Britain’s second city is a place of canals, chocolate and curry, with a Jewellery Quarter, a superb library and one of the best food scenes outside London.
Birmingham has spent a long time being underrated, and the people who live there tend to enjoy watching visitors realise how wrong the old reputation was. The city was once called the workshop of the world, a place where buttons, guns, pens, jewellery, bicycles and steam engines were made by the million, and that inventive, practical spirit still runs through it. Today it is one of the youngest and most diverse cities in Europe, with a centre that has been rebuilt and reimagined over the last thirty years.
It is also a city of neighbourhoods, each with its own character: the canals and squares around Brindleyplace, the workshops of the Jewellery Quarter, the warehouses and street art of Digbeth, the leafy streets of Moseley and Edgbaston, and the Balti Triangle to the south. This guide covers ten things we would put on any visit, from the obvious to the less known, followed by where to eat, where to stay and how to plan a weekend. Birmingham is also the best connected city in the country by road and rail, which makes it an easy place to reach and a good base for exploring the Midlands.
1. The canals
Birmingham sits at the heart of the English canal network, and it likes to point out that it has more miles of canal than Venice. They were dug in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries to carry coal, iron and goods to and from the factories, and they made the city’s fortune. Today the towpaths in the centre have been cleaned up and turned into some of the most pleasant walking routes in the city, lined with restaurants, bars and restored warehouses.
Start at Gas Street Basin, just behind Broad Street, where brightly painted narrowboats are moored beside old wharf buildings and a pub or two. From there you can walk to Brindleyplace, a square of offices, restaurants and cafés built around the water, and on to the Mailbox, a former Royal Mail sorting office turned into shops and restaurants. Look out for the old cast iron signposts at canal junctions, pointing to places such as Wolverhampton and Worcester, and for the Roundhouse, a horseshoe shaped former stables and depot near Sheepcote Street that now runs guided walks and canal activities.
For a longer walk, follow the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal down the Farmer’s Bridge flight of locks, a quiet, green corridor between tall buildings that brings you close to the Jewellery Quarter. In summer, boat trips run from Gas Street and Brindleyplace, and you can hire boats with a skipper or even by the day. The towpaths are shared with cyclists, so keep an ear out, and some stretches away from the centre are quiet after dark, so the central section is the best choice for an evening stroll.
The canals are also a lovely way into the city’s history. Almost every bridge, lock and wharf has a story, and the Canal and River Trust has put up information boards along the busiest sections. Even a half hour walk from Gas Street Basin gives you a very different view of Birmingham from the one you get on the roads.
2. The Jewellery Quarter
The Jewellery Quarter, a short walk north west of the centre, is one of Birmingham’s great treasures and one of the most distinctive neighbourhoods in any British city. For more than two hundred years it has been the centre of the British jewellery trade, and hundreds of jewellers, goldsmiths and silversmiths still work from its small workshops. A large share of the jewellery made in the country is still produced here, and the Birmingham Assay Office, which tests and hallmarks precious metals with its anchor mark, is one of the busiest in the world.
The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter is the place to begin. It is set in the former Smith and Pepper factory, which closed in 1981 and was left almost exactly as the workers walked out, with tools on the benches, calendars on the walls and dirty teacups in the kitchen. Guided tours take you through the workshop, and jewellers sometimes demonstrate the old techniques. It is one of the most atmospheric small museums in England.
Nearby, the Pen Museum tells the story of how Birmingham once made most of the world’s steel pen nibs, and lets you try writing with a dip pen, while the Coffin Works preserves a factory that made the brass handles and fittings for coffins, including some for famous funerals. St Paul’s Square has the last Georgian square left in the city, with a church where the engineers Matthew Boulton and James Watt worshipped, and the ornate Chamberlain Clock marks the heart of the quarter.
Warstone Lane and Key Hill cemeteries, on the edge of the quarter, are peaceful and a little eerie, with Victorian tombs and catacombs. In the evenings the Quarter has become one of the best places in the city to eat and drink, with independent restaurants, cocktail bars and pubs in old workshop buildings. The Jewellery Quarter station, on the line out of Snow Hill and on the tram route, makes it easy to reach, and if you are shopping for jewellery, the independent makers here often offer far better value and more character than the high street.
3. The Library of Birmingham
The Library of Birmingham, which opened in 2013 in Centenary Square, is one of the most striking public buildings in the country. Its facade is wrapped in a lattice of interlocking metal rings, inspired by the metalworking traditions of the Jewellery Quarter, and it glows gold and silver depending on the light. Inside, a series of escalators carries you up through circular galleries lined with books to the upper floors.
