Why go
- Served by Bedford Aerodrome.
History
Bedford, UK is a city in United Kingdom. We do not yet hold a written history for it — the sources below are the best starting points, and this page will be expanded into a full guidebook.
Restaurants & places to go
Nepalese, Indian, Restaurant · Traversing the rich tapestry of Nepalese and Indian cuisine, we introduce you to a world of unique, exquisite and contemporary… · bluemonk.uk
Italian, Restaurant · At Italian Touch by Ivano, our goal is to bring the authentic flavours of Italy to the heart of Bedford. We are passionate about… · italiantouchbyivano.co.uk
Cafe · 100% vegan café and vegan event organiser Café. Opening hours: We-Fr 09:30-16:00; Sa 09:30-16:30; Su 10:00-16:00 · 13 St Paul's Square, MK40 1SL · facebook.com
Burger, Fast Food · Opening hours: Mo-Su 06:00-24:00 Features: outdoor seating, takeaway · Newnham Avenue, Bedford, MK41 9LN · mcdonalds.com
Pizza, Fast Food · Opening hours: Mo-Su 11:00-23:00 Features: delivery · 21 Greyfriars, Bedford, MK40 1HJ · papajohns.co.uk
Coffee Shop, Cafe · Opening hours: Mo-Su 06:00-20:00 Features: outdoor seating, takeaway · Unit 6 Bell Farm Way, Kempston, MK43 9SS · starbucks.co.uk
Restaurant · Formerly The Barns Hotel, that name used for the onsite function room building · Cardington Road, MK44 3SA · thekingfisherbedford.co.uk
Ice Cream, Ice Cream · Opening hours: Mo-Su 12:00-24:00 · 119,121 High Street, Bedford, MK40 1NU · creamscafe.com
Chicken, Portuguese, Restaurant · Opening hours: Mo-Su 11:00-22:00 Features: vegan options · 3 High Street, Bedford, MK40 1RN · nandos.co.uk
American, Restaurant · American restaurant · 1 Riverfield Drive, Bedford, MK41 0UE · harvester.co.uk
Cake, Coffee Shop, Cafe · Opening hours: We-Sa 09:30-14:30 · 35,37 Roff Avenue, Bedford, MK41 7TH · fancybakery.co.uk
Kebab, Fast Food · Opening hours: Mo-Su 11:00-23:00 Features: takeaway · 73 High Street, MK40 1NE
British, Restaurant · Features: outdoor seating, vegan options · Riverside Square, Bedford, MK40 1AY · thelounges.co.uk
Sandwich, Bakery, Fast Food · Features: takeaway · 13 Allhallows, Bedford, MK40 1LN · greggs.co.uk
Steak, Restaurant · Steak restaurant · 4c Riverside Square, Bedford, MK40 1AS · millerandcarter.co.uk
Breakfast, Burger, Cake, Coffee Shop, Grill, Sandwich, Sausage, Cafe · Opening hours: Tu-Sa 09:00-17:00; Su 09:00-16:00 Features: takeaway · 14 Bunyan Road,…
Asian, Restaurant · Asian restaurant · Riverside Square, MK40 1AS · wagamama.com
Bubble Tea, Cafe · Opening hours: Mo-Sa 11:00-18:00; Su 11:00-17:00 · 43 High Street, Bedford, MK40 1RY · bbtea.co.uk
Turkish, Restaurant · Opening hours: Su-Th 12:00-22:00; Fr,Sa 12:00-23:00 · 17 High Street, Bedford, MK40 1RN · thenazarlounge.com
Indian, Restaurant · Opening hours: Mo-Th 17:30-23:00; Fr,Sa 12:00-14:30,17:30-23:00; Su 12:00-22:30 Features: takeaway · 38 The Embankment, Bedford, MK40 3PF · radhunigroup.com
Thai, Restaurant · Opening hours: Tu-Sa 05:00-23:00 Features: takeaway · 41 St Cuthberts Street, Bedford, MK40 3JG · ricethairestaurant.co.uk
Chinese, Fast Food · Opening hours: Su 17:00-22:30; Tu-Th 17:00-22:30; Fr-Sa 17:00-23:00 Features: takeaway, delivery · 12 Bunyan Road, Kempston, MK42 8HP
Bagel, Cake, Coffee Shop, Cafe · Opening hours: Mo-Sa 09:00-16:00 · 20 Mill Street, Bedford, MK40 3HD
Burger Chips, Fast Food · Opening hours: Mo-Sa 12:00-21:30; Su,PH 16:30-21:00 · 26 London Road, Bedford, MK42 0NS
Italian Pizza, Cafe · Opening hours: Tu-Sa 12:00-15:00, We-Sa 17:30-22:00 · 35-37 Harpur Street, Bedford, MK40 1LA
Fish And Chips, Fast Food · Opening hours: Tu-Th 16:30-21:00, Th-Sa 12:00-14:00, Fr,Sa 16:30-22:00 · 34 Denmark Street, Bedford, MK40 3TQ
Japanese, Restaurant · Features: takeaway · 5 Peel Street, Bedford, MK40 2HX · hokuhoku.co.uk
Dessert, Cafe · Features: takeaway · 94 High Street, Bedford, MK40 1NN
Greek, Restaurant · Greek restaurant · 125,127 Midland Road, Bedford, MK40 1DE
