Your Guide to a Fabulous Weekend in Milton Keynes

Last updated: 29 July 2023

Updated April 2023. Is it possible to have a wonderfully pleasant, fulfilling, and fun weekend in Milton Keynes? Yes, definitely! 

We set out to find hotels to stay, things to do, and the best independent places to eat in Milton Keynes. Located just 50 miles North of London it’s entirely possible to make Milton Keynes your next weekend break in the UK.

Conceived half a century ago as an overspill zone for the ever expanding capital, Milton Keynes is conveniently located equidistant between London and Birmingham, plus has proximity to Oxford, Cambridge and Leicester.  As the new kid on the block, MK (as it’s referred to by locals) gets mocked and bullied by its bigger cousins; labelled bland and full of concrete cow pats (roundabouts). But if you scratch the surface, it begins to come alive.  

Milton Keynes was built to be modern and efficient. Serviced by a grid layout of distributor roads, the city has more than 180 miles of bridleways, footpaths and cycle tracks running under and between main roads making MK city centre very easy to navigate without a car, though having one would make it easier to venture further afield.   

This interactive map is created using Google Maps. Click on this    symbol on the map above to expand the map legend or click on any pin for more information:

• Things to do in Milton Keynes– Red pins
• Where to eat in Milton Keynes– Green pins
• Where to stay in Milton Keynes– Orange pins

Things to Do in Milton Keynes

Xscape

There aren’t too many places in the UK where you ski a 200m real-snow slope serviced by two lifts, try indoor skydiving and bounce on 150 interconnected trampolines all under one roof.  Welcome to Xscape! 

There’s entertainment by way of a cinema and a casino, also an abundance of shops and dining although we’d recommend you opt for some for some of our recommended independent restaurants in Milton Keynes rather than high street chain fast food. 

Snozone

One of six indoor ski slopes in the UK, Snozone is one of the most convenient for Londoners. Suitable for beginners, seasonal skiers and intermediate with equipment of skis, boards and helmets available to hire as well as very affordable season lift passes. A sledging area for kids and lessons available for those looking to harness ski, board or freestyle skills. 

iFLY

If you don’t love the idea of throwing yourself out of a plane and freefalling through the sky, then iFLY is probably the next best alternative to get the same weightless experience and only a few feet off the ground. The UK’s first purpose-built wind tunnel, providing the popular indoor skydiving or body flying experience, perfect for anyone aged 4 and up. 

Gravity

Let’s answer the big question straight away, isn’t trampolining just for kids? Ahh, no. 

Come to Gravity for a jump around or for one of a variety of activities; fitness classes, parties for young and old and dedicated SEN sessions for members of recognised disabled groups and societies.

Milton Keynes Theatre

Opened in 1999 after a 25-year campaign to have a new theatre built, Milton Keynes Theatre showcases the best West End and touring productions with a wide and varied programme of performances including ballet, dance, drama, musicals, opera, comedy and children’s shows – perfect for all ages to enjoy.

Bounce

Situated out of MK centre, near MK Dons Stadium, Bounce was the first indoor trampoline park centre in the UK. This place is enormous with over 20,000 square feet of 100 interconnected state of the art trampolines.

Suitable for ages 3 and above and all levels of fitness. This inclusive activity also offers special sensory sessions where minimal music, lighting and noise is offered at specific times on Mondays. 

Indoor Mini Golf

Suitable for young and old, indoor mini golf is a fun activity, especially if the weather is rubbish.  Mr Mulligans Adventure Golf has a bar, restaurant and two themed golf courses, which visitors can decide to do one or both. Go midweek outside school holidays for the place to yourself.

Bletchley Park

Technically outside Milton Keynes city centre but this important site to British and global history cannot go unmentioned.

This location was pivotal to Britain’s success in WWII, with Bletchley Park the top secret home to cypher and codebreakers of the Enigma machine which had a direct and profound influence on the outcome of the conflict. Well worth a visit although you’ll likely spend half to a full day here! 

