Luton is a large town of about 220,000 people in Bedfordshire, 30 miles north of London. It is primarily a transit hub — Luton Airport handles around 18 million passengers a year, serving many budget carriers — but the town itself has more to it than its reputation suggests.
The Wardown Park Museum, set in a Victorian villa by the River Lea, has an unexpectedly good collection covering local history and lace-making, for which the region was once famous. The Stockwood Discovery Centre south of town combines a period garden, craft galleries, and a collection of horse-drawn vehicles. Luton's covered market is one of the more diverse in the southeast, reflecting the town's large South Asian and Caribbean communities.
Most visitors pass through without stopping, which is understandable — the town centre has seen better days architecturally — but it rewards a couple of hours if you are already passing through on the way to the airport.