Mexican, Restaurant · Mexican restaurant · 33 St Cuthberts Street, Bedford, MK40 3JG
Regional, Fast Food · Regional fast food · 15b Beauvais Square, Shortstown, MK42 0GE
Fast Food · Features: takeaway, delivery · 34 The Broadway, Bedford, MK40 2TH · andreastakeaway.co.uk
Italian, Restaurant · Opening hours: Tu,We 17:30-22:30; Th 12:00-15:00,17:30-22:30; Fr,Sa 12:00-15:00,17:00-23:30; Su[1-3] 12:00-15:00 Features: outdoor… · marciositalianrestaurant.co.uk
Cafe · Opening hours: Mo-Tu off; We 13:00-19:00; Th-Su 10:00-17:00 · 87 High Street, Bedford, MK40 1NE · bedfordcatcafe.wixsite.com
Burger, Fast Food · Opening hours: Mo-Sa 10:00-20:00; Su 11:00-18:00 Features: takeaway · 9,11 Harpur Street, Bedford, MK40 1LA · locations.burgerking.co.uk
Pizza, Fast Food · Opening hours: Mo-Su 11:30-23:00 Features: delivery · 24 London Road, Bedford, MK42 0NS · pizzahut.co.uk
Coffee Shop, Sandwich, Cafe · Opening hours: Mo-Sa 07:30-22:00 · 15B Beauvais Square, Shortstown, MK42 0GE · thehangarcafebar.co.uk
Restaurant · Opening hours: We 14:00-20:30; Th 12:00-20:30; Fr,Sa 12:00-21:30; Su 13:00-18:00 · 11 Howard Street, MK40 3HS · carumbar.co.uk
Ice Cream · ice cream · 58 High Street, Bedford, MK40 1NT
Indoor
Cake, Coffee Shop, Sandwich, Cafe · Opening hours: Tu-Fr 08:00-15:00; Mo 08:00-14:30; Sa 09:00-14:00 · 63 High Street, Sharnbrook, MK44 1PB
Kebab, Fast Food · Kebab fast food · 100b Bromham Road, Bedford, MK40 2QH
British, Restaurant · British restaurant · 403 Goldington Road, Bedford, MK41 0DS · tobycarvery.co.uk
Sandwich, Fast Food · Features: takeaway · 15 Allhallows, Bedford, MK40 1LN · restaurants.subway.com
Steak, Oysters, Grill, Restaurant · Steak/Oysters restaurant · 19 Castle Lane, Bedford, MK40 3NT · quayrestaurant.com
277 more places in the Ultimate edition. See the Ultimate edition →
Airports
London Luton Airport (LTN) 19 mi to the centre
Airport Way, Luton LU2 9LY — You board from the indoor waiting area — no need to plan for the weather. ✈ 8 airlines (easyJet, Wizz Air, Ryanair, Monarch Airlines…) · direct flights to 85 destinations incl. Arrecife, Faro, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Sharm El Sheikh… (OpenFlights route data).
✈ Serves London (28 mi) — the low-cost way in
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 8 airlines, 85 direct destinations
- easyJet U2 (A319, A320) · 34 routes: Aberdeen, Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Belfast, Berlin, Bordeaux, Budapest, Catania, Dortmund, Edinburgh, Faro, Geneva, Glasgow, Hamburg, Heraklion, Ibiza, Inverness, Keflavik, Kerkyra/corfu, Lisbon, Madrid, Malaga, Milano, Montpellier, Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Paris, Pisa, Sharm El Sheikh, Tel-aviv, Venice, Zurich
- Wizz Air W6 (A320) · 24 routes: Belgrade, Bourgas, Bucharest, Budapest, Cluj-napoca, Craiova, Debrecen, Gdansk, Katowice, Kiev, Kosice, Ljubljana, Lublin, Poznan, Prague, Riga, Skopje, Sofia, Timisoara, Tirgu Mures, Varna, Vilnius, Warsaw, Wroclaw
- Ryanair FR (737-800) · 18 routes: Alghero, Arrecife, Beziers, Bratislava, Connaught, Dublin, Fuerteventura, Gerona, Gran Canaria, Kaunas, Kerry, Malta, Marrakech, Murcia, Nimes, Reus, Rzeszow, Tenerife
- Monarch Airlines ZB (A320, A321) · 15 routes: Alicante, Antalya, Arrecife, Bodrum, Dalaman, Faro, Gibraltar, Larnaca, Malaga, Menorca, Naples, Palma de Mallorca, Rome, Sharm El Sheikh, Tenerife
- Transavia France TO (737-800, 75W) · 14 routes: Antalya, Arrecife, Dalaman, Faro, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Larnaca, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Reus, Sharm El Sheikh, Tenerife
- Atlasjet KK (A320) · 1 route: Istanbul
- El Al Israel Airlines LY (737-800) · 1 route: Tel-aviv
- Tarom RO (737-300) · 1 route: Iasi
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Cranfield Airport 7.7 mi to the centre
Cranfield, Central Bedfordshire, ENG, GB — Indoor waiting areas, but some gates board by bus or on foot across the apron — plan for the weather on the day.
