Wembley (Aston Villa) travel guide

Aston Villa
Carling Cup Final
Wembley Stadium, London
Sunday February 28, kick off 15:00

Tickets

Out of a capacity of 90,000, United have got 31,750 tickets at the east end of the stadium priced at £86, £70, £54 and £38 and half those prices for under 16s and over 65s.

Rough breakdown:
£86 – 2,793
£70 – 12,990
£54 – 10,240
£38 – 5,215
£38 for disabled fans - 210

All tickets have been sold. Supporters who got tickets in the second ballot have until 12:00 on Friday to collect them from Old Trafford.

If you haven't got tickets, it's worth calling the ticket office on 0161 868 8000 on Friday to check for returns.

The Aston Villa end is sold out.

Weather

The good news is that Sunday's Carling Cup final will be played in the warmest temperature United have played in since November.

According to the BBC, it should be 8C/46F during the match against Aston Villa, which will kick off at 15:00.

However, heavy rain is predicted all day.

TV
The match will be shown live on BBC1 and BBC 1HD with the show starting at 14:00 and is due to finish at 17:20, penalties pending.

Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 1HD, with the show starting at 14:45 and is due to finish at 17:00, penalties pending.

Travel
For live travel information on event days and in the lead up to events call the Wembley Stadium Travel Information Line on 0845 6000 555.

Car - £60

Sat navvies should use the postcode HA9 0WS for Wembley Stadium.

The journey takes three-and-a-half hours and costs about £30 each way petrol (add on £4 if you plan on taking the M6 Toll road).

The basic route is: M6, M42, M1, North Circular Road, Brent and Wembley.

Parking - free
When it comes to parking there's five real options:

First, if you have money to burn, the Wembley Stadium car park has secure parking for £26.50 a car. Blue badge holders can book places for £16.50 a vehicle. Book both of these here. The car park opens at 07:00.
http://www.csparking.com/stadium/

Second, if you want something cheaper but need to park near the stadium, you will find quite a few car parks on industrial premises charging about £10 per car.

Third, a good park-and-ride compromise is parking at a Tube stop and finishing your journey by Tube.

You can pay £1 to park all day at Ickenham Tube Stop car park, which has 176 spaces, then take the Metropolitan Line nine stops east to Wembley Park. Buy a one-day six-zone Travel Card for £7.50, as two singles will cost £8.

You can book places in loads of different tube stops here.

Fourth, If you've got the time, you can easily find a free parking spot within five minutes' walk of Ickenham Tube Stop.

You can then take the Metropolitan Line nine stops east to Wembley Park. Buy a one-day six-zone Travel Card for £7.50, as two singles will cost £8.

Fifth, go to one of these train stations, park your car and catch a special bus to the stadium. Chiltern Railways provide it, but they do not say how much it is to park or catch the bus. Go here for details.

· Warwick Parkway - CV35 8RH
· Banbury - OX16 5AB
· Bicester North - OX26 6EF
· High Wycombe - HP13 6NN

Trains - £64.70
It's too late to buy advanced tickets. Just by an off peak return on the day for this price.

Getting there

The official advice from the event organisers is this:

"United fans are encouraged to travel to London Euston on the available train services.

“Do not use Watford Junction Station or Harrow & Wealdstone Station for your forward or return journey.

“It is very likely trains to and from those stations will be extremely full, especially after the game has finished. You will have more chance of getting on a train at London Euston.”

Go here for more.

If you want to take that advice, it will cost you £66.20 for an off-peak return from Manchester to London and then £6.30 for a one-day Tube Travelcard costing £6.30. So that's £72.50 overall - £7.80 more than going more direct (see below).

Direct trains for Euston leave Piccadilly at: 08:05, 08:20, 09:20, 10:20, 10:35, 11:15 and 11:35.

It takes roughly two hours and 15 minutes. At Euston, follow the signs to Euston Square. It'll take you five minutes to walk.

Then catch the Tube on the Metropolitan Line for Wembley Park Tube Station. It'll take no more than 45 minutes from Euston.

But if you want to ignore the advice and go more direct, there are seven options. Six drop you at Wembley Central. One drops you at North Wembley. Go here to see them.

To the stadium from Wembley Park Tube Station

Turn right out of the station and walk down Bridge Road for a few minutes towards Wembley Park Drive. Then turn left onto Olympic Way and the stadium is a five-minute walk straight ahead.

Getting back

Again, if you want to take the event organiser's advice to stick to routes via London Euston, direct trains for Piccadilly leave Euston at: 17:15 then at 15, 35 and 55 past the hour until 20:35. Then 21:24 and 21:50. It takes roughly two hours and 15 minutes.

But if you want to ignore the advice and take the direct route home, you have nine options. See them here.

Match coaches
The Betty Bus is sold out. Places cost £35 and it leaves Chorlton Street at 06:30 and the Blaize at 06:45. Places cost £35.

Red Army Travel still has places left, costing £30 per person. It leaves the Bishop's Blaize on Chester Road at 08:00. To book, call 0161 998 4455 or 07545 39 1999 or email prem@redarmytravel.com

National Express is running coaches direct to the game from Chorlton Street Coach Station. Places cost £36 return and a £1 internet booking fee.

The coaches will leave at 08:15 and arrive at 12:15. Extra time pending, they will set off homeward at 17:30 and aim to arrive at 21:30. Book here.

Flights - £88.40

British Airways is offering one-way flights leaving Manchester for London Gatwick at 06:40 for £49.60 one way.

Coming home, bmi has a departure from London Heathrow at 20:50 for £38.80 one way.

Apart from that, the available flights are way too expensive.

From Gatwick, it takes 90 minutes to reach Wembley Stadium train station via Victoria, then across to the Tube and then via London Marylebone. An off-peak single ticket costs £11.

From Heathrow, it takes 80 minutes to reach Wembley Central Tube stop, changing at Piccadilly Circus. A one-day off-peak Tube travelcard covering zones 1-6 costs £7.50. Don't go by train as it costs £46 return.

Pub guide published on Friday at 09:00