Two roof terraces with gardens give some of the best free views of the city, looking out over Centenary Square, the canals and the new towers of the centre. At the very top is the Shakespeare Memorial Room, a richly decorated Victorian reading room made of carved wood and brass, which was moved piece by piece from the old library and rebuilt here. It holds a remarkable story, because Birmingham has one of the most important Shakespeare collections in the world.
Next door, the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, known as the Rep, has been staging plays for more than a century, and on the other side of the square the International Convention Centre houses Symphony Hall, one of the finest concert halls in Europe and home of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Centenary Square itself hosts events through the year, including an outdoor ice rink in winter in some years.
Library opening hours have changed several times in recent years, and the upper floors and terraces are not always open every day, so check before you go if the view is the main reason for your visit. The building is free to enter, and it is worth stepping inside even if you only have half an hour between trains. Students and families use it as a place to work and read, so it has a lively, local feel rather than that of a museum. The escalators alone are a small adventure for children.
4. Cadbury World, Bournville
Chocolate is part of Birmingham’s story. In 1879 the brothers George and Richard Cadbury moved their growing chocolate business out of the crowded city centre to a site in the countryside to the south, beside a canal and a railway, and named it Bournville. As Quakers, they believed that workers deserved decent homes, clean air and green space, and they built a model village around the factory with good houses, gardens, parks and sports grounds.
Cadbury World, next to the factory, is a visitor attraction that tells the story of chocolate from the Aztecs to the present, with the history of the Cadbury family, a look at how chocolate is made, and plenty of free samples along the way. It is designed very much with families in mind, with themed rides and play areas, and children usually love it. Tickets must be booked in advance for a timed entry, and it gets very busy in school holidays.
Allow time to walk around Bournville village itself, which is still one of the most attractive planned communities in the country. The village green, with its rest house and shops, is overlooked by a carillon, a set of bells played from a tower, and nearby Selly Manor is a pair of timber framed Tudor houses that were moved here to save them from demolition. The Quaker founders kept the village free of pubs, which gives it an unusually peaceful feel.
Bournville has its own railway station on the Cross City line, painted in Cadbury purple, just a few minutes’ walk from the attraction, and trains from New Street take around ten minutes. A car is the simplest way if you are travelling with young children or combining the visit with other places south of the city.
5. Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery sits in the grand Victorian Council House on Victoria Square, and its collections are among the most important outside London. It is best known for its Pre-Raphaelite paintings, one of the finest collections of their kind anywhere, including work by Edward Burne-Jones, who was born in Birmingham, and by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and others in the circle.
The museum is also a home of the Staffordshire Hoard, the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver ever found. It was discovered in 2009 by a metal detectorist in a field near Lichfield and is made up of thousands of pieces, most of them fittings from swords and helmets, decorated with gold filigree and garnets of extraordinary skill. The hoard is shared with the Potteries Museum in Stoke-on-Trent, and seeing it close up is unforgettable.
The museum has gone through a long period of closure and renovation, reopening in stages, so check which galleries are open before you go. Entry to the main collections is free, with charges for some special exhibitions.
Victoria Square outside is one of the city’s great public spaces, with the Council House, the Town Hall modelled on a Roman temple, and a collection of sculptures. From here it is a short walk down New Street to the shops, or through Chamberlain Square towards Centenary Square and the library. Plan on at least two hours for the museum, more if you are an art lover. The café in the old Edwardian tea room is a grand setting for a break. Children are well catered for, with objects to handle and family trails on many visits. If you only have time for one gallery, make it the Pre-Raphaelites, and stand back from the large Burne-Jones paintings to take them in.
6. The Bullring and Grand Central
Birmingham has been a market town since the Middle Ages, and the Bullring area at the bottom of the city centre has been a place of trade for more than eight hundred years. Today it is one of the biggest shopping centres in the country, with the Bullring and Grand Central together holding hundreds of shops, from department stores to independent names.
The most famous building is Selfridges, opened in 2003 and covered in thousands of shining aluminium discs, a curving shape that has become one of the most recognisable modern buildings in Britain. Beside it stands St Martin’s, the city’s original parish church, and a large bronze bull, a favourite spot for photographs. The street markets nearby, the Rag Market and the Indoor Market, are busy, noisy and full of bargains, and give a real flavour of the city.
Grand Central is built directly on top of New Street station, which was rebuilt and reopened in 2015 with a huge atrium of light, so you can step off a train and be shopping within a minute. The Mailbox, by the canal, has more upmarket shops and restaurants, and New Street and Corporation Street connect everything with high street names.
In the weeks before Christmas, Victoria Square and New Street host the Frankfurt Christmas Market, one of the largest German style Christmas markets outside Germany and Austria, with wooden stalls, bratwurst, gluhwein and crowds from all over the Midlands. It is great fun, but very busy on weekend evenings. For a calmer visit, go on a weekday afternoon. The shops in the Bullring and Grand Central open late on several evenings a week, which suits visitors arriving by train. If you are buying a lot, a car booked to meet you at the station drop off point saves carrying bags across the city. The markets are closed on some days of the week, so check before you plan around them.
