Derby to Luton by car: Distance, drive time & best stops
The best road trip stops on the Derby to Luton drive are Leicester, Milton Keynes and Woburn Safari Park. The distance from Derby to Luton by car is 97 miles, with a 1h46m driving time.
Finding the best things to do on a Derby to Luton road trip
The Derby to Luton drive takes you from the heart of the East Midlands to a Bedfordshire town best known for cheap flights.
The top attractions in Derby include Markeaton Park and the Museum of Making at Derby Silk Mill.
Luton doesn’t tend to feature on many tour itineraries, unless you’re flying out of London Luton Airport. However, there are a couple of decent attractions in this Bedfordshire town. Wardown Park has a lake as its centrepiece. The eclectic Wardown House Museum has a massive hat collection. And the Stockwood Discovery Centre flits from local life to an enormous hoard of carriages.
Derby to Luton distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Derby to Luton is 97 miles. That makes for a driving time of around one hour and 46 minutes. The quickest route is mainly down the M1.
The best stops on a Derby to Luton road trip are Leicester, Milton Keynes and Woburn Safari Park.
Derby and Luton drive: Leicester
Leicester is one of the most multicultural cities in England. It offers scavenger hunts and the National Space Centre. The latter is all about space exploration, and houses a Blue Streak Rocket, and Apollo Moon Lander and exhibitions about the UK’s contribution to the space race. The highlight, however, is the shows in the massive planetarium.
Also worthwhile is the King Richard III Visitor Centre, which tells the remarkable tale of the former king’s remains being found beneath a Leicester car park.
Derby to Luton road trip stops: Milton Keynes
Oft-maligned Milton Keynes is a new town gradually coming into its own. There are lots of fun attractions here, including the Snozone indoor ski centre and indoor skydiving at iFly.
Top of the list of Milton Keynes experiences, however, should be Bletchley Park. This was the secret codebreaking centre in World War II, where teams of mathematicians and scientists made key breakthroughs that turned the tide of the war. The stories are fascinating, and the on-site National Museum of Computing takes you through the history of computers.
Things to do between Derby and Luton: Woburn Safari Park
Woburn Safari Park offers a more safari-like take on a zoo. Animals are allowed to roam relatively free wherever practical, and visitors drive through the enclosures. Watch out for the monkeys – they tend to like jumping on the cars and pulling on the windscreen wipers.
There’s a walk-through foot safari area with less threatening creatures, plus a ropes course and several children’s play areas.
More Derby road trips
Derby to Birmingham | Derby to Milton Keynes | Derby to York.
More Luton road trips
Luton to Coventry | Luton to Leicester | Luton to Northampton.