Birmingham Hotels

Known as “Europe’s meeting place,” Birmingham lays fair claim to being the convention and shopping capital of England. Its central location, plus excellent road, rail and air connections make this vibrant city of a million inhabitants a good jumping off point for exploring Britain beyond London. Business travelers and convention attendees are welcomed and well catered for.

50 airlines fly into Birmingham International Airport, eight miles east of the city center, serving over 100 destinations worldwide. Rail travel is still common in Britain and Birmingham’s central New Street Station is a bustling portal for onward travel and explorations. Concentration is advised when buying rail tickets – there are lots of price and routing options!

But Birmingham isn’t just a staging post: it’s home to people from all parts of Britain and all quarters of the globe, who bring their own cultural spin to England’s second city, creating a hugely cosmopolitan cityscape with a mind-boggling range of authentic ethnic restaurants, unique shops, accommodation of all sorts and a lively entertainment scene, including Britain’s biggest nightclubs. Highlights include the Huge Bullring shopping complex, Balti Triangle’s 50-plus restaurants offering mouth-watering Kashmiri cuisine, and the sparkling shops of the historic “Jewellery Quarter” where skilful goldsmiths and jewelers have worked for 200 years.

Symphony Hall, home of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, is one of the finest concert halls in Europe, and world-class rock and pop concerts are staged at the National Indoor Arena. The Birmingham Royal Ballet and the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company round out a lively performing arts scene, while the gallery scene includes the unmissable Barber Institute of Fine Arts and the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, which houses the world’s finest collection of Pre-Raphaelite art.

Chocoholics of every age flock to Cadbury World, home of Britain’s most popular chocolate bar, and families love the National Sea Life Center, science and discovery museum Thinktank and the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses. Festivals and special events sprout in the city’s many parks throughout the year and Birmingham’s annual offerings include a free three-day gay and lesbian festival held in the city's Gay Village the first weekend in May.

Soccer is the world’s and Birmingham’s most popular sport and the city boasts two professional teams, Birmingham City and Aston Villa, as well as being home to the Warwickshire County Cricket Club.