I'm with Jessica H on this one. If your a wag and love a bit of tacky tat then Trafford Centre is perfect for you - full of shops to blindly spend all your husband's dosh on, and sweat quite profoundly while doing it. Seriously, how depressing is this place? Especially walking into Topshop, knowing you can get far unique and decent things in the vintage & boutique shops around Northern Quarter at a fraction of the cost. I always feel claustrophobic in this place, every shop I walk into, being weekday or weekend is always full of people and push chairs. And the number one thing that really freaks me out - the fakery. My god, its like they built Trafford centre in Las Vagas, shipped it over and plonked it down right here in Trafford. Whats the deal with the marble, puke-worthy roman-esk statues?? The lions? What do those paintings of the Spanish looking women on the top walls around the shopping centre symbolize?? The fact that nothing makes sense in this place?? Come on, lets throw a bit of Manchester culture in this place. Get rid of the marble shite and replace it with statues of Happy Mondays, Danny Boyle, the cast of corrie and Tony Wilson. And maybe Rick Astley if we have some spare dosh going. The one good thing? Gourmet Burgers restaurant on the top floor. Get a choc milkshake and the lamb burger, to die for. Bit costly but worth it. read more

With several huge car parks which are free it was the opening of the Trafford Centre which many said would spell the end of high street shopping locally. From the outside the huge domes look strangely out of place in the Mancunian landscape. But once inside you find consumer heaven. The largest of the Domes plays host to the 'Orient' a large food hall themed as a cruise ship, downstairs there are an array of fast food haunts with food of almost any type you might want to find, upstairs on the mezzanine floor you will find restaurants with seating overlooking the large screen or on occasion acts on the stage area. From the mezz you can also access the onsite cinema. The main shopping area is easy enough to navigate as it is effectively two wings leading to the left and right of the Orient. There are two levels of shops, and in here can be found most of the major high street chains with a few more obscure shops dotted here and there. The recently opened second site 'Baton Square' houses a range of stores more focused on home furnishing. Opening hours are from 10am to 10pm with shorter hours at weekends, though in the Christmas season there tends to be additional hours, advertised on local tv. read more

The Trafford Centre is an amazing shopping centre to visit and is a popular place for my friends and myself to visit. Not only is there a huge array of shops for almost any occasion but there is also a wide range of entertainment facilities. The food area inside the Trafford Centre offers great snacks and lunches during the day, between your shopping, as well as great bars, restaurants and other facilities in the evenings. I often eat here or arrange to meet myself here as it is a place everyone knows, everyone can travel to easily and where everyone always has a good time. It can cater for any taste and we never fail to find somewhere nice to eat and drink. The decoration and look of the Trafford Centre also cannot be faulted and huge amount of money that has just been spent on the new entrance was well worth every penny. I would definitely recommend the Trafford Centre as a place to either eat or shop to anyone - if you cant find something to do here then you never well. Along with the shops you can also choose from the cinema and even lazer quests, where else offers such amazing choice? 5 stars. read more

The Trafford Centre is huge. It consists of many many shops of many different kinds, restaurants, fast food bars, cinemas etc. It's great, as there are so many things under one roof, although it does take a while to walk round and look at everything. There's also a creche place where you can leave your children while you shop, and there are little cars you car hire to push young children round in. Aswell as this there is an arcade area. It's a great place to shop if you're not sure where you want to buy from, as there is such a good range of shops there. The only bad thing i can think about the trafford centre is that it gets stupidly busy on saturdays and near christmas. It's already warm inside the trafford centre so when it's busy, it gets really warm. Another point is - that if you visit - make sure you take note of where you park your car!!! As there is a vast amount of carparks!! Overall though i definately recommend a visit to the traffic centre!! read more

what a good idea opening hours are tremendous between 8am and 10pm what more could you ask hundreds of shops for all your needs. yep its got that to from burger king to marks and sparks and chinese to chips from coffee to wine Next, HMV, evans marks n sparks Macdonalds you name it its there with a huge cinema too. and now a golf fantasia for a great night out, this is the place to go. hundreds of seating spaces for the dedicated food court. a wide variety of foods from indian to chineese and junk food. there are well spaced out shops and a wide variety. the only problem i can think of is that they are shutting down the festival village to replace it with a john lewis. but what can be better than an indoor shopping centre with everything you need and free parking. This is also a place you cand get to by bus from where i live. its very busy ay weekend so go in the week or late at night. when its almost quiet. read more

