avoid weekends, it’s unbearable

Trafford Centre is in a fantastic location and the car park is free. There is two parts to the Trafford Centre, that is Barton Square you can go to the Sealife Centre or Legoland Discovery. In this are are the Next Home and Marks & Spencer home departments. When you go across the bridge into the main part of the Trafford Centre you have the big names like Debenhams, John Lewis, Selfridge’s ODEON cinema, laser quest and an absolutely fantastic food court with many known and lesser known eateries and restaurants over 2 floors. Amazingly all the shops, too many to mention are open till 10 o’clock in the week and till 9 o’clock on Saturday and 6 o’clock on Sunday. The cinema is open longer and so is the food court.

Ahh, The Trafford Centre.
If you like marble, murals, statues of dolphins, shopping, water features, being indoors and other people, then this place is most definitely for you.
I’m not fussed on any of these things yet seem to end up here far more than I plan to. The Trafford Centre provides the ideal place for rainy days, last minute shopping (open until 10pm weekdays) and a bite to eat.
The huge, free car parks and wide selection of (high street) shops and (chain) eateries attract crowds of people from all over, especially on the aforementioned drizzly days — so pick and choose your visit wisely.
There’s buses that run every 15mins from Piccadilly Gardens (bus number X50, a return is £4).
The complex is bookended by two massive department stores; John Lewis and Debenhams. Navigating these alone can be a challenge. My tip would be to remember which direction you’re heading and stick to it — if you end up reaching a John Lewis at both ends then you’ve missed half of the shops.
There’s also a great ‘home’ section in Barton Square (which is along the walkway over the road). Here you’ll find every shop you’d need to kit out a new pad, a massive fountain of half naked mermaids, a halloween-​esque hut of unexplained huge singing bears (press the button on the fence), a legoland and a cake shop.
Don’t try to make sense of it — it’ll take you longer than trying to find your car.

Beautiful shopping centre, love the deisgn and details around the building. I always get lost around but with so much detail and decorations I like wondering about in the centre. I’m not from Manchester so I’m speaking from being unfamiliar to the city
Can be hard to enjoy your time as it is always packed when I go and can feel frustrated and claustrophobic, so not ideal place for shopping if you like to take your time and relax. But good place to go with friends as you’ll enjoy your time. Share taxi fare since it’s far from city. I hear it takes long with bus so I’d recommend share fare with friends

Das Trafford Center ist die Mall vor den Toren von Manchester.
Auf zwei Ebenen hat man hier mehr als genügend Gründe, sein Geld los zu werden.
Im Mittelbereich befindet sich der große Food-​Court, der allein durch seine Optik schon beeindruckt. Heiko hat dies in seinem Bericht schon ganz gut beschrieben.
Desweiteren findet sich um das Einkaufszentrum herum noch ein großes Kino, ein Sea-​Life, ein Legoland und diverse andere Bespassungseinrichtungen.
Die gesamte Familie kann somit das Wochenende hier verbringen, ohne sich zu langweilen. Gut, da die Geschäfte auch am Sonntag auf haben.
Die Optik ist für deutsche Augen etwas gewöhnungsbedürftig, da die Mall schon sehr kitschig gebaut ist. Säulen, Putten und Freskenmalereien finden sich überall. Dazu dann noch die bunten Lichter der Weihnachtsbeleuchtung. Da wirkt ein Disney Park fast farblos gegen! :)
Aber ansonsten macht es Spaß, hier einen Nachmittag zu verbringen.

Oh my lord, what an impression-​overdose!
Amazingly posh shopping centre with every shop you could wish for if you had the money :) But hey, window shopping it was for us then: D
The cruise ship look with the pool was one of the coolest things Ive ever seen in a shopping centre, and the food court was amazing!!!
Then there was the arcade with the scooter and everything, that felt like mini-​Blackpool lol. Dont know why but I started gambling for a while. But didnt win enough to go to the srores again ;)
Highly recommended for fashion victims, recommended for friends and lovers of interesting architecture. I enjoyed a couple of hours there, but am more interested in the football grounds to tell you the truth ;)

