You’ll be thrilled at all the diverse things to do in Birmingham and perhaps pleasantly surprised at all the unusual experiences available if you look a bit closer than the standard tourist brochures. The city offers everything from historical recreations of Industrial Age life and working Victorian-era farms to ultra-modern drawcards like an aquarium complex and interactive science museums.
The top things to do in Birmingham
With so many things to do in Birmingham, if you’re a little short of time, here are the opportunities you shouldn’t miss. Families with children can visit the National SEA LIFE Centre at The Water’s Edge in Brindley Place. It’s a fabulous place, with over 60 marine life exhibits. Memorable experiences include the Penguin Ice Adventure habitat and the Dinosaur Detective events.
Arts and archaeology
The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in Chamberlain Square offers a wealth of unusual artefacts, covering millennia of European archaeology, social history, and art. Its more exotic exhibits include Egyptian sarcophagi and mummies and the largest collection of Indian bronze sculptures in the world. It also has Stone Age artefacts and Pre-Raphaelite artworks. The wonderful Pinto Collection of more than 6,000 wooden toys is another highlight.
Pantomimes and fine culture
The Birmingham Hippodrome on Hurst Street in Southside is a much more modern tourist attraction. It’s most famous as a venue for extravagant pantomimes and also hosts opera and ballet performances. It’s very child-friendly – you can get booster seats for little ones. The venue also has a really popular independently-owned restaurant that opens two hours before the shows start.
Fine European art
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is one of the most celebrated galleries of its kind in the UK. It’s at the University of Birmingham in the Edgbaston neighbourhood and is famous for its comprehensive collection of artworks from some of Europe’s most iconic painters from the Renaissance to the 20th century. These include works by the likes of Botticelli, Monet, Rembrandt, Rubens, Degas, Constable and many more. It’s an art lover’s paradise, and the venue also holds classical concerts at lunchtimes and in the evenings.
Discover more interesting things to see in Birmingham by reading our Birmingham Travel Guide.
More popular things to do in Birmingham, England
If you’re with your family, you’re not likely to get away with visiting Birmingham without going to Cadbury World. It’s in Bournville, a short drive from the city in your hire car. There are interactive and themed exhibits and, of course, you can taste plenty of chocolate. More enticingly, you make your own and learn all about the history of this beloved confectionary.
Great shopping in Birmingham
While not built to be a tourist attraction, visiting The Great Western Arcade is another of the popular things to do in Birmingham. It’s on Colmore Row in the very centre of Birmingham and is the main retail district. Here you can find a myriad of independent stores selling captivating items, spas to relax in and eateries serving many different types of cuisine. Originally built in the Victorian era, it features a glass-roofed apex.
Get up close with wildlife
A visit to the Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park is another really popular activity in Birmingham. You’ll find it on Pershore Road next to Cannon Hill Park. It mainly houses small mammals like meerkats and lemurs. Children can safely have hands-on experiences at this important conservation centre, established in 1964.
Immersive contemporary art
The Ikon Gallery is a museum showcasing many forms of contemporary visual art. To get there, head to Chamberlain Square. You’ll travel between levels in its singing lift, designed by Martin Creed, winner of the Turner Prize. There’s a small café with an independent arts bookshop.
The gallery has a regular schedule of exhibitions, seminars, and workshops.
Iconic Birmingham tourist attractions
The pedestrianised area around Victoria Square is the epicentre of the social and cultural scenes. You can walk through the entire precinct along the Birmingham City Centre Path. The square’s centrepiece is the old Town Hall, built in the style of a Roman temple. Famous for its world-class acoustics, it hosted its first performance in 1847 and is now known as Symphony Hall.
Picturesque Edwardian houses
Winterbourne House and Garden is a beautiful Edwardian estate known for its many plant species. There are over 6,000 from all around the world, and you can take walks through the different sections with quaint little Japanese-style bridges. Inside the house is an equally impressive collection of antiques, arts and crafts. It’s located on Edgbaston Park Road and is the largest of many you can visit in the neighbourhood.
Historic botanical gardens
Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses is one of the highlights in Birmingham and the entire West Midlands region. It covers about 15 acres along Westbourne Road, dating back to the 19th century. You can wander through immaculately preserved Victorian glasshouses and see over 7,000 plants from around the planet. There’s also a butterfly house and an aviary housing rare tropical birds.
Stained glass cathedrals
St. Philip’s Cathedral is one of the smallest in England, but it has a big reputation for its exquisite stained-glass windows. Built in 1715, it was bombed in WWII, but these famous windows were removed in time to preserve them for the present day. Besides religious services, it also holds classical music concerts. You’ll find it on Colmore Row.
Historical Birmingham sightseeing
There’s a lot for history buffs to absorb in Birmingham. Start with the fascinating National Motorcycle Museum and see its over 1,000 lovingly restored original bikes. It has machines going as far back as 1898, charting the motorcycle’s development right up to modern superbikes. It’s situated on the M42 motorway, on the J6 island.
Explore the history of jewellery making and pens
Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter is quite an astonishing place, housing over 200 workshops where jewellery makers and silversmiths produce almost half of the jewellery made in Britain. The main hive of activity is on the corner of Frederick and Vyse Streets. Here you can visit the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, where you can gain insights into the history of the trade. In the same location, you can also visit the Pen Museum and even make your own nib using the original Victorian machinery.
Step back into Birmingham’s working class history
Birmingham Back to Backs is one of the more unusual tourist attractions – a collection of original tiny homes from the mid-19th century facing a little courtyard. You can palpably sense how working-class people lived in the city at the time. There are also some more up-to-date historical landmarks, like a traditional sweet shop from the 1930s. Drive to Inge Street to find Back to Backs.
Experience living history in Birmingham
Another one of the things to do in Birmingham is to drive a few miles west to the little village of Dudley, where you can visit the Black Country Living Museum. It essentially presents a history of mining in the region, with a reconstructed cluster of around 50 authentic old buildings.
Sarehole Hill Museum is also just outside Birmingham. Housed in a mid-16th-century building, it has among its exhibits one on J.R.R. Tolkien, who grew up a stone’s throw away.
Birmingham attractions: more fun things to do in Birmingham
There are many other fascinating places to visit in Birmingham. You can visit ThinkTank, the Birmingham Science Museum. It’s especially aimed at children and teens, with plenty of fun hands-on exhibits. The Spitfire Gallery is another highlight, complete with an original WWII model – almost 10,000 were made in the city.
Wonderful walks in nature
Sheldon Country Park offers over 300 acres of wonderfully varied terrain for country rambles. You’ll walk through mature woodland, between old hedgerows, and through wetlands and open grassland. There are formal trails, varying about a few miles long. Children can visit a working 17th-century dairy farm.
Thrills and spills
One of the most fun things to do in Birmingham, especially for families on holiday, is Grand Prix Karting in Adderley Street, just about a mile from the city centre. It has professionally-designed tracks with well-maintained karts and is rated as one of the best of its kind in the UK. It promises thrills, spills, and friendly competition for young and old.
Explore the canals of Birmingham
Canals have been part of the city’s lifeblood for centuries. So it’s a great idea to take a guided canal walk, a way to see Birmingham from a different perspective. The Birmingham and Fazely Canal systems link the urban areas of the city with its rural surroundings. This allows you to see all sides of the area as you’re following them.