The Trafford Centre is a GREAT place to go. Personally i love it !!!! A great place to meet friends and theres tons of different shops. However i do end up always spending all my money. So i would reccomend you bring youre credit card. Tons of shops and great places to eat, I always do my shopping here and then go to the cinema. My daughter meets all her friends here, it seems to be the place for young ones to meet. Its open till late with free parking. The orient food place is always packed and you may struggle to find a seat, entertainment in the orient is good. There is also a creche and play area for ages 2-7. You can leave youre little one here in safety while you carry on shopping. Fun buggies are available to push youre child round in for £2.50 an hour. The Trafford Centre is beautifully designed with lovely water fountains and statues. Its well lit and you may even spot a celebrity shopping here! read more

I think the Trafford centre is fantastic, has to be the biggest shopping centre I have been to in this country. Absolutely every shop and brand is there, sometimes twice! The three huge department stores of John Lewis, Debenhams and Selfridges are the corner stones of the Centre, with Selfridges being by far the most impressive. Most stores in the centre are bright and modern, with only a few exceptions. The food court is more like a food town, themed in part as a Chinese street with noodle bars and sushi, part like a Mississippi river boat and the grand stage could have come straight from the Titanic! There are plenty of other activities including a multiplex cinema and bowling. Parking is free and there are always spaces available. Only downside to this place is on the bust evenings the road network can't cope with the shear volume of traffic, and traffic jams are common. read more

The centre is easily accessible by public transport, there is a shuttle bus( ML1) which runs from the near-by metrolink station at Stretford very frequantly. The metrolink network connects to the rail network at Altricham and Manchester therefore making the centre accessible from further afield easily Various buses run to and from the centre , it is very easy to find the bus you need as the centre has its own bus station located near Debenhams There is a taxi firm which operates from the centre and they have a stand which is undercover and manned pretty much 24 hours for you to order your cab from The main selling feature of the centre for me is the 10,000 plus free parking spaces . even at peak times it is very rare not to be able to find a space and all the car parks are very clearly labled ( it is very easy to get lost as the centre is huge !) read more

The Trafford Centre is exactly how a shopping centre should be, it's huge with lots of great names occupying the retail units, you could spend a whole day in this place. The shops seem to cover all aspects from cheap highstreet fashion like New Look to the luxurious designer brands in Selfridges there really is something for everyone. It's easy enough to get to on the motorway, well signposted so you can't really go wrong. The car parks are massive but it is a very busy place so either set off early or go when you know it's going to be quiet. I once did my Christmas shopping here on a friday night and it was bliss, the crowds had died off as everyone must've gone to the pub so I did my shopping in peace. Fantastic range of food places too so you can't really go wrong coming here, and if you get bored of shopping you could always visit the cinema! read more

The Trafford Centre is a large mall in the Trafford Park area of Manchester. It offers a wide variety of shops aimed at folks with a mid to higher end budget. All the main high street stores are present (M&S, Schuh, Top Shop etc.) and it also includes a rather large Selfridges and John Lewis. The Centre has also recently extended its preemies to include a dedicated 'Home' area called Barton Square, specialising in furniture and other household goods. Unless there is a sale happening I would say that those on a limited budget may struggle to find a bargain. The mall itself is however has wonderful architecture, with high glass ceilings and (at this time of year) beautiful Christmas decorations a great place to visit if only to see how pretty it all is! read more

The Trafford Centre really is the place to go - for all your shopping needs, entertainment and even great dining. Despite the vast quantity of car parking slightly further from the centre itself, there always seems to be parking closer to the centre if you are willing to try it! There are many of the major retailers to be found here and quite a good variety. There are no boutiques or bespoke shops, but what do you expect from a mall like this? The food court caters for all palettes and many of the more restaurant style eateries offer activities for the kids. The one downside is that you really need a long time to thoroughly 'do' the trafford centre - of course you can just dip in and out, and it is well maintained with maps and toilets etc. read more

