Luton
Introduction
Luton is a town and borough in Bedfordshire, England. It sits within the county of Bedfordshire, and the borough extends beyond the town itself to take in surrounding areas.
Before you go
Before you go, it helps to know a little about staying out of trouble in Luton. As long as you keep your wits about you, you are unlikely to run into any great difficulty, but it is best to avoid travelling on your own between midnight and 4am, when drunk people are often looking for fights. If a drunk person makes a gesture towards you, ignore them and keep walking. After a night out, the safest option is a licensed taxi, of which there are plenty. Football colours matter here, so think about what you pack. It is not advisable to wear a Watford FC shirt in town, particularly in the evenings or on Saturdays: Watford are considered rivals of Luton Town FC, and their bright yellow shirts are by no means inconspicuous. Wearing one is unlikely to attract more than verbal abuse, but it could turn ugly if you are not careful. For similar reasons, it is not advised to wear a Millwall FC shirt in Luton either.Getting there
Luton is served by London Luton Airport, the city's own airport and one of the London airports, sitting about 35 miles north of central London. It's a base for budget carriers flying mostly to Europe, along with charter flights, which means it feels the peaks and troughs of holiday travel keenly — Easter in particular can be chaotic. Building work on the interior is finished for the time being, but the access routes and parking lots are still being excavated, so allow extra time. Ground side you'll find a couple of cafes and an exchange desk; airside there's a large retail and waiting area plus a multi-faith prayer room. Mobile and wifi coverage inside the terminal is scratchy, so consider printing your boarding pass even if it's on your phone; free non-secure airport wifi is available for a limited period.
From the airport, the Luton DART shuttle runs around the clock between the terminal and Luton Airport Parkway station, with frequent daytime departures. From the Parkway, non-stop trains reach London St Pancras International in a little over half an hour, with departures every 30 minutes, and stopping trains through London take around 45 minutes, including overnight services; both accept contactless and Oyster "touch in, touch out" payment. Change at St Pancras for the Underground, other National Rail services and Eurostar to mainland Europe. Coaches run to destinations including Golders Green, Finchley Road, Baker Street, Paddington, Victoria and Brent Cross, and local buses connect the airport with Luton town railway station and Dunstable, or to Hitchin and Stevenage. Car hire companies operate on-site, and the M1 junctions 10 and 11 put the city within a few minutes of the motorway from London and the north, while the A505 links via Hitchin to the A1(M) and the Cambridge area. If you're arriving from another London airport, an inter-airport transfer bus into Luton can be quicker than travelling into central London and back out; buses run from Heathrow and Stansted, and some start from Gatwick, though direct trains are much quicker for the same fare.
By train, Luton has three stations: one in the town centre, one close to the airport and one towards the north of the town. The town centre station is served by Thameslink and East Midlands trains, with northbound services to Bedford, Kettering and Corby and peak-hour extensions to Leicester, Loughborough and Nottingham, and southbound services to Luton Airport Parkway, St Albans, London St Pancras, Gatwick Airport and Brighton, plus peak-hour destinations including Wimbledon, Sutton, Sevenoaks, Orpington and East Grinstead. Thameslink trains also serve several stations in central London, including St Pancras International and Blackfriars. Luton Airport Parkway, south-east of the town and west of the airport, sits on the East Midland Line with Thameslink and East Midlands services north to Bedford, Kettering, Leicester, Loughborough and Nottingham and south to St Albans, London St Pancras International, Rainham, Gatwick Airport and Brighton.
Getting around
Luton's town centre is compact enough to explore on foot, though you should check a detailed map before your visit to plan routes between attractions and facilities. For longer journeys, buses are the primary form of public transport, operated by several companies including Arriva Herts & Essex, Centrebus and Grant Palmer. Routes connect the town centre, residential areas and the airport: Arriva Bus A runs frequently between the airport and Luton town railway station, taking around 15 minutes, and also serves Dunstable in around 30 minutes, while Bus 100 links the airport to Hitchin and Stevenage. The guided busway provides a faster alternative for routes between Dunstable, Houghton Regis, Luton and the airport.
Three railway stations on the Midland Main Line serve the town: Luton in the town centre, Luton Airport Parkway to the south-east near the airport, and Leagrave towards the north. Thameslink runs north to Bedford and south through central London to Brighton, Three Bridges and Rainham, with limited peak-time services to East Grinstead, Orpington and Sutton; East Midlands Railway's "EMR Connect" semi-fast services run between London St Pancras and Corby, calling at Luton and Luton Airport Parkway, with limited services onward to Melton Mowbray, Nottingham and Sheffield. From Luton Station you can pay with contactless or Oyster cards using the "touch in, touch out" system, and both operators serve central London stations where you can change onto the Underground. To reach the railway network from the airport, the Luton DART automated light rail line connects the terminal directly to Luton Airport Parkway, running around the clock with departures every few minutes during the day. From the Parkway, Luton Airport Express offers non-stop trains to London St Pancras International, while Thameslink provides regular stopping trains through London, including overnight services, toward destinations such as Brent Cross West, King's Cross St Pancras, Farringdon, London Bridge, East Croydon and Gatwick Airport. National Express and Green Line coaches run from the airport to central London destinations including Baker Street, Paddington and Victoria, and longer-distance coaches depart from Luton Station Interchange and the airport bus station for destinations across the UK and Europe. Car hire companies and pre-booked minicabs operate from the airport; for taxis and ride-hailing, enquire locally or book online once you arrive.