Sywell Aerodrome (ORM) 18 mi to the centre
Northampton, Northamptonshire, ENG, GB — Indoor waiting area, but you walk out to the aircraft to board — bring an umbrella or a coat if the forecast is poor.
Bedford Aerodrome 6.5 mi to the centre
Bedford, Bedford, ENG, GB
Old Warden Airfield 7.2 mi to the centre
Biggleswade, Central Bedfordshire, ENG, GB
Cardington Airstrip 3 mi to the centre
Bedford, Bedford, ENG, GB
Where to stay
40 Goldington Grn, Bedford MK41 0AD, United Kingdom · bedandbreakfastbedford.co.uk
Cowper Building, Riverside Square, Bedford MK40 1AY, United Kingdom · thelounges.co.uk
1 Northill Rd, Cople, Bedford MK44 3TU, United Kingdom · fivebellsatcople.co.uk
The Castle, 17 Newnham St, Bedford MK40 3JR, United Kingdom · castlebedford.co.uk
Green Ln, Clapham, Bedford MK41 6EP, United Kingdom · woodlandmanorhotel.co.uk
55 Victoria Rd, Bedford MK42 9JS, United Kingdom · homelyspaces.com
The Embankment, Bedford MK40 1RW, United Kingdom · bedfordswanhotel.co.uk
Chicheley Rd, Milton Keynes MK16 9JJ, United Kingdom · chicheleyhall.co.uk
Fletcher Rd, Kempston, Bedford MK42 7FY, United Kingdom · premierinn.com
6 The Embankment, Bedford MK40 3PD, United Kingdom · embankmentbedford.co.uk
The Barns Hotel, The Kingfisher, Cardington Rd, Bedford MK44 3SA, United Kingdom · thekingfisherbedford.co.uk
42 Midland Rd, Bedford MK40 1QB, United Kingdom · jdwetherspoon.com
Bypass Junction, Elstow Interchange, A6, A421, Bedford MK42 9BF, United Kingdom · ihg.com
2 St Mary's St, Bedford MK42 0AR, United Kingdom · all.accor.com
Riverside Square, Bedford MK40 1AS, United Kingdom · premierinn.com
32-34 Mill St, Bedford MK40 3HD, United Kingdom · the-mill-hotel.com.es
27 Shakespeare Rd, Bedford MK40 2DX, United Kingdom · vervebedford.co.uk
Priory Country Park, Barkers Ln, Bedford MK41 9DJ, United Kingdom · premierinn.com
Indoor
92 Salisbury St, Bedford MK41 7RQ, United Kingdom · booksilva.com
Narly Oak, The Baulk, Clapham, Bedford MK41 6AA, United Kingdom
Bell Ln, Bedford MK45 3AD, United Kingdom
36 Shakespeare Rd, Bedford MK40 2ED, United Kingdom
48 De Parys Ave, Bedford MK40 2TP, United Kingdom · deparysguesthouse.com
Heron House, 49-53 Goldington Rd, Goldington, Bedford MK40 3FD, United Kingdom
25 St John's St, Kempston, Bedford MK42, United Kingdom
26 De Parys Ave, Bedford MK40 2TW, United Kingdom · bedandbreakfastbedford.com
Kingsway, Bedford MK42, United Kingdom
Indoor
17 Ranworth Walk, Bedford MK40 4NB, United Kingdom · book.hostfully.com
Indoor
15 Shakespeare Rd, Bedford MK40 2DZ, United Kingdom
De Parys Ave, Bedford MK40 2TW, United Kingdom · stayzo.co.uk
3 Hindburn Cl, Bedford MK41 7YJ, United Kingdom
309 Ampthill Rd, Bedford MK42 9RA, United Kingdom
Indoor
87 Wendover Dr, Bedford MK41 9QX, United Kingdom
Indoor
Where things are
Local search powered by Geoverts and geo-intelligence by Better Mapping
base map © OSM
Photographs
credit: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons · See source page
When to go
Tourist season
May – September
The warmer, longer-day half of the year is the safest bet for a first visit.
Shoulder season
April, October
Cooler and quieter, with fewer visitors and better value.
Worth avoiding
Deep winter
Short days and the coldest weather — check local conditions before travelling.
Getting there & around
Getting there. The nearest airport on record is Bedford Aerodrome; 15 other airports serve the wider area. Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below.
Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Bedford, UK. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.
Trains & rail
National rail
Coaches & shuttles
Intercity coach
Intercity coach
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.
Broker · Any aircraft via operators worldwide · Global charter broker with 30+ offices; private jets, group charters and cargo.
Broker, marketplace · Operator network worldwide · Online charter marketplace, part of Directional Aviation; instant quotes.
Marketplace · Operator network · Transparent on-demand jet charter marketplace showing the operator and tail.
FBO, charter, management · Managed fleet · FBO network and management across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.
Fractional, jet card · Embraer Praetor, Bombardier Challenger & Global, Gulfstream · Fractional ownership and jet cards in North America and Europe.