7. Digbeth and the Custard Factory
Just east of the Bullring, over the railway arches, Digbeth is Birmingham’s creative quarter, a district of old warehouses, factories and railway viaducts that has become a centre for artists, music venues, independent food and nightlife. Much of the area is covered in large and colourful street art, and walking its streets with a camera is a pleasure in itself.
The Custard Factory, the former works of Bird’s custard, is now a complex of studios, small shops, cafés and bars around courtyards, and it is a good place to start. Nearby, Digbeth hosts street food markets, club nights, live music and some of the city’s best craft beer bars, many of them in old industrial buildings with long tables and loud music. Much of Digbeth’s nightlife happens late in the week and at weekends, so it is quieter earlier on.
The area is changing quickly, with new homes, film studios and offices arriving, but it still has a raw and independent feel that contrasts sharply with the polished centre. The Irish quarter, with its pubs and the famous St Patrick’s Day parade, is part of the same area, and the parade is one of the largest in Britain.
Digbeth is an easy walk from the Bullring and from Moor Street station. After a night out, a car booked ahead saves standing on the street waiting for a taxi when the venues empty. During the day, Digbeth is a good place for a slow wander, a coffee and a look at the latest murals, which change often as new artists paint over old walls. Guided street art walks run on some weekends and point out works you would otherwise miss. The old railway viaduct that runs through the district is one of the great sights of Victorian engineering in the city. Keep an eye on what is on at the venues before you go, as the area is at its best when there is a gig or a market.
8. The Back to Backs
The Birmingham Back to Backs are the last surviving court of back to back houses in the city, a row of small homes built around a shared yard in the early nineteenth century, where families lived with just one room on each floor and shared toilets and washhouses. They are now looked after by the National Trust and restored to show how people lived in them at different times, from the 1840s to the 1970s.
Guided tours take you through four houses, each set up for a different period and a real family who lived there, with fires lit, clothes on the lines and period smells in some rooms. It is one of the most vivid pieces of social history in the country, and it tells the story of the working people who made Birmingham’s wealth. One of the buildings was a tailor’s shop run by a family from the Caribbean in the later twentieth century, and his story is told too.
Visits are by guided tour only and places are limited, so it is essential to book ahead, especially at weekends. The houses are in the Chinese Quarter, close to the Hippodrome theatre, and the area around is full of restaurants for lunch afterwards.
Nearby, the Hippodrome is one of the busiest theatres in the country, and the home of Birmingham Royal Ballet, which makes a night at the ballet or a big musical easy to combine with a day of sightseeing. The houses are small, with steep and narrow stairs, so the tour is not suitable for everyone, and it is worth checking the access information before booking. There is a restored sweet shop on the corner that sells traditional sweets from glass jars, a treat for children and adults alike. Each tour is led by a guide who knows the families’ stories well, and questions are welcome. It is one of those visits that stays with people long after they leave, and many say it was the highlight of their trip to the city.
9. Tolkien’s Birmingham
J.R.R. Tolkien spent much of his childhood in and around Birmingham, and many people believe the landscapes and buildings of his early life shaped the world of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The best known place is Sarehole Mill, a working watermill in Hall Green in the south of the city, near where Tolkien lived as a boy. The mill is now a museum, and the countryside around it was the kind of rural idyll he later described in the Shire.
Nearby Moseley Bog, a small wooded nature reserve with old trees and boardwalks, was one of his childhood playgrounds, and it is easy to see why. In Edgbaston, two towers stand close to each other: Perrott’s Folly, an eighteenth century tower, and the Victorian tower of the Edgbaston waterworks. They are often said to have inspired the two towers of his story, although nobody can be sure.
Tolkien fans can follow a trail around these places, and the city sometimes runs events celebrating his connection to it. Even if you have never read the books, Sarehole Mill and Moseley Bog make a peaceful escape from the city.
The Tolkien sites are spread across the south of the city and are not all close to railway stations, so they are easiest to visit by car, and a few hours by the hour with a driver lets you see them all in one afternoon.
10. Edgbaston and the Botanical Gardens
Edgbaston, a leafy district just south west of the centre, feels a world away from the busy city streets. It was developed by the Calthorpe family as a residential area for the wealthy, and it still has wide, tree lined roads and large houses. It is home to the University of Birmingham, with its red brick buildings and tall clock tower known as Old Joe.
The Birmingham Botanical Gardens, opened in 1832, cover fifteen acres with glasshouses of tropical, subtropical and desert plants, lawns and a bandstand, and they make a lovely few hours in any weather. On the university campus, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts has an outstanding small collection of paintings, including works by Rubens, Turner, Monet and Van Gogh, and it is free to enter.
