Birmingham
Get your travel authorisation- Population:4.3M (metro)
- Timezone:GMT/BST
- IATA:BHX
Overview
Birmingham is England's vibrant second city — a youthful, diverse, post-industrial metropolis with more canals than Venice, a celebrated curry and food scene, the historic Jewellery Quarter, bold modern landmarks and a gateway to Shakespeare's Stratford and the Midlands.
Travel
Birmingham, the largest city in England outside London, was the powerhouse of the industrial revolution — a 'city of a thousand trades' and the workshop of the world — and it has spent recent decades reinventing itself into a confident, youthful and strikingly diverse modern metropolis. One surprise greets every visitor: Birmingham has more miles of canal than Venice, a legacy of its industrial heyday, and the regenerated canalside at Gas Street Basin and Brindleyplace is now a buzzing hub of waterside bars, restaurants and walks at the city's heart. The city's other great calling card is its food: Birmingham is the home of the balti, the curry invented in its 'Balti Triangle', and its multicultural population has made it one of Britain's best eating cities, from the curry houses to a remarkable cluster of Michelin-starred restaurants and the diverse street food of its markets. The historic Jewellery Quarter, a short walk or tram ride from the centre, still has more jewellers than anywhere in Europe and tells the story of the city's manufacturing heritage in its museums and working workshops. The modern city makes a bold statement, too — the rippling, disc-covered Selfridges building at the redeveloped Bullring shopping centre is an icon, the curved golden Library of Birmingham is one of Europe's largest, and the acclaimed Symphony Hall hosts the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery holds the world's finest collection of Pre-Raphaelite art, and the creative Digbeth quarter (home to the Custard Factory) buzzes with street art, studios and nightlife. Add Cadbury World at Bournville for chocolate lovers, and Birmingham's role as the gateway to the Midlands — Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick Castle, the Cotswolds and the Black Country all close by — and the city rewards more attention than its old reputation suggests. Central and well connected, it's an easy, year-round city break.
Birmingham's surprising boast — more canals than Venice — is a legacy of the industrial age, and the regenerated waterways are now one of the nicest parts of a visit. At the heart of it, Gas Street Basin and the broad canalside of Brindleyplace and the Mailbox are lined with bars, restaurants and cafés, perfect for a waterside stroll or drink, with narrowboats moored along the towpaths. The modern city centre makes bold architectural statements: the futuristic Selfridges building at the Bullring — its sweeping form clad in thousands of aluminium discs — is an instant icon and the anchor of one of Britain's busiest shopping centres, while the dramatic golden filigree of the Library of Birmingham, one of the largest public libraries in Europe, overlooks Centenary Square with its rooftop garden and views. Victoria Square, with its grand council house and the 'Floozie in the Jacuzzi' fountain, and the acclaimed Symphony Hall (home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, one of the world's great orchestras) complete a confident, regenerated centre that's compact and walkable.
Frequently asked questions
Diplomatic missions in Birmingham
2 embassies based in this city, grouped by region.
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