Places / Europe / United Kingdom
Birmingham
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At a glance
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- West Midlands
- Population
- 1.1 million
- Best time to go
- May to September
- Main airport
- Birmingham (BHX)
- Coordinates
- 52.49°N, 1.89°W
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Overview
Britain's second city was the workshop of the world, and it still wears that history proudly: more miles of canal than Venice, a Jewellery Quarter of red-brick workshops and Victorian civic buildings at its heart.
Decades of regeneration have added a striking library, a big food scene and a creative quarter in Digbeth. It's compact, friendly and easy to reach by train, and it makes a good base for the Cotswolds and Stratford-upon-Avon.
Things to see
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Photo: Alex Liivet from Chester, United Kingdom, CC0 Library of Birmingham
A gleaming building wrapped in metal rings, with roof gardens offering free views over Centenary Square.
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Photo: Brian Clift, CC BY 2.0 Jewellery Quarter
Hundreds of jewellers still work here, alongside a preserved workshop museum and handsome Georgian St Paul's Square.
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Photo: Brummie1885, CC BY-SA 4.0 Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Home to one of the great Pre-Raphaelite collections and finds from the Anglo-Saxon Staffordshire Hoard.
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Photo: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0 Birmingham Back to Backs
The last surviving court of workers' houses, furnished to show how families lived across a century and a half.
Tickets and tours -
Photo: Lewis Clarke, CC BY-SA 2.0 Cadbury World
The chocolate makers' visitor attraction in Bournville, the leafy model village built for its workers.
Tickets and tours
Things to do
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Photo: Oosoom at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 Walk the canals
Start at Gas Street Basin with its narrowboats and follow the towpaths past old warehouses and new waterside bars.
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Photo: ayes, CC BY 2.0 Eat a balti
Birmingham popularised the balti, and the curry houses of the Balti Triangle in Sparkbrook still serve it sizzling in the bowl.
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Photo: Oosoom at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 Explore Digbeth
Street art, the Custard Factory creative hub, independent breweries and some of the city's best live music venues.
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Photo: Lewis Clarke, CC BY-SA 2.0 Day trip to Stratford-upon-Avon
Shakespeare's birthplace and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre are under an hour away by train.
Where to stay
City centre and Brindleyplace
Canal-side hotels close to the main stations, Broad Street bars and the Symphony Hall.
Hotels in City centre and BrindleyplaceJewellery Quarter
Characterful and slightly quieter, with good restaurants and a short walk into the centre.
Hotels in Jewellery QuarterDigbeth
For nightlife, music and street food, though it can be noisy at weekends.
Hotels in Digbeth
Getting around
The centre is compact and walkable, and the West Midlands Metro tram links the Jewellery Quarter, Snow Hill and New Street. Buses and local trains cover the suburbs.
Birmingham Airport has its own station, Birmingham International, with trains to New Street in about 10 to 15 minutes. Direct trains from London Euston take around 80 minutes.
When to go
Summer (May to September) is best for canal walks and outdoor eating, though rain is possible any time. The Frankfurt Christmas Market fills the centre in late November and December.
Plan your trip to Birmingham
Guide last checked October 2026. Opening times and prices change, so check before you go.
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