Edgbaston is also home to the Edgbaston cricket ground, one of England’s main Test match grounds, famous for its loud and passionate crowds. Watching a Test match or a one day international here is a highlight of the English summer, and tickets for big matches sell quickly.
Winterbourne House and Garden, owned by the university, is an Edwardian house with a garden that has been restored to its original style, and makes a peaceful visit. Edgbaston is well served by buses and has a station at University, on the Cross City line. The tram also runs out along Broad Street to Edgbaston Village, a small area of restaurants, bars and cafés that makes a good stop for lunch. Cannon Hill Park, a short distance south, has a lake, gardens and a lively arts centre called the Midlands Arts Centre. Summer is the best time to visit, when the gardens are at their best and the cricket is on.
Where to eat and drink
Birmingham’s most famous contribution to British food is the balti, a curry cooked quickly over a high heat and served sizzling in the thin steel bowl it was cooked in, usually with a large naan bread to share. The dish is said to have been popularised in Birmingham in the 1970s by Pakistani and Kashmiri restaurant owners, and the area where it all started, around Ladypool Road, Stoney Lane and Stratford Road in the south of the city, is still known as the Balti Triangle. Many of the restaurants there have been run by the same families for decades, and some still let you bring your own drinks.
At the other end of the scale, Birmingham has one of the best fine dining scenes outside London, with several restaurants holding Michelin stars in recent years, many of them in the centre, the Jewellery Quarter and the suburbs of Moseley and Edgbaston. Book well ahead for these, especially at weekends.
For something more casual, Digbeth’s street food markets and craft beer bars, the Chinese Quarter around Hurst Street, and the cafés of the Jewellery Quarter are all good bets. Birmingham also has an excellent brewing tradition, and a tour of the independent breweries and taprooms is a popular way to spend an afternoon.
Where to stay
Most visitors stay in the city centre, which is compact and walkable. The area around Broad Street, Brindleyplace and the canals is lively and close to Symphony Hall and the International Convention Centre, while the streets around New Street and Colmore Row put you close to the shops and stations. The Jewellery Quarter has a growing number of stylish hotels and apartments in converted workshops, and it is quieter at night.
If you are visiting the NEC for a concert, exhibition or conference, there are several hotels next to the venue and the airport, about eight miles east of the centre. For a quieter stay with a village feel, Moseley and Edgbaston have smaller hotels and guest houses a short journey from the centre.
A weekend in Birmingham
On the first day, start with a walk along the canals from Gas Street Basin to the Jewellery Quarter, spend the morning at the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, and have lunch in one of the quarter’s cafés. In the afternoon, head back to the centre for Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the Library of Birmingham, then spend the evening at a balti house or a restaurant in the Jewellery Quarter.
On the second day, book a tour of the Back to Backs, browse the Bullring and its markets, then take the train or a car to Bournville for Cadbury World and a walk around the village. Finish with a drink and some street food in Digbeth. If you have a third day, Warwick Castle, Stratford-upon-Avon and the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley are all within half an hour to an hour by road.
Football, cricket and big nights out
Birmingham is a big sports city. Aston Villa play at Villa Park, one of the grand old grounds of English football, and Birmingham City play at St Andrew’s, both a short journey from the centre. Edgbaston hosts international cricket through the summer, and the city has hosted major events such as the Commonwealth Games in 2022.
The biggest concerts and shows take place at the arenas on Broad Street and at the NEC, next to the airport, which also hosts big exhibitions such as Crufts. After a big event, the roads and trains around the venues are extremely busy, so if you want to avoid a long wait, book a car in advance for the journey home and agree a pickup point away from the main crowds.
Getting there and getting around
Birmingham is the most central city in Britain and one of the easiest to reach. New Street, in the heart of the city beneath Grand Central, is one of the busiest stations in the country, with fast trains from London Euston taking around an hour and twenty minutes, and direct services to Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bristol, Cardiff and many more. Moor Street, a short walk away, has trains from London Marylebone and to Stratford-upon-Avon, and Snow Hill serves the Jewellery Quarter and places to the north and west.
Birmingham Airport is about eight miles east of the centre, next to the NEC and Birmingham International station, which has frequent trains into New Street in around ten to fifteen minutes. The city is surrounded by motorways, including the M6, M5, M42 and M40, and it is around two and a half hours by road from London in normal traffic.
The city centre has a Clean Air Zone inside the Middleway ring road, where some older vehicles have to pay a daily charge, so if you are driving your own car it is worth checking before you go. The centre itself is walkable and the tram links New Street with the Jewellery Quarter, Edgbaston and Wolverhampton. For airport journeys, events at the NEC and trips out to Bournville, Warwick or Stratford, a car booked ahead with a fixed price is the most straightforward option.
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