Attractions in Birmingham

44 places from our Birmingham guide, from Brindleyplace & the Canals to Jewellery Quarter. Each links to its area guide and, where we have one, its official site.

Saved on this device only.

Attractions

Attractions in Birmingham

44 places

Birmingham Back to Backs, City Centre & BullringHistoric house
Historic houses

Birmingham Back to Backs

The city's last surviving court of back-to-back houses, shown by the National Trust; booking ahead is advised.

  • City Centre & Bullring, Birmingham
Birmingham Orthodox Cathedral, Jewellery QuarterCathedral or church
Cathedral

Birmingham Orthodox Cathedral

Greek Orthodox cathedral on Summer Hill Terrace, dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God and St Andrew.

Indoor
  • Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham
Birmingham School of Jewellery, Jewellery QuarterOther sight
Historic building

Birmingham School of Jewellery

Jewellery school founded in 1890 on Vittoria Street, now part of Birmingham City University.

  • Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham
Boulton, Watt and Murdoch, Brindleyplace & the CanalsOther sight
Statue

Boulton, Watt and Murdoch

Gilded bronze statue of three pioneers of the steam engine, by William Bloye.

Outdoor
  • Brindleyplace & the Canals, Birmingham
Brindleyplace, Brindleyplace & the CanalsOther sight
Canalside squares

Brindleyplace

Canalside development begun in 1993, with squares of restaurants and bars, the Ikon Gallery and the Sea Life Centre.

  • Brindleyplace & the Canals, Birmingham
Centenary Square, Brindleyplace & the CanalsOther sight
Square

Centenary Square

Public square off Broad Street, named in 1989 for the centenary of city status, used for events and the Christmas market.

Outdoor
  • Brindleyplace & the Canals, Birmingham
Chamberlain Clock, Jewellery QuarterOther sight
Clock tower

Chamberlain Clock

Cast-iron clock tower of 1903 marking Joseph Chamberlain's tour of South Africa.

  • Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham
Chamberlain Memorial, City Centre & BullringOther sight
Memorial fountain

Chamberlain Memorial

Memorial of 1880 honouring Joseph Chamberlain, the businessman, mayor and statesman, unveiled with Chamberlain present.

  • City Centre & Bullring, Birmingham
Chinese Pagoda, City Centre & BullringOther sight
Monument

Chinese Pagoda

Granite pagoda carved in Fujian, China, and given to the city by the Wing Yip brothers.

Outdoor
  • City Centre & Bullring, Birmingham
Coffin Works, Jewellery QuarterMuseum
Museum

Coffin Works

Newman Brothers' coffin furniture factory, working from 1894 to 1998 and a museum since 2014.

Indoor
  • Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham
Council House, City Centre & BullringOther sight
Civic building

Council House

Home of Birmingham City Council, with its council chamber and banqueting suite, facing Victoria Square.

  • City Centre & Bullring, Birmingham
Curzon Street station building, Digbeth & EastsideOther sight
Historic building

Curzon Street station building

Grade I listed building of an early Birmingham railway terminus, in railway use until 1966.

  • Digbeth & Eastside, Birmingham
Custard Factory, Digbeth & EastsideOther sight
Creative quarter

Custard Factory

Workspace complex with independent shops, cafés and bars on the site of the Bird's Custard works.

  • Digbeth & Eastside, Birmingham
Eastside City Park, Digbeth & EastsidePark or nature
Park

Eastside City Park

Park of 6.75 acres in front of Millennium Point, opened in 2012, with a long canal water feature.

Outdoor
  • Digbeth & Eastside, Birmingham
Gas Street Basin, Brindleyplace & the CanalsOther sight
Canal basin

Gas Street Basin

Canal basin where the Worcester and Birmingham Canal meets the BCN Main Line, between the Mailbox and Brindleyplace.

Outdoor
  • Brindleyplace & the Canals, Birmingham
Hall of Memory, Brindleyplace & the CanalsOther sight
War memorial

Hall of Memory

Memorial of 1922 to 1925 to the 12,320 Birmingham citizens who died in the First World War.

Outdoor
  • Brindleyplace & the Canals, Birmingham
International Convention Centre, Brindleyplace & the CanalsOther sight
Conference centre

International Convention Centre

Conference centre containing Symphony Hall, with entrances on Centenary Square and on the canal.

  • Brindleyplace & the Canals, Birmingham
J. F. Kennedy Memorial, Digbeth & EastsideOther sight
Mosaic

J. F. Kennedy Memorial

Mosaic mural memorial to John F. Kennedy by Kenneth Budd.

  • Digbeth & Eastside, Birmingham
Key Hill Cemetery, Jewellery QuarterOther sight
Cemetery

Key Hill Cemetery

Opened in 1836 as Birmingham General Cemetery, the city's oldest cemetery outside a churchyard.

Outdoor
  • Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham
Library of Birmingham, Brindleyplace & the CanalsOther sight
Library

Library of Birmingham

Public library on Centenary Square, opened in 2013; closed on Sundays.

Indoor
  • Brindleyplace & the Canals, Birmingham
Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Jewellery QuarterMuseum
Museum

Museum of the Jewellery Quarter

Preserved jewellery workshop on Vyse Street, shown by guided tour, Thursday to Sunday.

