Things to Do in Birmingham: A Complete Guide
Birmingham gets underestimated more than almost any other British city, usually by people who haven’t actually spent a weekend there. Once you look past the ring roads, there’s a proper canal network, a shopping scene that rivals anywhere outside London, and a curry culture that locals will defend to the death. If you’re after things to do in Birmingham, the trick is knowing that most of the good stuff is tucked just off the main drag, waiting for you to find it.
Top things to do in Birmingham: the canal network
Birmingham has more canal miles than Venice, a fact locals bring up so often it’s become a bit of a running joke, but it’s true and it’s worth experiencing rather than just repeating. Brindleyplace is the obvious starting point, a redeveloped canal side quarter of bars, restaurants and office blocks built around a series of locks and towpaths. On a warm evening the waterside terraces fill up fast, and you can walk the towpath all the way to the Mailbox, a converted Royal Mail sorting office that’s now home to designer shops, restaurants and a Malmaison hotel. The canal walk between the two is one of the most pleasant short strolls in the city centre, especially with the old ironwork bridges and narrowboats moored along the way. Further out, the towpaths lead towards Gas Street Basin, the historic heart of the canal network, where working boats once loaded coal and iron for transport across the Midlands.
Shopping at the Bullring and Grand Central
Birmingham’s reputation as a shopping city is well earned. The Bullring, with its distinctive curved silver Selfridges building, anchors the retail core and houses everything from high street chains to luxury names. Right next door, Grand Central sits above New Street Station and adds another layer of shopping alongside a genuinely excellent food hall. The two centres together make Birmingham one of the strongest retail destinations outside London, and unlike many cities, you can do a full day of shopping without ever needing to drive anywhere, since it’s all connected by short walks from the station.
The Balti Triangle and Birmingham’s curry heritage
Balti was invented in Birmingham, not imported from South Asia in finished form, and the Balti Triangle in Sparkbrook and Balsall Heath remains the place to eat it. This isn’t polished, Instagram ready dining. It’s family run restaurants serving food in the metal balti pans it’s named after, often unlicensed so you bring your own beer, and prices that make you wonder how they stay in business. Adil’s and Al Frash are among the names locals argue over, but the real move is asking a Brummie for their favourite and trusting the answer. Beyond balti, the city’s South Asian food scene runs much deeper, with excellent options throughout Sparkhill and Alum Rock too.
Jewellery Quarter and Birmingham’s craft history
The Jewellery Quarter, just north west of the centre, still produces around forty percent of the jewellery made in the UK, a trade that’s been based here since the 1700s. The Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, housed in a former factory that closed almost overnight in the 1980s leaving tools and workbenches exactly as they were, gives you a genuinely fascinating look at how the industry worked. The quarter itself is full of independent jewellers, workshops you can peer into, and a growing number of bars and restaurants in converted industrial buildings. It’s one of the more atmospheric corners of the city and rewards slow exploring rather than a quick photo stop.
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, plus a trip to Cadbury World
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, in the grand Victorian building on Chamberlain Square, holds one of the best collections of Pre-Raphaelite art anywhere in the world, alongside Staffordshire Hoard treasures and a proper local history collection. Entry is free, and it’s an easy way to spend a couple of hours out of the weather. For something different, Cadbury World in Bournville is a short train ride from the centre and remains hugely popular with families, tracing the story of chocolate making in the model village that George Cadbury built for his workers. Bournville itself, with its Arts and Crafts style cottages and village green, is worth a wander even if chocolate isn’t your priority.
Getting around Birmingham
The city centre is compact and walkable, with New Street, Moor Street and Snow Hill stations all within a few minutes of each other and the main shopping areas. The Midland Metro tram line connects the centre to Wolverhampton via the Jewellery Quarter, useful if you’re staying slightly out of the core. Buses cover everywhere else, and West Midlands Railway trains reach Stratford upon Avon, Warwick Castle and the wider region within half an hour or so, making Birmingham a genuinely useful base for exploring the Midlands. Spring and early autumn tend to bring the mildest weather for wandering the canal towpaths, though the shopping centres and museums make for solid year round options regardless of forecast. If you fancy comparing notes with a trip closer to home, our guide to UK staycation ideas is worth a look too.
You might also enjoy our guide to things to do in Belfast if you are still planning your itinerary.
