Driving in Bradford — A Clean Air Zone, a City of Film and a Model Village

Bradford operates a Clean Air Zone that charges higher-emission buses, coaches, taxis, private hire vehicles, vans and lorries, but private cars are generally not charged. So most visitors driving a car are not affected by a CAZ fee. Schemes can change, so check the current rules before travelling. The practical considerations for visitors are parking and driving on the left, rather than a charge.

Check emission zone requirements

On the left, as throughout the UK. For overseas visitors that's the main adjustment, along with roundabouts taken clockwise. Rental cars are right-hand drive. Bradford's compact centre and its hilly surroundings are walkable in parts, and many visitors park in a central garage and explore on foot, with the car kept for Saltaire and the surrounding countryside.

Saltaire, on the edge of Bradford, is a remarkably complete Victorian model industrial village, built in the 1850s by the textile magnate Sir Titus Salt around his huge Salts Mill, with neat workers' housing, a church, institute, hospital and park, designed as a healthy, orderly community. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the mill now houses a David Hockney gallery (the artist is from Bradford), shops and cafes. It's a fascinating and attractive place, reached by a short drive or train from the city.

Use a multi-storey car park in or near the centre, then walk. Bradford's main sights — the National Science and Media Museum (with its IMAX cinema), the City Park with its mirror pool, the grand Victorian buildings and the curry restaurants — are walkable from the centre. For Saltaire, there's parking by the mill, or take the train. Parking once and walking is the easy way to see the compact city.

Plan your trip costs including parking

Not for the city centre, which is walkable, and Bradford is on the rail network (Saltaire is a short train ride). A car helps for exploring beyond — the Yorkshire Dales, the Brontë village of Haworth with its moors, Leeds and the wider West Yorkshire — driven from a central garage. Remember to drive on the left, and that private cars are generally not charged by the CAZ.