WE all know that Universal is building its very first European theme park right here in the UK.
While it’s setting up base in Bedford, it could have been somewhere else completely – and it happens to be the ‘coolest’ city in Britain.
Planning documents revealed that Universal had previously considered building its upcoming theme park on the outskirts of Milton Keynes.
But when certain “terms could not be agreed”, a site in Bedford was picked instead.
Milton Keynes is just a half an hour drive away from Bedford but is completely different being a city, and in Buckinghamshire.
Last year, Milton Keynes was named one of the top ten destinations for Brits to visit in 2025 behind the likes of Milan, Rome and Tokyo.
The city was even declared one of the ‘coolest’ places to live last year by The Times.
There’s plenty of activities to do in Milton Keynes – most of which you’ll find at Xscape.
Inside there’s everything from indoor skydiving to bowling, arcades, climbing walls, trampolines, escape rooms – even indoor ski slopes.
For restaurants, there are high-end spots on 12th Street and plenty of bars too.
Milton Keynes has its own theatre too with plays and touring West End musicals on throughout the year.
Nearby is Willen Lake which is popular for watersports like paddleboarding, kayaking, aqua parcs and open water swimming.
There’s also Woburn Safari Park and Woburn Abbey which has a 3,000-acre deer park.
Bletchley Park which was once the top-secret home of Britain’s World War Two Codebreakers sits just outside of the city centre.
Visitors can spend the day at the attraction which celebrates the place where Alan Turing helped to crack Enigma and save millions of lives.
Tickets for adults start from £25.87, for children (between 12-17) entry starts from £13.50, for children aged 8-11 tickets cost £6.75.
The new Universal theme park will be constructed in Bedford and it has recently announced that it will be officially called ‘Universal United Kingdom Resort’.
The park was given the green light last year with work on the site starting in early 2026.
Once open, it will be the first Universal theme park in Europe, and it’s scheduled to open in 2031.
As for what kind of themed lands and rides would open at the UK Universal, very little is known.
But there are rumours suggesting that some could be based on James Bond, Paddington, Lord of the Rings, Minions, Jurassic World, and Back to the Future.
There’s also expected to be hotels on-site as well as a new train station.