Das Trafford Centre ist eines der größten Einkaufszentren in Manchester.
Der Einkaufstempel ist extrem pompös und kitschig gebaut, so dass es schon fast wieder witzig ist. Großen Säulen mit Putten säumen die Einkaufsmeile. Barocke Wandbmalereien unterstreichen diesen Eindruck. Mit seiner großen Kuppel in der mitte des Centers, wirkt der gesamte Bau wie der Petersdom in Rom.
Die Food-​Area ist sehr genial gemacht. Hier sind die Restaurants nach Themenwelten sortiert und die Optik der Lokalitäten dem Thema angepasst. So geht man durch Straßenzüge mit großen Pagoden und chinesischen Häusern, kommt danach in New Orleans an und geht durch die typischen Strassenzüge, woe noch die Wäsche auf den Balkonen hängt und kreuzt dazwischen das Promenadendeck eines Kreuzfahrers. Man kommt sich wirklich vor wie bei Disney, und überall gibt es was zu Essen. Toll! :-))
Die Geschäfteauswahl ist groß. Einige Marken sind uns als Deutsche bekannt, viele wiederum aber nicht. Wenn man sich Zeit lässt kann man hier den ganzen Tag verbringen und das sieben Tage die Woche. Das Center hat in der Woche bis 22 Uhr und am Wochenende bis 18 Uhr auf.

We had a few hours to kill before our flight out of Manchester airport and were looking for a place to hang out.
I was very positively surprised by this place, a lot of great shops, even an Apple store for us nerds, and the greatest food court I have ever seen.

Meine Vorgänger haben wohl das meiste schon gesagt. Es ist sehr groß. Es beherbergt sehr viele Geschäfte und das war’s auch schon.
Das Shopping Centre wurde mir von mehreren Seiten empfohlen und da hab ich mir gedacht, da muss ich mal hin. Aber was wurde mir in diesem riesigen Komplex geboten?
Nichts.
Die Shops besitzen eine Vielfalt, wie eine Armee Klone. Es gibt dort fast gar nichts außer Kleidung und dabei auch nur die großen Ketten, die wirklich überall gleich sind. Da ist man mit der Innenstadt von Manchester wohl besser bedient.
Man denkt sich, das ist so groß: hier muss es alles geben. Aber der Gedanke ist weit her geholt.
Allein das Gebäude an sich, das ist wirklich beeindruckend, wie viel man Kitsch verarbeiten kann. Am besten gefiel mir der Essensbereich, aber auch nur optisch und beim ersten hinsehen, dann wurde mir schnell klar, das dieser Megabereich mit Kettenrestaurants/​bars/​cafés zugepflastert ist.
Auf jeden Fall sollte man das Trafford-​Centre besuchen, damit man sieht, wie langweilig man so einen großen Komplex gestalten kann. Da gibt es ja Provinz-​Shopping-​Centres, die mehr Vielfalt anbieten.
Man könnte nun argumentieren, dass es mich gelangweilt hat, weil ich ein Mann bin. Aber das selbe passierte nach einer Stunde auch mit meiner Freundin, weil H&M, Zara, usw. die gibt’s wirklich überall, dafür muss ich nicht da hin!

Ich habe selten ein so große Auswahl an Geschäften gesehen! Das ist einfach irre. Hier gibt es wirklich alles und das auf einem unglaublich großen Gelände. Leider war ich wohl an einem der hektischsten Tage dort — December 29! Sales überall ließen die Menschen in Massen durch die schön geschmückten Gänge quasi rennen!
Nach einem leckeren MIttagessen in einem der unzähligen Restaurants ließ sich das Geschiebe aber gut ertragen.
Ich werde es auf jeden Fall noch einmal an einem etwas ruhigeren Tag besuchen, denn die Auswahl an Geschäften ist einfach einmalig

Das Trafford Centre ist das einfach mega-​genial und
auch mega-​groß. Ich habe es bereits zweimal geschafft mich
zu verlaufen und musste den richtigen Ausgang suchen um
mein Auto wiederzufinden :-).
Ab Stretford (an der Metrolink) fahren Shuttlebusse zum
TraffordCentre ansonsten gibt es aber sogar eine Buslinie
die ab Piccadilly Garden dort direkt hinfährt.
Die Öffnungszeiten sind ziemlich lang, sodaß man wirklich
exzessiv shoppen kann! Dort trifft man immer mal
wieder Fussballspieler, die ja auch ab und an mal
gerne shoppen gehen ;)
Einziger Nachteil ist das es eine Ecke vom Zentrum
weg ist. Das Arndale Shopping Centre ist direkt
im Zentrum und hat auch nicht so viel weniger Geschäfte.
Alleine das Gebäude, was im aisatischen Stil
gebaut ist, ist aber schon einen Besuch wert!
Es ist sehr prunkvoll.

Shopping addicted? Hallucinant! Des magasins, des magasins, des magasins et encore des magasins! Préparez votre porte monnaie, toutes les enseignes y sont réunies! Vous pouvez également vous y retrouver pour manger au restaurant, jouer au bowling, au casino On né sait plus où donner de la tête! Si vous comptez y aller, allez y en début de journée, vous n’aurez jamais le temps de tout voir en une journée!