Milton Keynes City guide, including Milton Keynes Hotels

By:Maria Williams Williams

Milton Keynes is a city of contrasts. It combines the fun and enjoyment
of city life with plenty of scope for leisure and relaxation. Busy and
prosperous, its prime location promises business success and offers the
sophistication and innovation to rival any other city. Milton Keynes is
famous as a new city, so visitors could be forgiven for assuming that
it has no history - nothing is further from the truth. When building
the new town in the South East of England there was a unique
opportunity to study and record the archaeology and landscape history
of over 20,000 acres of countryside.

Places of interest:

Milton Keynes has a vast array of intriguing modern art. Enjoy a
fascinating stroll around one of the largest collections of outdoor
public art in England.

Most of this art is based in the City Centre, or in Campbell Park.

  • Milton Keynes Gallery is free to enter. It is the city's most
    successful and imposing gallery and presents between 6 and 8
    exhibitions a year. These are of contemporary and modern art.

  • Gullivers Land provides great family entertainment and is a great
    day out for the younger family. It is aimed at children between the
    ages of 3 - 13 years and is great value for money.

  • Xscape is the ultimate entertainment destination in Milton Keynes.
    It combines a large indoor 'real snow' ski slope, an indoor rock
    climbing wall, a multiplex cinema, a family entertainment centre which
    includes ten pin bowling, health and fitness centre, bars, restaurants,
    cafes and lifestyle and fashion retail outlets - all under one roof.

  • Willen Lakeside Park is the place to go to for a picnic, take part
    in water sports, jog, attend events or simply sit and watch the world
    pass by.

  • The City Discovery Centre was set up in 1987 and adopted the
    heritage site of Bradwell Abbey as its permanent base in 1992. Bradwell
    Abbey is the site of a 12th century Benedictine Priory.


    • Things to do:

    For the visitor whose ideal break includes sporting pursuits Milton
    Keynes has facilities available throughout the city and surrounding
    areas. For those whose idea of a good time is shopping there is one of
    the largest covered shopping complexes in Europe.

  • The cycling in Milton Keynes is top quality; we have a huge network
    of cycle paths. These pass through beautiful scenery and guarantee an
    enjoyable bike ride.

  • Milton Keynes has over 70 Community Buildings in and around the
    city. These buildings include Community Centres, Meeting Places, Sports
    Grounds, a Windmill, Golf Courses and Swimming Pools.

  • Shopping in the city centre is dominated by the centre: It is a
    glass construction about a half mile in length and is one of the
    longest under-cover shopping areas in Europe, incorporating over 230
    shops from large national stores to smaller specialist shops. It
    attracts nearly 30 million visitors a year. Within the shopping
    building there are a number of specialist barrows selling a wide
    variety of distinctive goods and four days a week there is an open
    market alongside the building. Being built on ground level with
    automatically-opening doors and with ample parking around the building,
    it is also very popular with visitors with disabilities.


    • Food & Drink:

    Milton Keynes is well known for the varying different styles of
    restaurant. There are American, Chinese, English, French, Greek,
    Indian, Italian, Mexican, Thai Restaurants, and many more in and around
    the Theatre District. There are many different places to go out for a
    drink, either for a night out with the lads, or a quiet evening drink.

  • Eastern Paradise is in the Wolverton area of Milton Keynes. The
    contemporary surroundings are pleasant and spacious. You are
    immediately captured by the bright colours and the art work which has a
    very east meets west feel, and this is reflected on the menu.

  • The Swan Inn is in the picturesque village of Cranfield, a few
    minutes from Milton Keynes centre. The striking interior gives off an
    atmosphere of a contemporary minimalism. A small but simple Italian
    menu means that the food is freshly prepared every day. Vegetarian
    alternatives are available.

  • La Tasca, the Spanish restaurant is situated in the heart of the
    Xscape complex. On entering the restaurant you are immediately met by a
    traditional Spanish setting. Every detail is Spanish, the wooden
    Spanish tables, the flowers, beautiful pottery adorns the walls, the