Serviced Apartments in Bedford

Discover the best activities and attractions Bedford has to offer, and find out what makes this city a vibrant and exciting place to live or visit.

The Higgins Bedford
The Higgins is Bedford’s principal museum and art gallery, combining local history, archaeology and decorative and fine art collections in a accessible town-centre site. It showcases Bedford’s past — from Roman finds to Victorian social history — alongside rotating contemporary exhibitions, learning programmes and family activities. The museum is a cultural hub that attracts visitors, supports local schools and artists, and helps cultural tourism that benefits nearby cafés, shops and accommodation.

Priory Country Park
Priory Country Park is a large greenspace on the outskirts of Bedford centred around lakes, grassland and reedbeds. It’s popular for walking, cycling, birdwatching, family picnics, angling and informal watersports, and has a visitor centre and trails for all ages. The park preserves important wildlife habitat, provides outdoor recreation that improves community wellbeing, and draws day visitors whose spending supports local rural businesses and nature-education providers.

Bedford River Festival
The Bedford River Festival is a major riverside celebration held on the Great Ouse (typically every couple of years), featuring live music, boat parades, family entertainment, street food, fairs and fireworks. It’s one of the town’s flagship events, attracting large regional crowds, showcasing local performance groups and traders, and giving a significant boost to the hospitality and retail sectors while strengthening community pride and volunteering opportunities.

The Embankment and Great Ouse river activities
Bedford’s Embankment is a picturesque riverside promenade lined with parks, cafés, pubs and boating clubs. Visitors and locals enjoy rowing, pleasure-boat trips, riverside dining and seasonal activities such as regattas. The riverfront is a focal point for leisure and social life in Bedford — drawing families, walkers and visitors — and sustaining a cluster of independent eateries and service businesses that benefit the town economy.

Harpur Centre and Bedford Market
The Harpur Centre and Bedford’s town-centre market form the core shopping area, mixing national retailers with independent shops, cafés and regular market stalls selling food, crafts and antiques. The market tradition and independent retail scene give Bedford a distinct local character, support small businesses and producers, and keep footfall in the town centre, which in turn supports employment and the wider high-street economy.

Explore the diverse transport options available in Bedford, from efficient public transportation systems to convenient road networks. Whether you're commuting to work or exploring the city, this section will give you an overall look at the available transportation systems.

Public Transit System
- Rail (Bedford railway station) - Located on the Midland Main Line and served mainly by Thameslink, providing frequent direct trains into central London (St Pancras, City via Farringdon/Blackfriars) and northbound connections; the station is a hub for regional rail travel and interchange to local services.
- Regional rail connections (Marston Vale line and local services) - The Marston Vale Line links Bedford and Bletchley (Milton Keynes area) with local stopping services; other regional rail links and connections are available via interchange at nearby hubs.
- Bus network - A mix of local and regional bus services operated by companies such as Stagecoach and Centrebus (plus university-run Uno services), serving Bedford town, surrounding villages (Kempston, Ampthill, Flitwick, etc.) and nearby towns such as Milton Keynes and Wellingborough; services operate from Bedford bus station and street stops.
- Long-distance coach services - National and private coach operators provide intercity services calling at Bedford for longer-distance travel across the UK.
- Community transport and demand-responsive services - Community minibuses, Dial-a-Ride and other demand-responsive/community transport schemes support journeys for older and less-mobile residents.
- Taxis and private-hire vehicles - Local taxi firms and app-based private-hire services provide on-demand road transport across the town and surrounding areas.
- Airport connections - Good rail/bus links to Luton and Heathrow airports via direct/through services (Thameslink and connecting coaches), and onward connections to other airports from major nearby rail interchanges.

Major Highways
- M1 - Major north–south motorway accessible via nearby junctions (serves London, Luton, Milton Keynes and the Midlands/North).
- A1(M) - North–south trunk route to the east of Bedford, providing another high-capacity route to northern and southern England.
- A6 - Historic main route running through Bedford, providing local north–south connections to neighbouring towns and villages.
- A421 - Key east–west trunk road linking Bedford with Milton Keynes and connecting towards the M1/A1 corridor; important for regional commuting and freight.
- A428 - Regional route linking the Bedford area with east–west routes toward Northampton and Cambridge/Black Cat junction.
- A507 - Local/regional route north of Bedford providing cross-country links to surrounding areas.

Cycling Infrastructure
- Cycle network and routes - Bedford offers a combination of on-road cycle lanes, off-road routes and riverside/towpath trails (notably along the River Great Ouse), plus sections of the National Cycle Network (including Route 51) and signed quiet routes into and through the town; the borough has been rolling out improved cycle parking, wayfinding and targeted segregated links to encourage active travel.

Recent and Upcoming Improvements
- Thameslink programme enhancements - The Thameslink timetable and infrastructure upgrades have delivered more frequent, direct and reliable services into central London, improving Bedford’s rail connectivity for commuters.
- East West Rail project (central section and Marston Vale upgrades) - Ongoing East West Rail works seek to improve and re-establish stronger rail links across the Oxford–Cambridge corridor; Bedford is a key node for the Marston Vale corridor upgrades and improved east–west connectivity (phased works and upgrades remain in progress).
- A421 / Black Cat and junction improvements - Major highway improvements and junction upgrades in the A421/A1 corridor (including the Black Cat area) have been delivered or are under development to reduce congestion, improve safety and speed up journeys to the M1/A1 corridors.
- Local junction and road capacity works - Targeted carriageway improvements, junction upgrades and traffic-management schemes around Bedford to reduce bottlenecks and improve reliability for drivers and buses.
- Active travel and cycling upgrades - Council-led investments and schemes (including Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan measures) to expand segregated cycle routes, improve towpath surfaces, increase cycle parking and deliver safer routes to schools and the town centre.
- Station and interchange accessibility works - Improvements at Bedford railway station and surrounding interchanges to enhance accessibility, passenger facilities and multimodal interchange (better footpaths, signage, cycle parking and step-free access work as part of ongoing improvements).
- Bus fleet and service modernisation - Local bus operators investing in service quality, newer lower-emission vehicles and timetable enhancements to improve local and regional bus travel (plus ongoing work on bus stop accessibility and passenger information).

Bedford offers a mix of thriving industries, historical charm, and excellent transport links, making it a popular choice for business professionals needing serviced apartments. Whether you’re in town for a project or a relocation, finding flexible accommodation that provides the comfort of home is important for a productive stay.

Comfy Workers offers serviced apartments in Bedford, with properties located in central areas and close to transport links. Our fully furnished, self-catering apartments offer flexibility for both short and long-term stays, providing a comfortable base for business professionals working away from home.