Indoor
  • Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham
National Sea Life Centre, Brindleyplace & the CanalsZoo or aquarium
Aquarium

National Sea Life Centre

Aquarium in Brindleyplace with over 60 displays and a 360-degree underwater tunnel.

  • Brindleyplace & the Canals, Birmingham
Pen Museum, Jewellery QuarterMuseum
Museum

Pen Museum

The only UK museum of the pen-making trade, explaining how Birmingham became the centre of world pen production.

Indoor
  • Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham
Roundhouse Birmingham, Brindleyplace & the CanalsOther sight
Historic building

Roundhouse Birmingham

Crescent-shaped building on St Vincent Street, formerly Corporation Wharf.

  • Brindleyplace & the Canals, Birmingham
Selfridges Building, City Centre & BullringOther sight
Landmark building

Selfridges Building

Department store building by Future Systems, completed in 2003 as part of the Bullring shopping centre.

  • City Centre & Bullring, Birmingham
St Martin in the Bull Ring, City Centre & BullringCathedral or church
Church

St Martin in the Bull Ring

The original parish church of Birmingham, between the Bullring shopping centre and the markets.

Indoor
  • City Centre & Bullring, Birmingham
St Michael's Catholic Church, Digbeth & EastsideCathedral or church
Church

St Michael's Catholic Church

Indoor
  • Digbeth & Eastside, Birmingham
The Guardian (Bullring bull), City Centre & BullringOther sight
Sculpture

The Guardian (Bullring bull)

Bull sculpture at the Bullring shopping centre, also known as The Guardian.

  • City Centre & Bullring, Birmingham
The Mailbox, Brindleyplace & the CanalsOther sight
Shops and restaurants

The Mailbox

Canalside development with shops, restaurants and the BBC Birmingham studios.

  • Brindleyplace & the Canals, Birmingham
The River, City Centre & BullringOther sight
Fountain sculpture

The River

Fountain artwork in Victoria Square, known locally as the Floozie in the Jacuzzi.

  • City Centre & Bullring, Birmingham
The Rotunda, City Centre & BullringOther sight
Listed building

The Rotunda

Cylindrical 81-metre tower completed in 1965 as offices and converted to flats between 2004 and 2008; Grade II listed.

  • City Centre & Bullring, Birmingham
Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum, Digbeth & EastsideMuseum
Museum

Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum

Science museum in Millennium Point with hands-on galleries and a planetarium, run by Birmingham Museums Trust.

Indoor
  • Digbeth & Eastside, Birmingham
Utilita Arena Birmingham, Brindleyplace & the CanalsOther sight
Arena

Utilita Arena Birmingham

Indoor arena run by the NEC Group; it was the UK's largest indoor arena when it opened in 1991.

  • Brindleyplace & the Canals, Birmingham
Warstone Lane Cemetery, Jewellery QuarterOther sight
Cemetery

Warstone Lane Cemetery

Cemetery dating from 1847, one of two in the Jewellery Quarter; it no longer takes new burials.

Outdoor
  • Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham
Warwick Bar, Digbeth & EastsideOther sight
Conservation area

Warwick Bar

Conservation area of canalside factories and warehouses from the Industrial Revolution.

  • Digbeth & Eastside, Birmingham

By area

Things to do by area in Birmingham

Each link opens the area guide with the full descriptions, photos and directions.

More about Birmingham: the Birmingham guide, free things to do and UK museums and galleries.

How the flags work

What we show, and what we leave out

Every flag below comes from a source you can open. Where we hold no report, the list says "not stated" or shows nothing: it does not guess. Check the venue before you travel, because prices, hours and booking rules change.

  • Type. Our own grouping of each place's kind in our destination guides (for example museum, castle or garden). It is a filter, not a rating.
  • Entry (free or paid). Shown only where the venue's own website says so in plain words, read on 25 Oct 2026. 0 places here are marked free and 0 paid; the other 44 are not stated. "Free" means general admission: special exhibitions, events and facilities can still be charged. The words we relied on are on the sources page.
  • Booking. We have not yet read a venue page that advises booking for these places, so there is no booking filter. Check each official site.
  • Step-free. Reported status only, from OpenStreetMap contributors or the venue's own access page: 0 places have a step-free or partly step-free report. The step-free filter hides places with no report; that does not mean they are not accessible. Contact the venue.
  • Indoor or outdoor. Our rules for the kind of place (16 indoor, 0 partly covered, 9 outdoor; the rest are not classed). It says nothing about opening hours or shelter on the day.
  • Family-friendly. Places marked family-friendly in our guides (0 so far).
  • Nearest to me. Straight-line distance from the position your device reports when you choose it. The position stays in your browser.
  • Saved on this device. Places you have saved with the heart. They are kept in this browser only, and appear in My trip.

Sources

  1. Our destination guides: the places, descriptions and positions come from their "Things to do" pages, which link each venue's official site.
  2. Venue websites, read on 25 Oct 2026 for free-entry, admission-price and booking wording. Each flag and the words behind it: flag sources.
  3. OpenStreetMap contributors (opens in new tab), for reported step-free tags.
  4. Our free things guide, which lists places whose own websites say entry is free.