Things to Do in Birmingham
Prices, opening hours, best times to visit and the stuff nobody tells you, everything you need for a first trip to Birmingham, England, plus one pigeon's opinions on all of it.
Right, Birmingham. Canals ahead, try not to fall in, more of them than Venice, a fact locals will absolutely mention unprompted. Add a heavy metal legacy and a jewellery trade still properly working, and this is a city that took me a while to warm to and then properly won me over. This is the proper, no-nonsense guide to things to do in Birmingham: what things actually cost, when to go, what to skip, and which bits are worth the queue. Six main stops below, plus a quiz elsewhere on this site to see if you were paying attention.
Birmingham's Canals
Birmingham has more miles of canal than Venice, a fact locals will absolutely mention unprompted, and nobody ever believes it until you're actually standing on a towpath, a real legacy of the city's industrial past when goods moved by narrowboat rather than road. Gas Street Basin is the nicest stretch to start from, converted Victorian warehouses, moored narrowboats, and a couple of decent canalside pubs.
Walking the towpath from Gas Street Basin toward Brindleyplace and the International Convention Centre takes maybe 20 minutes and is one of the better free things to do in the city, especially on a mild evening when the water catches the lights.
Best time Early evening, spring through autumn
Where to start Gas Street Basin, just off Broad Street
Black Sabbath Bridge & Birmingham's Music Legacy
Black Sabbath, the world-famous heavy metal band, formed in Birmingham in 1968, Ozzy Osbourne's hometown, and the city has since properly embraced that legacy, a bridge near Broad Street now officially named after the band, complete with a commemorative plaque. It's a small, quick stop, but a fun one for any rock history fans making the trip.
The wider Home of Metal project and occasional exhibitions around the city dig deeper into Birmingham's disproportionate influence on heavy metal's origins, worth seeking out if the timing lines up with your visit.
Address Black Sabbath Bridge, Broad Street, Birmingham
Jewellery Quarter
The historic quarter of Birmingham was, at its peak, responsible for producing most of the world's jewellery, and it's still working today, hundreds of small workshops, some family-run for generations, still have more independent jewellers per square mile than anywhere else in Europe, allegedly. The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, a preserved working factory left almost exactly as it was when it closed, is the best way to understand the area's history in under an hour.
It's a properly nice area to just wander, independent cafes, small squares, a completely different pace from the Bullring ten minutes away, good for anyone who enjoys watching people who are extremely good at one very specific thing.
Getting there Jewellery Quarter station, one stop from Snow Hill
Library of Birmingham
The largest public library in Europe, completely free to wander, big gold circles stacked on top of each other like the architects couldn't decide how tall to go, so they just kept going. Take the escalators up through the atrium to the rooftop terraces on Levels 3 and 7, both free, and one of the better skyline views in the city for the price of absolutely nothing.
On Level 9 there's the Shakespeare Memorial Room, a proper Victorian library relocated wholesale from the old building, worth a look if it's open when you visit.
Hours Roughly 11am–7pm Mon–Tue, 11am–5pm Wed–Sat, closed Sun
Address Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2ND
Official site birmingham.gov.uk/libraryofbirmingham
Balti Triangle
Home of the balti itself, invented right here, and don't let anyone tell you differently. Sparkhill and Balsall Heath, just south of the city centre, have some of the best curry houses in the country, most of them BYOB (bring your own bottle, no corkage fuss), most of them unbothered by decor because the food is doing all the talking.
Prices stay properly low for the quality, a full balti meal for two with drinks rarely runs much past £30–£40 total. Go hungry, go in the evening, and don't expect a website or booking system for most of the best ones, you just turn up.
Best time Evenings, any day
Getting there Bus or a 15-minute taxi from the city centre
Cadbury World
Not in the city centre, out in Bournville, about a 20-minute train ride from New Street, but worth the trip if chocolate is your thing. A self-guided tour through the history of the Cadbury company, with a 4D cinema, a Cadabra ride, and a 'have a go' zone where you make your own chocolate bar to take home.
Booking ahead is essential, this runs on timed entry slots and does sell out, especially in school holidays.
Hours Typically 10am–4pm, varies by season
Getting there Train to Bournville station
Official site cadburyworld.co.uk
Best time to visit Birmingham
Late spring through early autumn (May through September) gives the best odds of decent weather for the canals, and it's when most of the seasonal attractions are actually open. Birmingham doesn't shut down in winter though, the museums, Library, and Balti Triangle are just as good year-round.
Avoid the last week of August if you can, that's when the city's various school-holiday events push prices up at paid attractions and queues out at Cadbury World in particular.
Getting around Birmingham
The city centre is easily walkable, most of the attractions above sit within a 25-minute walk of New Street station. For Cadbury World, the local train network covers it well. The canal towpaths are, honestly, the nicest way to get between Brindleyplace, the Mailbox, and the city centre if the weather's playing along.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Birmingham worth visiting?
- Yes, it's the UK's second-largest city, with free world-class museums, the country's best curry district, and more canal miles than Venice, it doesn't get the tourist attention London or Edinburgh do, which works in its favour.
- How many days do you need in Birmingham?
- Two full days covers the city-centre highlights comfortably; three lets you add Cadbury World and the Balti Triangle without rushing.
- Is Birmingham expensive?
- Not especially, most of the best things to do (the Library, the canals, the Jewellery Quarter) are free, and eating out, particularly in the Balti Triangle, is noticeably cheaper than London.
- What is Birmingham famous for?
- The Cadbury chocolate company, inventing the balti curry, its canal network, and being the birthplace of heavy metal music, Black Sabbath formed here.
That's everything I've got.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
