Today I took my toddler, Hilda on a day trip to Bradford. A city located in West Yorkshire that was awarded City of Culture in 2025 and holds the current title. We’ve been to Bradford many times since she was born but today was the first time we were visiting without the pram – Quite a milestone moment and a reminder of how fast time is going!

We took the short journey via train from New Pudsey Station to Bradford. The train ride itself is part of the adventure and we love to stand on the platform as they go by.

Although I do have to explain why trains no longer go Choo Choo every time we board one!

8 minutes later we were pulling in to Bradford Interchange.

Bradford Interchange is one of two train stations in Bradford, the other being Bradford Foster Square which serves Ilkley, Skipton and Leeds if I remember right. Interchange is much bigger with trains running all over the country.

As we left the station we were greeted with the big sign that ensures you know exactly where you are!

The area outside the train station has undergone so many changes over the last couple of decades it’s a real improvement. Still a lot of work to do on the oddly quiet train station in my opinion but I appreciate they’ve really tidied up the place a lot!

Our first stop from the train was Broadway Shopping Centre. This place is just over 10 years old which is relatively new for a shopping centre and honestly, you can really tell. I absolutely love going here because it’s almost like word hasn’t got out that it’s open. The shops feel brand new and it’s always so empty! In comparison to the bigger cities nearby like Leeds and Manchester, Bradford feels like bliss. I love a quiet shop and I’ve never caught this place on a busy day even during the January sales. Not to mention that in my opinion, they have an even better selection of shops than Leeds’ White Rose Centre! Personal preference of course. Parking here is a reasonable price but otherwise Bradford Foster Square train station is right next door making it super convenient.

We popped in to look at a couple of shops including Smiggle which is rapidly becoming our new favourite store thanks to it’s funky collection of Disney merch!

Back outside we ventured around the streets of Bradford for a little while where I was reminded what a beautiful city this is. Some of the buildings are wonderful pieces of architecture and too many people won’t notice as how often do we really stop and look around us?

My favourite part of Bradford is Centenary Square. It has a wonderful collection of fountains that are brilliant for dipping a toe in when it’s hot. They are enjoyed by hundreds of families especially during the school holidays where you will see tons of kids running through them. Today they were closed and it looked like a stage was being built for an event coming soon. This was a shame but luckily we visited a few weeks ago and enjoyed them then. Turns out I haven’t taken a photo of the fountains since she was a baby.. So here it is!

Bradford Library can be found in the square too and the Children’s Section looks out over the fountains. Whilst we didn’t get chance to visit this time, I have fond memories of taking Hilda as a baby here and exploring the library is one of the first things I do every time I go to a new city.

When we visited at the end of June, we had a little picnic on the grass enjoying the sunshine and looking out on the square. Hilda remembered this from last time seeing the same spot we sat and asked for a picnic again!

This time, I had greater plans for us. It was time for a very special Nando’s! Not just any Nando’s but big girl Nando’s! Hilda has been visiting Nando’s since she was born because of my best friend and I’s weird love for the place. It’s our guilty pleasure and we can’t resist. In fact, I think our first visit with her as a baby was this exact Nando’s back in 2024.

What do I mean by big girl Nando’s? Well, this was about to be the first time she would enjoy her very own Nandino’s meal. So we headed to Nando’s in Centenary Square – Which is one of my favourite branches in the country.

Due to the location it has a fantastic outdoor seating area – Something you don’t get often in a lot of cities including Leeds. When the sun shines it really hits the spot thanks to the amount of glass windows that line the place. It’s a great venue!

So we headed here just before lunchtime only to be greeted by a server telling us there is a lack of chicken meaning no burgers, no pittas, no wraps, no fillets. What!? But it’s Nando’s and it’s our first Nandino’s! Oh well. I didn’t let it ruin our plans so we entered anyway and Hilda chose our seat. We had the pick of the place.

We settled on a 1/4 chicken meal for me, courtesy of the green reward I had won after betting Harry Kane would score in the World Cup during one of the England Matches! Combined with the governments tax cuts on children’s meals – We were in for a bargain lunch. Hopefully you were able to take advantage of the discounted menus across the country during the last half-term. Nando’s was just one of the few participating restaurants.

