Overview to Birmingham: Travel Guide and Tourist Information
- Birmingham Information
- Getting around in Birmingham
- Things to do in Birmingham
- Where to stay in Birmingham
- Birmingham street map
'Renaissance' doesn’t begin to describe what Birmingham has undergone in the last few years. And with its significantly revamped city center spreading out from two main squares – Victoria and Centenary – it's beginning to get the attention it deserves.
Culturally speaking, Birmingham is also thriving. The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is one of the most underrated art galleries in the UK, while the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery has an interestingly eclectic collection.
And Birmingham is one of England’s greenest cities. In addition to the number of urban parks, it’s surrounded on all sides by areas of stunning natural beauty. Lickey Hills Country Park and Sutton Park are both within easy reach of the city center and are well worth a visit.
But it’s as a modern city that Birmingham really scores. Eating, drinking and, especially, shopping have all firmly taken root in the city. The Mailbox and the Bullring, with its shiny new Selfridges, are both enormously popular shopping arcades packed full of fantastic shops.
Nightlife-wise, the bars of Broad Street and the gay district around Essex Street are jumping regardless of the night of the week, whilst the infamous curry houses of the ‘Balti Triangle’ stay open late to pick up the hungry revelers.
The city’s clubs and live music scene (always surprisingly strong) continues to flourish. An interesting piece of rock music trivia: 14 Lodge Road in the Birmingham suburb of Aston was the home of Ozzy Osborne, founding member of Black Sabbath.
Birmingham may not be particularly rich in sights, but it’s tacked everything a modern city needs onto its trademark canals to create a distinctive feel all of its own. What’s more, it’s on the up and up and there’s a tangible buzz about the place...
