Car Hire Milton Keynes - Mini guide to Milton Keynes

Located in north Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes is famous for its shopping facilities, and the Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre attracts millions of visitors from all over Britain and from overseas. The city is also home to numerous excellent amusement attractions, making it a great destination for the whole family.

Central Milton Keynes Shopping Centre offers an unrivalled shopping experience. Comprising a glass construction about a half-mile in length, it is one of the longest under-cover shopping areas in Europe, incorporating over 190 shops, from large national stores to smaller specialist shops. 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.

Adjacent to the main centre is the Food Centre. There is also a wide range of additional customer facilities such as restaurants and cafés, fountains and street entertainment, and the crèche, a fun place for children of all ages.

Around the town are plenty of other attractions to keep families enthralled. Xscape is the ultimate entertainment destination, combining Europe’s largest indoor ‘real snow’ ski slope, indoor rock climbing wall, 16-screen cinema multiplex, and family entertainment centre which includes ten-pin bowling, a health and fitness centre, bars, restaurants and cafés.

Gulliver's Land is one of the best days out for younger children. Alternatively, Willen Lakeside Park is a favourite for picnics, water sports, jogging, special events, or simply relaxing.

The variety and quality of dining establishments in Milton Keynes is astounding, featuring an excellent selection of restaurants representing all major international cuisines. Art lovers will appreciate the tasteful MK Gallery, which presents six to eight exhibitions of contemporary and modern art a year. Additionally, visitors can try their luck at Towcester racecourse, just a few kilometres to the north.

Famous attractions in the surrounding area include Althorp, resting place of Princess Diana and including the excellent ‘Diana, a Celebration’ exhibition. Blenheim Palace, one of the finest examples of English Baroque architecture, contains a superb collection of tapestries, paintings, sculptures and fine furniture set in magnificent gilded state rooms.

Milton Keynes is reached by taking the M1 from London, exiting at junction 13 and then following the A421 into the town. The total distance is 87kms. The town has convenient rail links to London, while the closest airport is London Luton.