Stadium MK

Milton Keynes is sports mad and nothing shows this off better than Stadium MK, home of the Milton Keynes Dons Football Club. 

This imposing state-of-the-art stadium hosted some Rugby World Cup matches and also music concerts by big-name artists including Take That, Rammstein, and Rod Stewart.

Places to Eat in Milton Keynes

Brunch & Lunch

Made in Sud

Pizza out of a pop up kiosk in a shopping centre doesn’t seem like it’s going to be the beginnings of a success story, but Made in Sud proved me wrong.

Sud, Italian for South, explains the menu serving up Neapolitan-style pizza with options including a classic margherita, loaded calzones, and they’re also veggie and vegan-friendly. 

Situated in intu MK’s newest shopping centre, I splashed out on the antipasto with rocket, prosciutto crudo, and buffalo mozzarella on a margarita and was not disappointed.  Prices are incredibly affordable and make this economical street food accessible to all. With great quality produce and friendly and swift service and Made in Sud is great option for lunch on the go.  

Other Lunch Options

Restaurants listed below that also have a lunch menu under £10:

• Akasaka 
• Legend One Sushi Bar
• DeRoKa (one course, two is just over £10)

Coffee Stops

Bogota Coffee Company

Bogota is marketing itself as an independent specialty coffee bar, with no back office and no bigwigs, just a collection of coffee geeks keeping people happy. 

The Hub is a vibrant dining and leisure quarter right in the very heart of Milton Keynes. This small establishment on a side street in MK’s The Hub offers a mixture of high tables with stools and low slung oxblood red chesterfield sofas sat around a coffee table made of reclaimed palettes and a rather striking big red retro Smeg fridge in the corner.

The coffee is strong, the WiFi is solid, the prices are good, and the staff are friendly.  A number of recessed power points in the floor indicate that remote working isn’t a problem. What more do you need? 

Dinner

MK has a number of Turkish, and also solid number of good Asian restaurants.  

Akasaka

We took a leap of faith to try a Korean/Japanese fusion at Akasaka, the result was a welcome surprise.  We haven’t had sushi this good since Sydney! 

The extensive menu does well to straddle the divide the differences between Japanese and Korean cuisine and including all the popular dishes you’d find in a standalone restaurant.  Bibimbap and other rice dishes, noodle and BBQ as well as sashimi and sushi.  

To make the most of the comprehensive menu, we would recommend ordering numerous small plates to for all to share as this would work well alongside some perennial favourites. 

Sushi rolls come in portions of six which is ideal to share. Also making the short list is chicken katsu curry, gyoza, prawn tempura with a crispy but light batter, wakame which can be customised to be spicy upon request. The menu is broad, don’t be afraid to order a little bit of everything.  

Ambiance is chilled with dark timber and low lighting, culturally relevant art work on the walls and cherry blossoms from the ceiling. Perfect for a date night. 

Legend One Sushi Bar

Another establishment serving up a combination of cuisines, this time it’s Japanese and Chinese. Legend One is in an interesting location, close to but not IN The Hub, but rather situated sandwiched between a Sainsbury’s and a real estate agent.  The location may do it a disservice but don’t let that put you off.

After a successful and happy meal at Akasaka, we ordered gyoza and a katsu at Legend One to compare directly against Akasaka’s in order to make a fair judgement.  We can attest that Legend One wins over Akasaka’s on both accounts. Not to say that Akasaka isn’t good, because it is, but we enjoyed the food here more. 

In Legend One, the ambience on the other hand is a little lacklustre, and in my opinion it’s too brightly lit. Service was steady without being annoying. Overall the food pushes this venue over the line and we will definitely return. 

Blossom Room

New to The Hub, Blossom Room is a Japanese-inspired, high-end bar.  With a canopy of cherry blossoms across the ceiling it’s very Instagramable.  

The menu is confusing, offering small plates during the day and into the early evening, but the cuisine is all over the place. Seemingly “Japanese inspired” stretches as far as tempura and a Teriyaki salmon, sitting alongside a mushroom risotto and an American grilled cheese sandwich.  Like I said, confusing.