This really is one stop shopping, as it has a reaaly wide range of great shops and restaraunts all under one roof. It is easy to get to and there is lots of parking available. There are a wide range of great shops- from Selfridges to John Lewis and Debenhams, as well as smaller shops. There are also a wide range of places to eat, from fast food outlets such as McDonalds to sit down restaraunts such as nandos. There is also a multi screen cinema, a bowling alley and several bars so there is a good range of entertainment too. This is an easy place to shop as it is very well laid out, but it can get very busy at the weekends. It is much nicer to shop on a weekday evening when it is open late and is much quieter. read more

The Trafford Centre is absolutely huge, it has most of the high street stores, department stores, loads of restaurants, a ten screen cinema, a seperate home department and some pretty unusual 'tastelass' faux greek fountians and sculptures! The fact parking is free and there is plenty of it is brilliant, it is also easily acessible from the motorway network. It is immaculately clean and tidy, with good maps and signs to help you find your way. It is lacking in individual 'one of a kind' shops - i think the rent is too high! If you are looking for that you are better off in manchester city centre. All in all, the traf centre is great - it does what is says on the tin. just remember where you parked your car! read more

As shopping centres go the Trafford Centre is pretty fautless. Sure it gets busy but show me a shopping centre that doesn't. It has every shop you could wish for under one roof and, my favourite bit, it is spread over two floors in a straight line, which means a) you don't miss anything and b) no needless walking covering old ground! It also has a massive enterntainment area, filled with bars and restaurants serving anything from tapas and curries to burger and chips. There is also a massive cinema, bowling alley and lazer quest - perfect if you'd like to shop child free for a couple of hours! Bus links are great, with a shuttle bus also running from Stretford tram stop and car-parking is free. read more

Basically it's the BlueWater of the north. If you love shopping, you'll love the Trafford Centre. But there's not only hundreds of shops, there's also loads of restaurants, arcades, cinema, laser quest etc. Its a great place to meet up with friends of for a birthday treat, but what I would say is you need a whole day there which might not appeal to all. It is a massive place and need a long time to explore e.g. if you want to go to a shop at each end of the centre It will take you a while to get there. But there is a massive stunning food hall with a centre stage where events usually take place. The centre is often used in TV shows and adverts. I WOULD advise to go at Christmas. read more

Great for one stop shopping-spree. You've got a variety of shops from clothing, electronics, food, entertainment, etc. to suit a range of pockets. Also great for just wandering around and enjoying the 'sights' if you've not been there before with their own adaption of 'China-town' and 'New Orleans' - rather eclectic. There are often shows on also at The Orient - the big food court. Great if you going during the weekdays and avoiding school holidays (otherwise gets a tad-busy and crowded). Marble flooring whilst nice can be a bit hard on the soles if you round trekking all day. They also have special bus service from tramlink. Ice-rink too? My goodness read more

The Trafford Centre has everything you could possibly need to enjoy a day out. There's a great number of shops, including big hitters such as Selfridges, John Lewis, Debenhams and Marks and Spencer. There are also all the usual shops you would expect to find in such a large shopping centre. When you're tired of shopping, or in need of some refuelling, visit the foodhall for the widest choice of eateries you could imagine. Join the masses on the ground floor and fight to be seated at a table before your McDonalds goes cold, or chill out upstairs in one of the many restaurants. You can also check out your favourite film in the cinema before going home. read more

I love the Trafford Centre, it's a great place to go for a day/evening/night out. Everything you want is under one roof and you can spend hours there. Loads of shops to go to, different types of restaurants to eat at. You are truly spoilt for choices here. There is something for everyone even children. They have different activities for children which you can check out on their website. As it is Christmas there is a grotto and an Ice rink in Barton square which is a lot of fun. Also in the Trafford centre there is Namco's arcade, mini-golf courses, Laser Quest and an Odeon cinema, you can spend the whole day there and come home tired but happy. read more

The Trafford Centre is a good place to shop especially if it is raining. Free Parking as well. Loads of things to do here apart from shopping, Mini Golf, Cinema, Sea World and loads more. Can be a bit hot and claustrophobic sometimes. There is a massive food court which has a good variety of food from fast food to restaurants, they sometimes do entertainment as well sometimes on the stage where the boat is. You have got to visit this place if you never have before its a must! They have water fountains as well which squirt up in the air which is quite fun. Really busy at Christmas time with everyone rushing to do last minute shopping! read more