According to data from the West Midlands Growth Company’s Regional Observatory, 2016 was a record year for Birmingham’s visitor economy, especially regarding tourist attractions with tourist numbers reaching over 39 million. The number of full-time jobs supported by the sector was 70,635.

Birmingham has many places to visit because of its vast history and modern recreational activities, making it a favourite among tourists and visitors worldwide.

So this time, when the weekends or holidays are near, you don’t need to plan the destinations of your trip because, in this post, you will find a guided tour of the best 20 places to visit in Birmingham. Fortunately, Birmingham and the Midlands have many options, from theme parks to museums and zoos to historic houses and gardens.

Before visiting any new place, gathering information about it is essential.

1. Birmingham Tourist Information

Tourists visiting Birmingham can contact the Birmingham Visitor Centre and information point in the city centre for more information, assistance, and advice on various travel and holiday-related topics.

At Birmingham Airport, there is an information point with extended hours of operation. Visiting the centre is an excellent first port of call in the city and can help make your trip memorable.

The centre has detailed information for tourists to read through and other services such as assistance with tour booking and any accommodation needs.

2. 20 Places To Visit In Birmingham

2.1. Victoria Square And City Centre

Victoria Square and Birmingham city centre are the first beautiful spots to view. The city’s heart revolves around this area, which you can visit through the Birmingham City Centre Path.

Victoria Square is surrounded by the City Hall, City Council, Queen Victoria Statue, Iron Man Sculpture, and other buildings, and the famous Bathing Woman Spa in the square’s centre is a prominent landmark.

Chamberlain Square is connected to Victoria Square and features a monument to Joseph Chamberlain in the centre. To understand the typical English landscape, walk in the Square or visit the fountain.

2.2. Symphony Hall

Symphony Hall is the next place to visit in Birmingham. Symphony Hall exemplifies the ingenuity and creativity that add magic to the beauty of Birmingham City.

It is not only the best concert hall in the UK, but it is also widely regarded as one of the best in the world.

Don’t miss out on its stunning auditorium and world-class acoustics. It hosts some of the most prestigious international orchestras and a beautiful program showcasing various musical styles, including jazz, rock, and stand-up comedy.

2.3. Birmingham Botanical Gardens

The Birmingham Botanical Gardens is another fantastic tourist attraction that can make your list most exciting and joyful. They are easily accessible from the city.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens is especially well-known for its bonsai tree collection, which is over 250 years old. Birmingham Botanical Gardens with 7000 plants, shrubs, and trees, and a new butterfly House

 2.4. Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park

The Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park is the official name for this zoo in Edgbaston, previously known as the Birmingham Nature Centre.

You can find all the species from different parts of the world like Red Pandas, Colombian Black Spider Monkeys, Yellow Breasted Capuchin Monkeys, Ocelot Cats, European Lynx, Northern Bald Ibis, Ring-Tailed Lemurs, Gentle Lemurs, Two-Toed Sloth, Pygmy Slow Loris, Golden Lion Tamarins, Pied Tamarins, Meerkats, Otters, and Binturong.

2.5. Birmingham Library

It has been called the most extensive public library in the United Kingdom and the most significant public cultural space in Europe. The Birmingham Library is a public library in Centenary Square in Birmingham, England.

The ten-story library serves as the city’s cultural hub, housing a vast collection of millions of books (enough to stretch from Birmingham to Edinburgh if laid end-to-end) on every conceivable subject and a dedicated arts hub.

2.6. Jewellery Quarter

Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter is historically significant. Jewelry Quarter is at 119 Vyse Street, Hockley, Birmingham B18 6JS. You can have a drink at any of the quirky bars.

The Jewellery Quarter area is excellent for history buffs, artists, and lovers, with great bars, restaurants, boutiques, and jewellery stores.

If you have time, pay a visit to the Pen Museum. This first-rate museum is located in the old pen factory of the Jewellery Quarter.

2.7. Cadbury World

Cadbury World is one of the area’s largest and most popular attractions. It is located in Cadbury’s Bournville manufacturing site, just a short drive from Birmingham. It receives over 600,000 tourist attractions each year.

