According to data from the West Midlands Growth Company’s Regional Observatory, 2017 was a record year for Birmingham’s visitor economy if we talk about the tourist attraction. In 2017, visitor numbers increased by 2.7 percent to 41.8 million. It is estimated that visitor spending in the city expanded, supporting approximately 75,000 jobs.
There are many places to visit in Birmingham because of its vast history, combined with the city’s modern recreational activities, making it a favorite among tourists and visitors from all over the world.
So this time when the weekends or holiday is near you doesn’t need to plan the destinations of your trip because in this post you will find the guided tour to the best 20 places to visit in Birmingham. Fortunately, there is a wide range of options in Birmingham and the Midlands, from theme parks to museums zoos to historic houses and parks.
Before visiting any new place, it’s essential to gather information about that place.
Birmingham tourist information
Tourists visiting Birmingham can contact the Birmingham Visitor Centre and information point in the city center 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. A visit to the center is an excellent first port of call in the city and can help make your trip memorable.
The center has various detailed information for tourists to read through and other services such as assistance with tour booking and any accommodation need you may have.
Let’s explore the 20 places to visit in Birmingham and list out the hidden gems for you.
1. Victoria Square and City Centre
Out of the list of places to visit in Birmingham, Victoria Square and Birmingham city center are the first beautiful spot 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 center is a prominent landmark.
Chamberlain Square is connected to Victoria Square and features a monument to Joseph Chamberlain in the center. To get a sense of the typical English landscape, go for a walk in the Square or visit the fountain.
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 world-class acoustics. It not only hosts some of the most prestigious international orchestras but also hosts a beautiful program showcasing a wide range of musical styles, including jazz, rock, and stand-up comedy.
3. Explore Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Opened in 1885, it is widely regarded as one of the best institutions outside London with exciting displays. Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, located in Chamberlain Square in Birmingham.
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery is a massive complex that hosts a variety of permanent galleries, collections, and changing exhibitions throughout the year.
If you have time, pay a visit to The Ikon Gallery, a contemporary art museum housed in a historic building worth exploring. Birmingham museum and art gallery is located 3 ]Congreve Passage Chamberlain Square, Birmingham B3 3DA, England
4. 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 includes over 250 years old. Birmingham botanical gardens with 7000 plants, shrubs, and trees, and a new butterfly House
5. 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.
6. Birmingham Library
It has been called the largest public library in the United Kingdom and the largest public cultural space in Europe. The Library of Birmingham is a public library located 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, as well as a dedicated arts hub.
7. Jewellery Quarter
Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter is historically significant.
Jewelry quarter is located in Vyse St, Hockley Birmingham, England. You can have a drink at any of the quirky bars.
The Jewellery Quarter area is excellent for history buffs, artists, and jewelry lovers, with great bars, restaurants, boutiques, and jewelry stores.
If you have time, pay a visit to the Pen Museum. This first-rate museum, located in the old pen factory of the Jewellery Quarter.
8. Cadbury World
Welcome to the Cadbury World. It is one of the area’s largest and most popular attractions, located in Cadbury’s Bournville manufacturing site, just a short drive from Birmingham. It receives over 500,000 tourist attractions each year.
Visitors can learn about the history of chocolate and the manufacturing process through a variety of excellent themed interactive exhibits in this Cadbury world. I think you will love this world’s biggest Cadbury shop.
Sweet tooth people must visit this Cadbury world. You cannot miss out on this chocolate-themed day out by anyone who enjoys chocolate.
Your chocolaty journey will Begin with a 4D movie experience. After that, you’ll be diving into a bowl of liquid chocolate milk, riding a Crunchie rollercoaster, and taking to the skies in a Cadbury creme egg airship piloted by the caramel bunny.
9. 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 overall in four categories: atmosphere, cleanliness, affordability, and food.
Villa Park has the capacity of a 42,640-person stadium. 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.
10. Black Country Living Museum
This 26-acre museum, located just 9 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 to explore the nearby network of canals as a 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 include the opportunity to interact with costumed guides who are well-versed in the local people’s histories.
11. Dudley Zoological gardens
Dudley Zoological Gardens is based in Castel Hill, Dudley. It is home to over 1300 animals and nearly 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, Asian lions and the newest additions, two binturongs named Ellie and Elliott.
12. Barber Institute of Fine Arts
In this list of places to visit in Birmingham, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, located near Birmingham University, is the best place to touch the city’s art.
It has a lot of tourist attractions. It houses an excellent collection of art spanning the Renaissance to the twentieth century.
13. Birmingham Science Museum
This award-winning museum has a plethora of fascinating science-related exhibits, many of which are hands-on and interactive. The Birmingham science museum is located 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 center. You can check out the website
14. St. Philip’s Cathedral
After Derby and Chelmsford, St Philip’s Basilica is England’s third-smallest basilica. It’s one of the best things to do for couples and families in Birmingham. The history of St. Philip’s Cathedral is extensive. The Philip’s cathedral began as a parish church in 1715 and was elevated to its current status in 1905. You can also St. Martin’s Church. It is also a religious structure worth seeing. It dates from the 13th century and includes windows by Burne-Jones.
15. Birmingham Hippodrome
Birmingham Hippodrome is a grand theatre in Birmingham, England, best known for hosting Birmingham Royal Ballet. The theatre hosts a wide range of 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, and it has 500,000 visitors every year. It is also the busiest dance venue outside of London.
16. 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 in250 acres also 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.
17. National sea life center
The National sea life center is a freshwater and marine life aquarium located alongside the Birmingham Canal Navigations Main Line Canal in Brindleyplace, Birmingham.
The national sea life center houses vast 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.
18. 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 travelers 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, designed in symmetrical patterns and divided into quarters with a water feature running in between each section before finally meeting in the middle. It was designed with the thought that will showcase both beauty and peace.
19. Check out 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.
20. St. Paul’s Square
St Paul’s Square, named after the church in its center, 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.
Entertainment in Birmingham
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 all over it and the massive metal bull that’s almost become the mascot of Birmingham life.
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 a wide range of options, from award-winning restaurants to small, unassuming family-run establishments.
Ghetto Golf
Ghetto Golf is an a18-hole golf course in the heart of Birmingham’s Custard Factory surrounded by amazing graffiti and artwork. It’s a great evening activity for a group of friends and a couple.
Birmingham’s Frankfurt Christmas Market
This one is seasonal; it is one of the best things Birmingham has to offer. Every year in November, the public is invited to the largest authentic German Christmas market.
It’s 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.
Grand Prix Karting
This place’s thrill-seekers is for you; this is possibly the most well-known outdoor go-kart racetrack in the entire United Kingdom. The race tracks are only a mile outside the city center and easily accessible by car or public transportation.
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 favorite they’re all highly rated; they are many options for you. They’re a lot of fun, though the tension can sometimes lead to heated discussions between participants.
I think the above places to visit in Birmingham are full of fun and surprises, but a comfortable stay is also necessary to enjoy your journey.
I hope this article will help you in planning your trip to Birmingham. You can also check out other places to visit in Birmingham if you wish to explore more of the place.
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