Choose one cultural starting point
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery gives a city-centre visit a substantial cultural stop. Its open displays include the Pre-Raphaelite Galleries, the Staffordshire Hoard, the Round Room and Birmingham history. Use the museum’s current highlights page to see the available galleries and exhibitions.
Choose the part of the collection that interests you, then leave time for the surrounding civic streets and squares. Some galleries remain closed, so the museum’s own visitor information is useful when planning for a particular work or collection.
Notice the library as a place in its own right
The Library of Birmingham is a prominent modern building at Centenary Square. It is a public library as well as a landmark, with collections and spaces that have their own visiting arrangements.
Make the library and Centenary Square part of a wider central walk, with time to notice the change from the civic buildings around Victoria Square to the modern city. Check the library’s own page if a particular collection or room is the reason for the visit.
Walk a short canal route
The canals around central Birmingham provide a change of pace from the main shopping streets. Brindleyplace is one place to combine a waterside stop with food or another nearby destination.
A short stretch near Brindleyplace can fit around a meal or another central visit. Stay beside the water for a change of scenery, then return to the streets rather than feeling you need to follow a long canal route.
Give a quarter time to reveal itself
Digbeth’s former industrial buildings now host a mix of creative businesses, shops, food and entertainment. The Jewellery Quarter offers another setting, with specialist trades and places to visit among its historic streets.
Give one quarter enough time: browse, stop for food and look at the buildings as well as any event you have booked. Digbeth and the Jewellery Quarter can each be the focus of a visit in their own right.
Spotted something out of date? Let us know.