Visitors can learn about the history of chocolate and the manufacturing process through various excellent themed interactive exhibits in this Cadbury world. I think you will love this world’s biggest Cadbury shop.

People with a sweet tooth must visit this Cadbury world. Your chocolaty journey will Begin with a 4D movie experience. After that, you’ll dive into a bowl of liquid chocolate milk, ride a Crunchie rollercoaster, and take to the skies in a Cadbury creme egg airship piloted by the caramel bunny.

2.8. Villa Park Stadium

It was named the best stadium in Europe for food and “overall fan satisfaction” out of 28 stadiums. The stadium, home to the Claret and Blue Army, received the highest marks out of ten and finished first in four categories: atmosphere, cleanliness, affordability, and food.

Villa Park Stadium has a capacity of 42,640 people. Pay a visit to the player’s lounge and dressing rooms to get a real sense of how the players prepare in the hours leading up to a match.

2.9. Black Country Living Museum 

This 26-acre museum, located just 10 miles from Birmingham in Dudley, provides a rich insight into mining history. It consists of an old mine shaft and approximately fifty authentic buildings, all of which can be explored.

Black Country Living Museum is enjoyable for exploring the nearby network of canals as part of outdoor adventures in an authentic narrowboat that was once used to transport coal.

Other highlights of the black country living museum are having an open-air museum, including the opportunity to interact with costumed guides who are well-versed in the local people’s histories.

2.10. Dudley Zoological Gardens

Dudley Zoological Gardens is based in Castle Hill, Dudley. It is home to over 1500 animals and more than 200 species, including some of the world’s rarest animals.

Dudley Zoological Gardens is a vast 40-acre zoo on the grounds of Dudley Castle in Dudley, West Midlands. It is in the Black Country region of the West Midlands.

The Lemur Wood, Penguin Bay, and Wallaby Walkthrough are among the exhibits, as are Asian lions and the newest additions, two binturongs named Ellie and Elliott.

2.11. Barber Institute Of Fine Arts

In this list of places to visit in Birmingham, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts near Birmingham University is the best place to touch the city’s art.

It has a lot of tourist attractions. It houses an excellent art collection spanning the Renaissance to the twentieth century.

2.12. Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum

This award-winning museum has many fascinating science-related exhibits, many of which are hands-on and interactive. The Birmingham Science Museum is at Millennium Point, Curzon Street, Birmingham, B4 7XG.

The Birmingham Science Museum highlights include an impressive collection of steam-powered machines, ranging from locomotives to tractors and industrial machinery, many of which are related to Birmingham’s historic role as an industrial centre.

2.13. St. Philip’s Cathedral

After Derby and Chelmsford, St Philip’s Basilica is England’s third-smallest basilica. It’s one of Birmingham’s best things to do for couples and families. The history of St. Philip’s Cathedral is extensive.

Philip’s Cathedral began as a parish church in 1715 and was elevated to its current status in 1905. It includes windows by Burne-Jones. You can also visit St. Martin’s Church. It is also a religious structure worth seeing. It dates from the 13th century.

2.14. Birmingham Hippodrome

Birmingham Hippodrome is a grand theatre in Birmingham, England, best known for hosting the Birmingham Royal Ballet. The theatre hosts many performances, including ballet and opera companies, touring West End theatrical productions such as The Lion King, Grease, Matilda, drama, and pantomime.

The Hippodrome perfectly complements Birmingham’s creative nature, as stated by The Independent, “Birmingham Hippodrome pantomime, thank goodness, is always one of the best in the land.”

Birmingham Hippodrome is the most crowded single theatre in the United Kingdom, with 500,000 visitors annually. It is also the busiest dance venue outside of London.

2.15. Cannon Hill Park

Cannon Hill Park is a premier public park in South Birmingham, England, adjacent to Edgbaston Cricket Ground.

The Cannon Hill Park is 250 acres and includes a conservation area and a 5-acre woodland plantation known as the ‘RSPB Centenary Plantation.’

Cannon Hill Park’s main attractions include its surreal lush surroundings, a play area for children, lake boating, a fun mini-golf course, the Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park, and the MAC.

