Birmingham Overview
Birmingham has undergone major redevelopment in recent times. Much of the city’s past with its’ old factories, flyovers, and disused canals were transformed but the changes we see here are truly remarkable. Much of the redeveloped city centre is truly spectacular. The Symphony Hall can hold audiences of 2,200 and has very clever, state-of-the-art acoustics. Here you can catch some performances by the City of Birmingham Symphony which has an exceptional reputation.
The city centre is truly enormous - big is beautiful - and includes a tree-lined shopping centre leading to canals. Waterways offer great places for walks, leisure barges, and the setting for many bars, restaurants and shops. You can also visit the National Sea life Centre which has underwater walks and the huge National Indoor Arena. The centre has a rather large statue of Chamberlain that still watches over the square named after him. The city centre also has an Art Gallery, Museum and Council House which still stands in its magnificent Victorian stone. Birmingham just might be poised to be a futuristic megalopolis, but its foundations are in its history.
Things to do in Birmingham
The Hippodrome is just one arena in Birmingham and is the home of the Birmingham Royal Ballet and Midlands base for the Welsh National Opera. As well as the Symphony Hall, Birmingham offers the whole range of music. The NEC and the Indoor Arena are the venues for big stadium gigs; the Arena also has a smaller venue, the Academy. There are also a lot of smaller places such as clubs and pubs with live bands. The annual Birmingham Jazz Festival attracts many of the top names to the city. Birmingham also has five multi-screen cinemas. The Midlands Arts Centre is the cinema to visit if you enjoy arthouse films. The club scene is not as prevalent as you might expect in such a big city. One such place is The Sanctuary which is very big and very popular amongst locals. Birmingham offers a variety in all forms of entertainment, so you won’t have a hard time finding something interesting to do, from the many pubs and wine-bars to the cabarets which attract top names. All of this can be found at all kinds of prices, so you won’t need to spend a lot to have a good time in Birmingham.
Sport in Birmingham
The main football teams are Aston Villa and Birmingham City football clubs. The city also hosts every year international cricket, athletics, rugby, and speedway racing. If you want to do some sport yourself, Birmingham has all the indoor and outdoor sports facilities you will need. The city has thirty indoor sports centres on offer at the National Arena, and ice skating at the NEC.
Escape Birmingham
Birmingham and its’ surroundings cover a large geographical area. The countryside outside of Birmingham Midlands landscapes, from the lowland Cotswolds to the east, to the rising Welsh Marches to the west. The south reaches the Derbyshire Dales to the north and rolling Warwickshire to the south. Stratford-upon-Avon is only half an hour or so away so if you are a fan of Shakespeare than you must try to visit. If you like walking, the nearby Malvern Beacons offers excellent places for hikes and pleasant walks.
Transport in Birmingham
Birmingham is well connected by rail to all major cities in Britain from New Street Station where you can get to almost anywhere in Great Britain in a couple of hours. Similarly, you can catch a coach to all parts of the country. Birmingham is surrounded by motorways and the site of the notorious 'Spaghetti Junction. The M6, M5 and M40 motorways link the city to the country's motorway system in all directions. Birmingham International Airport is also quite a busy airport with flights all over the world.