At the very least, the cocktail happy hour is worth a look at 2-4-1 cocktails Sunday to Thursday until 8pm and Friday until 6pm. 

Melis

Melis is a Turkish/Mediterranean tapas restaurant which is ideal if you are a fan of small plate dining. We recommend ordering an array of meze dishes (hot and cold) and some BBQs grills to share.  

Staff are friendly and the ambience is buzzing with traditional pendant ceiling lights with geometric star shapes in brightly coloured glass.  Tables for two are a bit on the snug side, so if you can, get a larger table or booth for more space. 

A broad menu means there should be something for everyone here.  The Hellim, halloumi/Cypriot cheese, comes with a small salad is good but was a little overdone as it lost its trademark squeak.  The cacik, a yoghurt dip not dissimilar to Labneh, was refreshing and a great accompaniment to grilled meats. Chicken is chicken, simple, easy and reliable option, the lamb was incredibly tender and very tasty. Overall, recommended. 

DeRoka

DeRoka markets itself as a family-owned, independent restaurant that specialises in Turkish Mediterranean cuisine. 

With striking teal coloured chairs and a floral wall in the stairwell of the mezzanine level, it’s very clearly targeted to the Instagram millennial.  

The enormous glass fronted property allows a great amount of natural daylight and the high ceilings make the space feel even bigger.  The downside is that the restaurant, and the tables are rather chilly which makes hot food go cold too quickly. 

Open for both lunch and dinner, their two course lunch menu is a very affordable option however patrons should note that, like many London establishments, a discretionary service charge of 10% is added to your bill. 

For Our Next Visit to Milton Keynes

MK Gallery

The cafe inside the MK Gallery appears to be a great little haunt if you’re after a light meal before/after the theatre which is next door.  The chefs at MK Gallery Café Bar work closely with independent family run businesses such as hand crafted micro-brewery, gourmet butchers, independent fishmongers to source local ingredients to create seasonal menus of artisan sandwiches and delicious cakes & pastries.

Olive Tree Turkish Mediterranean 

I discovered Olive Tree but couldn’t fit it into our schedule in MK.  Olive Tree is (another) Turkish and Mediterranean restaurant in central Milton Keynes. The menu is extensive with hot and cold mezze, traditional dishes and sharing platters.

Taipan

Tapian is an authentic Chinese restaurant has been in MK for years.  Alongside their a la carte menu, they serve dim sum which came highly recommended by a local.  

Back in Australia, Dim Sum was a lunchtime ritual for a number of my colleagues so I quickly learnt good from bad in these little parcels of yummy goodness.

I’ve got my eyes firmly planted on the Siu Mai, an assortment of dumplings including scallops, prawns and chives and that’s just for starters! They’re open for lunch and dinner, seven days.

Where to Stay in Milton Keynes

Simple (£)

Holiday Inn Milton Keynes Central is situated in the city centre, making it a viable option for business and leisure travellers. The outdoor onsite parking is plentiful and makes it an easy option for a city break with a vehicle.  

The onsite restaurant, Marco’s New York Italian, is a collaboration with IHG and celebrity chef, Marco Pierre White. The menu draws inspiration from Marco’s Italian heritage and his love for New York with a mixture of Italian inspired dishes and American classics. 

A big plus, and rare for a city centre location hotel, is the steam room and underground indoor swimming pool. There’s also a small fitness centre with machines including rowing treadmills, stationary bicycle and free weights. 

The location and additional facilities of the pool really push this hotel over the line as a viable and convenient option for a city break in Milton Keynes. 

Other city centre hotels include: Premier Inn or Jury’s Inn

Solid (££)

Technically located in Denbigh North, which is closer to Bletchley than to Milton Keynes centre, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Milton Keynes is a handy option for anyone visiting MK  to attend an event at the neighbouring StadiumMK, home to the local football club, the Milton Keynes Dons.

