Birmingham walking tour & city guide

The city center

Birmingham's center has been transformed in recent decades. The Bullring shopping center, with the curved Selfridges building covered in shiny discs, sits next to the historic St Martin's Church. New Street Station has a mirrored facade, and Victoria Square is home to the grand Council House and Town Hall.

The Library of Birmingham, with its gold and silver facade of interlocking rings and rooftop gardens, is one of the largest public libraries in Europe.

Canals and the Jewellery Quarter

Birmingham's canals once carried goods to and from its factories. Today, the towpaths around Gas Street Basin and Brindleyplace are lined with narrowboats, restaurants and bars. The Jewellery Quarter, north of the center, still makes much of Britain's jewelry, and its Museum of the Jewellery Quarter preserves a workshop exactly as it was left in 1981.

A classic walk through the city

Start at the Bullring and Selfridges, then walk up New Street to Victoria Square. Continue past the Town Hall to Centenary Square and the Library of Birmingham, and take the lift to its free rooftop garden for views.

From there, walk down to the canals at Brindleyplace and follow the towpath to Gas Street Basin, then head north along the canal to the Jewellery Quarter. The walk is about 4 kilometers.

Visiting tips

Birmingham is about 1 hour 20 minutes from London by train. Cadbury World, the chocolate attraction, is in the suburb of Bournville, and Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick Castle are within an hour. The Balti Triangle, south of the center, is the place to try the city's famous curry.