The Bradford Bucket List: Things You Have to Do Before You Graduate

Luke M. Williams

Believe it or not, graduation sneaks up on you. One minute you’re hauling a suitcase through the door at The Green, the next you’re graduating with a list of things you never got round to doing. Bradford makes that easy to avoid: most of the best of it costs nothing and sits close to your lectures at the University of Bradford or Bradford College.

The Bradford Bucket List: Things You Have to Do Before You Graduate

Which Bradford Museum Deserves an Afternoon?

The National Science and Media Museum on Little Horton Lane. The museum is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm, and entry is free. You do need to book your tickets in advance, though. Its Sound and Vision galleries came back in January 2025, tracing photography, television and the internet through objects you’ll want to touch and mostly can’t. Downstairs is the part people remember. Pictureville holds three screens, Europe’s first IMAX and the only public Cinerama venue left in the world, and a seat costs less than £10 per person. Sit near the middle to get the best view of the screen.

Where Does Bradford Keep Its Hockneys?

Yep, Bradford is famous for its collection of David Hockney paintings. Cartwright Hall is located within Lister Park, and its Hockney Gallery has reopened beside Pre-Raphaelites Reframed and a room of Pop Art. The gallery is closed on Mondays, but is open from 10 am to 4 pm midweek and 11 am to 4 pm at weekends.

The other is Salts Mill in Saltaire, where the 1853 Gallery houses paintings, etchings and drawings across a Victorian spinning floor that still smells of old timber. Saltaire holds UNESCO World Heritage status and is free to visit all year round. The station is also easily reachable from Bradford itself.

Don’t Miss the Food!

If you’re not already familiar with this place’s history, you might not know Bradford has held the title of the UK’s Curry Capital six times. It may not currently hold the award, but that doesn’t mean it’s not home to some of the tastiest dishes in the country. Put together your best group of culinary experts and head down to your favourite local restaurants.

Not quite, and that’s the fun of it. Bradford held the Curry Capital of Britain title six years in a row, the last of those awarded in 2016. One meal proves nothing. The bucket list version is slower: a different kitchen every few weeks, a table of people, too much food, and an opinion you’ll defend to strangers.

How Do You Reach the Moors From Bradford?

In less time than lecture you can get out to some of the UK’s most dramatic landscapes. From Bradford, you can catch a train towards Ilkley before walking to the famous Cow and Calf rocks on Ilkley Moor, where the wind blows sideways and the views open across the Moor’s. For Bronte fans, you need to head to Haworth. Hop on the train and change at Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, a five-mile heritage line calling at Ingrow West, Damens, Oakworth, Haworth and Oxenhope. The iconic stone cottages and the Bronte Parsonage Musuem can be found at the top of hill.

What Else Belongs on the Bradford Bucket List?

You’ve got to explore City Park! Here, you can see over 100 computer-controlled fountains dancing throughout the day. The main jet rises to over 100 ft, making it the tallest urban fountain in the country. For a more enthralling encounter, go by dusk when the lights illuminate the park.

Next, head to the Alhambra on Morley Street. Built in 1914, you can see some of the most famous plays of all time here. Travelling companies from the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre and Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, with The Pantomine Adventures of Peter Pan showing from early December to late-January 2027.

A couple more places to explore include the Loading Bay (reopening in May 2027), and the Beacon.

What Do Locals Know That the Guidebooks Skip?

  • The Bronte Parsonage Museum in Haworth isn’t an expensive day out. It’s only £9 for students, and £15 if you plan on bringing your parents.
  • Book a Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Day Rover three days ahead and 10% comes off the gate price.
  • Bradford Industrial Museum at Moorside Mills is free, and open every day but Monday.

Check one thing of your list this month, then another every month after. Do that often enough and you’ll soon have completed your Bradford bucket list. Explore our rooms in the town today and discover the perfect base to do it from.

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