Where to stay
Luton's accommodation is limited, with a couple of small independent hotels rather than large chains. Leaside Brasserie Hotel on New Bedford Road is a Victorian, family-run place with its own restaurant and rooms featuring four-poster beds. Stockwood Hotel on Stockwood Crescent is a smaller option offering single rooms.
Food & drink
For a sit-down meal, the town centre offers Bellini's, which serves reasonably-priced semi-Italian cuisine during the day before turning into a bar and club at night, and ZaZa on Park Street, an authentic family-run Italian restaurant known for huge portions and great value. In the Bury Park area, Lazim is an Indian restaurant with delicious, affordable food; its buffet is at its most incredibly priced at lunch or on Sunday evenings. The Leaside Hotel serves varied menus of British classics, Mediterranean food and seafood, with generous portions and a good range at the bar; booking ahead is a good idea, and the main restaurant closes on Sunday evenings. For a quick bite, walk through the Arndale shopping centre and pick up ethnic specialities in the market, such as an Indian samosa or a savoury African pancake. You'll also find franchises like Costa, Gregg's and McDonald's, while Aroma, the Asian restaurant in the Galaxy, offers an incredible though pricey buffet that's cheaper at lunch. For a drink, the White House, attached to the Galaxy cinema, bowling and arcade complex, has a very friendly atmosphere, complete with a fireplace, armchairs and bookshelves lining the walls.What to see and do
In Luton itself, start with Wardown House, Museum and Gallery, set in Wardown Park, where a pleasant lake and gardens make a good spot to feed the ducks; the museum and art gallery occupy a large Victorian mansion on the edge of the town centre. Stockwood Park offers another quiet space for a picnic in fine weather, and its Discovery Centre holds the Mossman Horse-Drawn Carriage Collection along with displays of local rural crafts and trades. Someries Castle, a restored 15th-century fortified manor house just outside town near the airport, is worth a look, and Shaw's Corner at Ayot St Lawrence, George Bernard Shaw's former home, is now run by the National Trust. For football, catch Luton Town FC, "The Hatters", at Kenilworth Road, a mile northwest of the town centre. The town's large South Asian community supports several mosques and temples such as Guru Nanak Gurdwara, plus a jewellery market and curry houses. If you want countryside, head north to the wooded hill called the Clappers in the village of Streatley for a walk, or west to Dunstable Downs, the eastern edge of the Chilterns, popular for walking, gliding and kite-flying. Luton Carnival is usually held in late May.When to go
Luton has a temperate marine climate, so expect changeable weather day to day and light rain at any time of year. Sitting up in the Chiltern Hills, the town runs slightly cooler than the surrounding lowlands. Winter is when the area's marginal snow events tend to occur. Because Luton sits higher than nearby towns, flights at the airport can be suspended during these episodes while lower-elevation airports keep operating, and record cold extremes have been logged in December and January, so frost and occasional snow are part of a typical winter. Summer brings the chance of the area's record high temperatures, with extremes recorded in July and August, but rain remains possible throughout the season.Three days in Luton
Day one: Start in Luton itself, in Bedfordshire, England. If you are arriving by air, London Luton Airport connects the town to London and Europe, and the Luton DART links the airport with Luton Airport Parkway. From Parkway, trains run to London St Pancras International; change at St Pancras for the Underground or National Rail, and note that Oyster is not valid on the DART. Coaches also serve Golders Green, Finchley Road, Baker Street, Paddington and Victoria. If you are in town on a Saturday, football is the local rhythm: Luton Town FC play at home, and you may see supporters wearing colours. For a match against Watford FC or Millwall FC, expect a lively atmosphere around the ground.
Day two: Use Luton as your base for London. From Luton Airport Parkway, take the train to London St Pancras International, then change to the Underground for the rest of the city. Before you travel, check whether Oyster covers your route, and remember that Eurostar services also use St Pancras. After a day in London, return to Parkway and back to Luton. If you prefer coaches, services run from Golders Green, Finchley Road, Baker Street, Paddington and Victoria.
Day three: Keep the day local. Wander Luton and take in its streets and markets, then, if time allows, head out into Bedfordshire. As Easter approaches, the town can be busy with visitors passing through London Luton Airport. Building in time for the DART and Parkway connections makes for a calm departure, whether you are heading to London, elsewhere in England, or onward to Europe.