Manchester United Stadium Tour Review & Guide

Welcome to Old Trafford.

As  Manchester United fans, visiting Old Trafford is always on our bucket list. That dream came during our holiday trip to the UK with an Old Trafford Stadium Tour.

How to book the Manchester United Old Trafford Stadium and Museum Tour?

An Old Trafford Stadium and Museum Tour can be easily booked from the Manchester United Website. Unlike other stadium tours that allow walk-ins, a Manchester United Stadium Tour requires pre-booking when you purchase the tickets. You would also have access to the Museum. Thus, we recommend either arriving 30-45 minutes earlier to enjoy the Museum or visiting it after the stadium tour. 

Old Trafford

There are different tour options to choose from. We decided on a 70-minute standard Stadium Tour with an additional meal option. The cost starts from £20 for a child and £36 for an adult. Additional meals at the Red Cafe cost £7.5 and £12.5 more, respectively, for children and adults.

How to Get to Old Trafford from London?

From London to Manchester

Most fans would make their way from London to Manchester for this tour. It is possible to take a day trip to visit the Stadium and return to London. Add another day to watch a live match at the Stadium if possible.

Avanti West Coast from London to Manchester

The easiest way is to book a train ride on Avanti West Coast. The departure is from Euston train station, located a few minutes from Euston Tube. We recommend booking online to secure your ride. The train ride takes slightly over 2 hours and is usually on time. Leave on the earliest train before 8am if you are planning a day trip.

Getting to Old Trafford

Manchester Tram

Take the tram (purple line) from Picadilly with a stop at Old Trafford Picket Ground. Tickets can be bought at the station. After that, it is a 10-12 minute straight walk along Brian Statham Way. 

Straight path to the Stadium from Old Trafford Tram Station

Along this route, you would pass by Old Trafford Stadium Hotel with an impressive Manchester United Logo Wall Mural.

Old Trafford Stadium Hotel

Look out for a tribute mural to Sir Bobby Charlton, too.

Sir Bobby Charlton

Old Trafford: Theatre of Dreams

Old Trafford

Before you start your tour, you must savour the moment you step onto the stadium grounds. You would have recognised the silhouette from afar if you had watched enough matches.

The United Trinity

In front of the Stadium is the Unity Trinity Stadium featuring Best, Law and Charlton. If you are a true fan, you would recognise these legends. All three have won the Ballon d'Or in the 60s. 

Old Trafford

Manchester United Stadium Tour:  Where to Start?

Museum and Tour Entrance

Head to Sir Alex Ferguson's reception desk. This is located to the right of the Stadium ( facing the Stadium from the front). Do remember to print your tickets for this tour.

Free Lanyard

Here, you will collect your free lanyards and take the lifts or escalators to the Museum on level 3. Explore the Museum and meet on level 1 of the Museum 5 minutes before the tour. Your tour guide will be waiting for you in the open space. Since this is a guided tour with fixed timing, arrive on time!

Directions to Stadium Tour Meeting Point

Highlights of Old Trafford Stadium Tour

The Pitch

We started the tour at Sir Alex Ferguson's Stand. 

View from Sir Alex Ferguson's Stand

Directly facing us is the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand. With a capacity of 74,310, Old Trafford is the 3rd largest Stadium in the UK. Clad in red, it is a sight to behold. Despite its capacity, it appears smaller than expected. This size gives the spectator an intimate experience as you are close to the football field.

Stretford End

Our eyes are focused on the infamous Stretford End.

The Inside of the Stadium

Sir Alex

Next, we headed inside and passed by tributes to Sir Alex Ferguson. A true red fan would understand his contribution to Manchester United's fame and popularity.

Great Goals Tributes

Along the way, there were tributes to various players and the great goals scored.

Best View of the Football Field

We emerged at another corner of the Stadium. 

Best View of Old Trafford

This section has the best view of the Stadium, facing the famous Stretford End and Sir Alex Ferguson Stand with Manchester United written across the seats.

Dressing Room

It's back inside the Stadium.

The Original Tunnel

On our way to the Stadium, we passed by the old tunnel that was once the entrance to the field of the old Stadium.

Dressing Room

For this stadium tour, we were lucky and saw the actual dressing room. While it is smaller than other stadiums, the aura from it is simply awesome from a fan's perspective.

Midfielders

Tunnel Walk

Tunnel Walk

Another highlight will be the tunnel walk. Adults will line up at the side, while kids will be in line to walk through the tunnel with stadium noises pipe in. Very cool for kids

Dugout

Dugout

It's a walk to the Dugout to sit in the same seats where players and coaches sit during the match! 

Waiting to be subsituted

Press Conference

Press Conference

It's a quick stop at the press conference. We are not allowed to take photos of ourselves, but you can opt for the in-house photographer to take one for you.

Megastore

Megastore

The last stop is the Megastore. 

Free Certificate

Here, you can collect your personalised certificate while picking up a souvenir. Each purchase comes with an exclusive Old Trafford Paper Bag.

Shopping Time

Museum

Trophy room

If you do not have time to visit the Museum before your tour, you can still do so after it (provided you did not take the last tour). It is a must-visit for fans.

Munich

From the massive trophy room to a room dedicated to the Munich Disaster, any true red devil would appreciate the history behind this. This is among the best Stadium Museums for its history and trophies in the UK.

Uniforms

You might get your hands on old match programme copies for free.

Free Matchday Programmes

Red Cafe

Red Cafe

The last stop was Red Cafe, located next to the Museum. Our package comes with a meal and a choice of soft drink, tea or coffee. We highly recommend you add this to the package for the experience.

OT Burger

We opted for OT Burger for our meal. If you have a kid, the option will be from the Little Devil's Menu instead. Meals are in smaller portions for kids.

Spot your favourite player number

When you are there, check out the back of the chair. You might find your favourite player's name printed on it.

Verdict

Manchester United

As a fan, a visit to Old Trafford is a must. While getting there may seem daunting initially, it was much easier than expected.

Theatre of Dreams

It would have been icing on the cake if we had caught a home match and had first-hand experience of Old Trafford's atmosphere. That may be an excuse to be back in the future!