Old Trafford or the Etihad: Which Manchester Stadium Tour to Do
Manchester is the only city in England with two Premier League stadium tours worth a day of your holiday, and they are not the same product. The manchester united stadium tour at Old Trafford is a museum with a stadium attached. The Etihad is a stadium tour with technology attached. Prices, lengths and what you actually see all differ, and so does which one suits a family. Booking details for the City tour sit on the Manchester City Stadium Tour guide or you can view Etihad tour options.
Old Trafford, where the museum does the heavy lifting. Photo: Arne Müseler, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE via Wikimedia Commons.
Quick answer
Pick Old Trafford if you want a museum: more than 1,000 exhibits across three levels, a 70-minute guided tour and a family ticket at £75. Pick the Etihad if you want the modern version: 75 to 90 minutes depending on the ticket, the glass players tunnel, a 360-degree cinema with Pep Guardiola and the Beyond the Blue Moon virtual reality attraction, from about £32 an adult. The two grounds sit 6.5km apart on opposite sides of the city, both on the Metrolink.
Key takeaways
- Old Trafford: about £28 adult, £18 child, £75 family, 70-minute tour plus a three-level museum
- Etihad: from about £32 adult, £20 under-16, family packages from £60, 90 minutes
- The Etihad tour is rated 4.8 from 3,317 verified reviews
- Old Trafford peak dates push the adult ticket toward £39, so the date moves the price
- Both close on their own club home match days, and a derby weekend can shut both
- 6.5km apart, both on the Metrolink, so doing both in a day is possible but tight
Old Trafford or the Etihad: the short answer
If you are travelling with someone who does not follow football, Old Trafford wins. The museum holds more than 1,000 exhibits over three levels and works as an afternoon out on its own, with the guided tour bolted on rather than carrying the visit.
If you are travelling with a teenager or anyone who wants the modern game, the Etihad wins. City tour is built around technology the older ground does not have: a glass players tunnel, a 360-degree cinema experience with Pep Guardiola and a virtual reality attraction called Beyond the Blue Moon.
If you support neither, the deciding factor is usually price and length. Old Trafford is cheaper for a family at £75 for two adults and two children. The Etihad runs longer, 75 minutes on the marketplace listing and 90 on the club own, and rates higher with visitors, at 4.8 out of 5 from 3,317 verified reviews. If you are travelling with young kids, our Etihad tour with kids review explains where the extra length becomes demanding.
Prices side by side
Old Trafford museum and stadium tour is about £28 for an adult, £18 for a child aged 5 to 15 and £75 for a family of two adults and two children, with under-3s free. The catch is dynamic pricing: peak dates push the adult ticket toward £39, so a July Saturday and a November Tuesday are different products at the same desk.
The Etihad starts around £32 for an adult and £20 for an under-16, with family packages from about £60 and third-party sellers listing two adults and two children near £72. Online partner platforms list the tour at roughly $42.61 per person.
For a family of four, Old Trafford is the cheaper day out. For two adults on an off-peak date, the two grounds land within a few pounds of each other.
| Category | Old Trafford | Etihad |
|---|---|---|
| Adult from | £28 (peak toward £39) | About £32 |
| Child | £18 (ages 5–15) | About £20 (under 16) |
| Family 2+2 | £75 | From about £60 |
| Under-3s / under-5s | Under-3s free | Under-5s free |
| Tour length | 70 min plus museum | 75–90 min |
Both clubs adjust ticket pricing dynamically around high-demand fixtures and peak school holiday windows. Confirm final rates at checkout rather than trusting any static table.
Feature and route comparison
To understand the structural differences between both tours, consider how each club handles restricted areas and multimedia. While United channels visitors through traditional physical exhibitions, City integrates interactive audiovisual moments into every stage of the building.
| Feature | Old Trafford Experience | Etihad Stadium Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Home dressing room | Traditional rectangular layout | Circular modern setup with visual screens |
| Tunnel walk | Historic central brick tunnel | Contemporary illuminated glass tunnel |
| Museum exhibition | Three-level permanent museum | Integrated narrative stops along route |
| Virtual technology | Audio handset guide | 360-degree cinema and VR headset attraction |
| Manager feature | Sir Alex Ferguson statues and plaques | Virtual press conference with Pep Guardiola |
| Pacing style | Guided walk followed by self-paced museum | Fully guided group tour from start to finish |
Visitors wanting to study historic memorabilia, match-worn jerseys from the 1960s, and European Cup silverware will appreciate Old Trafford. Those seeking high-definition video production, state-of-the-art training facilities, and immersive light shows will prefer the Etihad.
What you see at Old Trafford
The guided section runs about 70 minutes and covers the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand seating bowl, the players tunnel, both dressing rooms, the dugouts and the press conference room. It is the standard route, done well, in a ground that has been doing it for decades.
The museum is the reason to come. Three levels, more than 1,000 exhibits, and rooms with names that mean something: the trophy room, the Munich Room commemorating the 1958 air disaster, the Treble Corridor for 1999. Kit history, classic match memorabilia and the club foundation gallery fill the rest.
Budget an hour for the museum on top of the tour, which is what the club suggests and what the three floors actually need. Opening is 09:30 to 16:00 Sunday to Thursday and 09:30 to 17:00 on Friday and Saturday.
What you see at the Etihad
City tour runs 75 to 90 minutes depending on which ticket you buy, and takes the home dressing room, the glass players tunnel and pitchside at the dugouts. The glass tunnel is the signature: it lights up, it is on television every week, and it photographs better than any concrete corridor in the league.