 

The DoubleTree opened in 2009 and has 300+ rooms built 360° around the  Stadium. Some rooms have pitch-facing views! 

The buffet breakfast is extensive and, an added bonus of a business hotel, is that everything runs pretty swiftly and smoothly.  Plenty of food, plenty of tables, get what you want and need from the buffet and leave when you’re done.

There’s convenient free parking and WiFi for all guests, it also has proximity to MK1 Shopping & Leisure Park for anyone looking to shop and also to Bounce, a state of the art indoor trampoline venue with 100 interconnected trampolines!

Swanky (£££)

The Woughton House is a converted 19th-century manor house. Set within Ouzel Valley Park, 95 acres of parkland, it offers scenic garden views. 

Some rooms have roll top clawfoot bathtubs, others with unique period features such as beamed ceilings and garden views. Despite the bucolic setting, it’s just three miles from Milton Keynes city centre.

How to Get to Milton Keynes

Drive

If you have your own vehicle, or prefer to hire a car for independent travel, the city can be accessed via the toll free M1 motorway and the journey takes roughly one to two hours from London depending on traffic and whereabouts in London you depart. 

There are plenty of places to park in MK however most of it is permit or paid. Rather than needing coins for meters, most parking is payable via your mobile phone. Call or use the RingGo app, check signs for relevant details and codes. 

Train

London to Milton Keynes by train is available via a number of routes.  Previously serviced by Virgin Trains, the carrier has been recently replaced by Avanti.  

West Midlands Trains also run a direct non-stop service from London Euston, the journey takes just over half an hour.  Tickets can be as low as £5 and tend not to exceed £20. As always the case with British trains you should book your train tickets early to get the best price.

Milton Keynes Central Station is on the edge of the city centre. Utilising the underpass walkway system you can walk to the station in about ten minutes.  A useful option in the train is the “Station Hopper” shuttle bus which operates between the city centre shopping district and station. Tickets cost £1, and can be bought on-board.

Coach

National Express Service (455/440) runs a non-stop service from London Victoria Coach Station direct to Milton Keynes Coachway. The journey takes 90 minutes to two hours. 

This is not the most convenient option with the coach station situated out of town at a Park & Ride where coach passengers will need to alight and transfer to a park and ride bus (additional cost £2) for the 3.5 mile journey into the city.  

Air

Milton Keynes is serviced by London Luton Airport (IATA: LTN) 26 miles away and is easily accessible by car (30 mins) and by dedicated buses run by Stagecoach (an hour).

London Luton is a hub for a number of London’s low cost carriers including easyJet, Ryanair, TUI Airways. It is the UK hub for Central & Eastern Europe’s largest low cost carrier, Wizz Air, Level, Vueling, SunExpress, Blue Air and EL AL Israel Airlines also have flights departing LTN. 

Travel Resources

Do You Have Travel Insurance?

Need a SIM Card?

If you’d rather acquire a SIM card before landing in the UK, there are options.

Order a Prepaid SIM Card for the UK online and have it shipped to you before you leave home.  That way, you’re ready for your trip and connected the second you land. Or you can setup with an eSIM, if your phone supports one, and then you don’t need to worry about getting a physical SIM card. 

Due to the large number of free WiFi spots around the UK, we recommend the 5GB option which should provide sufficient data for your trip however it does depend on your overall usage. Do make sure to check out the SIM card options and select one with calls and text if that’s important to you. 

Heading to/from London?

• Book a London Cruise from Westminster to Greenwich
• Visit the historic Tower of London 
• Experience the best views of the city from atop the London Eye
• Get a London Travel Guide

Additional Reading

If you’re looking for more UK posts and ideas for your next weekend or short break trip, then check out:

• Weekend Break in Cardiff, Wales
• The Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
• A Weekend in Chester, Cheshire
• 11 of the Best Castles Near London
• A Weekend in Belfast, the Northern Ireland capital

Looking for other things to do in London? Try some of these