With no chicken fillets on the menu I had to order Hilda a mac and cheese which didn’t go down very well. The moment it arrived she asked me – ‘Where is my chicken?’ To my delight the staff were lovely and even swapped it out for a thigh pitta later down the line. We loved our first big girl Nando’s. No high chair, no pram, no snacks.. Just Hilda and I enjoying a lunch together. One of many more to come!

Plus the lunch ended with unlimited soft scoop and what’s better than that?

After our lunch date it was time to take a walk. We admired the Town Hall, climbed up far too many walls and steps and we danced along giant pebbles.

Then we settled down on the hill beside The Alhambra watching the lions as we waited for our next stop for the day.

At 2pm we were seeing The Enormous Crocodile at The Alhambra! It was to be Hilda’s first ever theatre show! Today was turning into a day of firsts and I was loving it.

The show was a lot of fun and I loved the ending. Having never read the book before, I didn’t see it coming. Of course i’m not going to spoil it for anyone reading about it here but me and Hilda had a good laugh at the crocodiles expense. It was a fantastic first theatre experience for Hilda with an amazing view.

Despite Hilda being the right age for this show, i’m not sure i’ll take her again anytime soon. She enjoyed parts of it but truth be told, she’s not one to sit still. Halfway in, she was telling me she wanted to go outside and that she was too warm. It took everything in me to hold her attention, I even had to bribe her with snacks. Of course the moment we finally left, just like she had done at Disney, there was only one thing left for her to say about the show…. “AGAIN”?

We left with a few leaflets, a magnet for our fridge collection and a whole bundle of fun memories.

These were our only solid plans for the day but not quite ready to leave on this beautiful quiet sunny term-time day, I decided to try out something i’d been meaning to for a long time.

Bradford Darley St Market is something I’ve heard many people mention – Have you been there yet? But truth be told, I didn’t quite know what it was and I’ve never been much of a market person.

I should definitely have tried this place out sooner. I could tell from the moment we saw it from a distance it was going to be something quite unique.

The courtyard outside is a great sun trap and extremely quiet in comparison to what I imagine the same setting would be like in Leeds. It was so peaceful.

We ventured inside and were met with a bundle of market stalls on the ground floor. Known as the Lifestyle Hall, the ground floor was full of all the shops which I assume used to be in Kirkgate Market that no longer exists. I was sad to walk past this earlier and see it all closed off completely. I’m sure bigger things will come it’s way but I still have memories of this place and walking around as a kid.

On the middle floor was the Fresh Food Hall which does what it says on the tin.

I thought the inside of this market was stunning. We really enjoyed walking around admiring it all.

On the final level, we reached Darley Street Kitchen. I was surprised to see a craft beer spot called Northern Monk. One i’m familiar with but didn’t realise they had one here. There was tons of seating dotted about the place and the addition of a stage for entertainment, comfy seating and even a piano to play made it feel more than just your bog standard food court.

The best thing, in my opinion, about Darley St was the upstairs outdoor courtyard! Whilst the view wasn’t anything special, being able to enjoy a drink on a quiet terrace overlooking the city is something to be admired. I absolutely can’t wait to return here with a friend and show them this awesome venue.

Whilst we didn’t get time to do it on this visit, my final recommendation for a day out in Bradford is the National Science and Media Museum. This is a museum that takes me back to childhood as it’s been around for so long! It did close for a long while and even changed it’s name but to me, it’ll always be the really cool Media Museum.

This museum is free to enter and has a ton of things to see. Our personal favourite is the Wonderlab and this is great for little ones.

I wouldn’t ever visit Bradford without going to this museum if I hadn’t done it 100 times already.

At the end of our adventurous day and when our legs were feeling heavy with tiredness we finally ventured back to the train station.

A final short train journey home my daughter looked out of the window saying “Bye Bradford” before turning to me and saying “I want to go again”. Looks like we have a hit.

~ Visited Bradford, West Yorkshire in July 2026 and many times previously ~

Thank you for reading about my trip to Bradford with my toddler. If you are interested in more local day trips for families, here are some similar posts: