Top 10 places to visit in Birmingham
From the Library of Birmingham to the Back to Backs, the ten places that show Britain's second city at its best.
Birmingham rewards the curious. Britain's second city has world-class museums, Victorian streets, miles of canal towpath and some of the best parks in the country, often within a short walk of each other. Whether you are visiting for a weekend or have lived here for years, these ten places show the city at its best.
1. The Library of Birmingham
Wrapped in its famous lattice of metal rings, the Library of Birmingham on Centenary Square opened in 2013 and has become one of the city's most recognisable buildings. Take the lifts to the top to find the Shakespeare Memorial Room, a Victorian reading room rebuilt at the summit, and step out onto the garden terraces for views across the city.
2. Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Behind the Council House, the city's museum holds the world's largest public collection of Pre-Raphaelite art and a share of the Staffordshire Hoard, the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found. Its Round Room and Edwardian tea room are attractions in their own right.
3. The Jewellery Quarter
Still home to hundreds of jewellers, the Jewellery Quarter is a living piece of industrial history. Visit the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, a workshop left exactly as its owners walked out in 1981, look up at the Chamberlain Clock and finish in one of the area's independent bars and restaurants.
4. Cadbury World
In Bournville, the chocolate maker's visitor attraction tells the story of Cadbury from John Cadbury's first shop in 1824 to the present day, with plenty of tasting along the way. Leave time to walk around the model village the Cadbury brothers built for their workers.
5. The canals and Gas Street Basin
Birmingham sits at the heart of Britain's canal network. Gas Street Basin, a short walk from Broad Street, is the prettiest place to start, with narrowboats moored beside old warehouses. Follow the towpath past Brindleyplace and the Mailbox, or take a boat trip.
6. Birmingham Back to Backs
Run by the National Trust on Hurst Street, the Back to Backs are the last surviving court of back-to-back houses in the city. Guided tours take you through homes furnished as they would have been in different decades, from the 1840s to the 1970s, telling the stories of the families who lived there.
7. Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Opened in Edgbaston in 1832, the Botanical Gardens have four glasshouses, from tropical rainforest to arid desert, set in 15 acres of landscaped grounds. It is a calm escape just a couple of miles from the city centre.
8. Thinktank at Millennium Point
The city's science museum is a favourite with families. Its collections include a Spitfire built in Birmingham and the Smethwick Engine, thought to be the oldest working steam engine in the world, along with a planetarium and hands-on galleries.
9. Aston Hall
Built between 1618 and 1635, Aston Hall is one of the finest Jacobean houses in England. Its long gallery and grand staircase still show the damage from a Civil War siege in 1643. It stands in parkland close to Villa Park.
10. The Bullring and Selfridges
No visit is complete without a look at the Selfridges building, covered in 15,000 shining aluminium discs. The Bullring shopping centre around it stands on a site that has been a marketplace for more than 800 years, and St Martin's Church and the markets nearby are part of that story.
Planning your visit
Most of these places are within walking distance of New Street, Moor Street or Snow Hill stations, and the tram runs from the city centre to Edgbaston. Bournville is a short train ride from New Street. Check opening times before you travel, as some attractions close on certain days of the week.