2.16. National Sea Life Center

The National Sea Life Center is a freshwater and marine life aquarium alongside the Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line Canal in Brindleyplace, Birmingham.

The National Sea Life Center houses many sea turtles, sharks, penguins, and native rays. National Sea Life Center has an aquarium with over 60 freshwater and marine life displays and is the UK’s only aquarium with a transparent 360-degree underwater ocean tunnel.

The National Sea Life Center is one of Birmingham’s most popular tourist destinations, frequented by locals and visitors seeking to unravel the sea’s mysteries.

2.17. Aston Hall

Aston Hall, located in a public park on Birmingham’s north side, is one of the city’s most important structures. This seventeenth-century red-brick mansion has stood the test of time as one of the last great Jacobean houses to be built, earning its place as a Grade I listed building.

This venue is ideal for adult travellers and families, with a full calendar of events, activities, and trails that vary and change throughout the year.

The most notable permanent features are the display rooms that Aston Hall provided during the Civil War and other significant periods in history.

Lady Holte’s garden is designed in symmetrical patterns and divided into quarters, with a water feature running between each section before finally meeting in the middle. It was designed with the thought that it would showcase both beauty and peace.

2.18. Birmingham Back To Backs

It is a one-of-a-kind collection of the tiny back-to-back homes that were once common throughout the city—built in the mid-nineteenth century around a central courtyard.

Consider booking one of the attraction’s two cottages for an overnight stay for a first-rate tourist experience. Only guided tours are permitted.

2.19. St. Paul’s Square

St Paul’s Square, named after the church in its centre, is a Georgian square in Birmingham, England. It is the final intact Georgian Square in the city.

Roger Eykyn of Wolverhampton designed the church, and construction began in 1777. It was consecrated in 1779. It was constructed on land donated by Charles Colmore from his Newhall estate.

A critical 1791 stained-glass window designed by Benjamin West and made by Francis Eginton can be found in the east window. It is a rectangular church that resembles St Martin in the Fields in London. Francis Goodwin added the spire in 1823.

Apart from visiting places in Birmingham, there are some fun activities and adventures you can add to your trip.

2.20. Entertainment in Birmingham

2.20.1. Pay a Visit To the Bullring

Let’s start this list of exciting things to do in Birmingham by visiting the Bullring. It’s home to our iconic Selfridges building, the one with all the funky circles and the massive metal bull that’s almost become the mascot of Birmingham life.

2.20.2. Balti Triangle

Birmingham is the Balti’s birthplace, and the Balti Triangle is its beating heart. A trip to Birmingham isn’t complete without stopping at one of the Triangle’s fantastic curry houses.

You will get many options, from award-winning restaurants to small, unassuming family-run establishments.

2.20.3. Ghetto Golf

Ghetto Golf is an 18-hole golf course in the heart of Birmingham’s Custard Factory, surrounded by fantastic graffiti and artwork. It’s a great evening activity for friends and a couple.

2.20.4. Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market

This one is seasonal; it is one of Birmingham’s best things. The public is invited to the largest authentic German Christmas market every November.

Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market is one of the highlights of the Birmingham scene, with stalls selling trinkets and traditional gifts and others selling hot chocolate, steins of beer, and German hot dogs.

2.20.5. Escape Room

Escape Hunt, Escape Live, Clue HQ, Houdini’s Escape, you name it, an escape room will be available. Investigate them and choose your favourite. They’re all highly rated; there are many options for you. They’re a lot of fun, though the tension can sometimes lead to heated discussions between participants.

In the End

To conclude, Birmingham, the vibrant heart of the West Midlands, boasts diverse attractions and activities to cater to a wide range of interests. Birmingham has something for everyone, from historic landmarks to modern entertainment options, from beautiful gardens to immersive museums and culinary adventures to thrilling karting experiences.

The above places to visit in Birmingham are fun and surprising. So, when considering your next weekend getaway or holiday destination, keep Birmingham in mind, as it promises a delightful blend of history, culture, entertainment, and natural beauty, all waiting to be explored and experienced.

Last Updated on July 8, 2024 by Sathi Chakraborty