The difference is what has been added around the walk. A 360-degree cinema experience puts you alongside Pep Guardiola. Beyond the Blue Moon is a virtual reality attraction running through the club past, present and future. Neither exists at Old Trafford, and both are why the Etihad tour holds 4.8 out of 5 across 3,317 verified reviews.
What the Etihad does not have is a deep museum. City history is told through the tour rather than through three floors of cases, which is the honest trade against the older ground.
The Etihad bowl. Photo: Ank kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Which suits children better
The two grounds split cleanly on this. Old Trafford is cheaper for a family at £75 and shorter in its guided section at 70 minutes, and the museum lets children move at their own speed once the tour ends.
The Etihad is longer, 75 minutes on the marketplace listing and 90 on the club own, which is a lot for a small child, but the VR attraction and the 360-degree cinema are the sort of thing children talk about afterwards. Under-5s go free and anyone under 16 has to be accompanied by an adult.
Rough rule: under eight, Old Trafford. Eight and up, the Etihad, unless the budget decides it for you.
- Under 8: Old Trafford, for the shorter guided section and the self-paced museum
- 8 and up: the Etihad, for the VR and the cinema
- Family of four on a budget: Old Trafford at £75
- Either way, check the fixture list before booking
Both Grounds and Their Tram Stops
Old Trafford and the Etihad sit 6.5km apart on opposite sides of Manchester, each with its own Metrolink stop and the city centre between them.
Getting to each ground
Both are on the Metrolink, which is what makes a two-ground day possible at all. The Etihad has its own stop, Etihad Campus, about five minutes walk from the ground and roughly ten minutes from Piccadilly or Victoria. Old Trafford is served by the Old Trafford and Wharfside stops on the other side of the city. For specific platform connections and transit timings, see our comprehensive guide to getting to Etihad Stadium.
The two grounds are 6.5km apart in a straight line, and the tram route between them runs through the centre rather than across, so allow 40 to 50 minutes door to door with the change.
Neither ground is a place to drive to on an event day. Both sit inside restricted zones when there is a fixture, and the Etihad park and ride sites at Ashton Moss and Ashton West are free for tram passengers.
Doing both in one day
It is possible and it is tight. Old Trafford last tours run to 16:00 Sunday to Thursday and the Etihad schedule closes earlier than a museum would, so the day has to start early and the order matters.
The version that works: Old Trafford first thing, because the museum is the part you cannot rush, then the tram back through the centre for a mid-afternoon Etihad slot. Lunch in the centre between the two, since neither ground sits in a food district. Travellers planning a combined football weekend can review accommodation options in our curated hotels near Etihad Stadium guide to base themselves conveniently near the central transit interchanges.
The version that fails: booking both for the same afternoon and assuming the tram takes 20 minutes. It does not, and neither tour will hold your slot.
One more warning. Both tours stop on their own club home match days, so a Manchester derby weekend can close both grounds at once. Check two fixture lists, not one.
Which tour to pick
For a United fan, Old Trafford is not a choice, it is a pilgrimage, and the museum earns the ticket on its own. For a City fan, the same applies at the Etihad, where the trophy years are recent enough that the tour is telling a story you watched happen.
For a neutral with one afternoon: the Etihad if you want the modern game and the technology, Old Trafford if you want football history in cases. For a family of four counting the cost, Old Trafford at £75.
For anyone with two days in Manchester, do both, in that order, with the museum in the morning.
- United fan: Old Trafford, and give the museum a full hour
- City fan: the Etihad, for the glass tunnel and the recent silverware
- Neutral, one afternoon: the Etihad for tech, Old Trafford for history
- Family of four: Old Trafford on price, at £75 against about £60 to £72 plus the longer tour
Manchester Stadium Tours: Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the Manchester United stadium tour cost?
About £28 for an adult, £18 for a child aged 5 to 15 and £75 for a family of two adults and two children, with under-3s free. Peak dates push the adult price toward £39.
How long does the Manchester United stadium tour last?
The guided section runs about 70 minutes, with the museum self-guided on top. Allow around an hour for the museum three levels, so roughly two and a half hours in total.
Is the Manchester United stadium tour worth it?
For the museum, yes: more than 1,000 exhibits across three levels, including the trophy room, the Munich Room and the Treble Corridor. The guided route itself is a standard stadium tour, done well.
Can I visit Manchester United's stadium?
Yes, on the museum and stadium tour, which runs 09:30 to 16:00 Sunday to Thursday and 09:30 to 17:00 on Friday and Saturday. Tours do not run on home match days.
Which is better, the Etihad or Old Trafford tour?
Old Trafford for history and for families on a budget, thanks to the three-level museum and the £75 family ticket. The Etihad for the modern game: 90 minutes, the glass players tunnel, a 360-degree cinema with Pep Guardiola and the Beyond the Blue Moon VR attraction.
How far apart are Old Trafford and the Etihad?
About 6.5km, on opposite sides of the city. Both are on the Metrolink, and the journey between them runs through the centre, so allow 40 to 50 minutes with the change.
Can you do both Manchester stadium tours in one day?
Yes, but start early: Old Trafford in the morning for the museum, then the tram back through the centre for a mid-afternoon Etihad slot. Check both clubs fixture lists, because each tour stops on its own home match days.
How long is the Etihad stadium tour?
Between 75 and 90 minutes depending on the ticket: the marketplace listing advertises 75 minutes, the club tour 90. Either way it is longer than Old Trafford 70-minute guided section.
Which stadium tour is better for kids?
Under eight, Old Trafford: the guided part is shorter and the museum is self-paced. Eight and up, the Etihad, for the virtual reality attraction and the 360-degree cinema.