More about Birmingham for travellers and visitors

Birmingham is the UK second largest city and is situated in the West Midlands, England.

Birmingham growth to become the second largest city in the UK was mainly during the industrial revolution where it became a hub for local trading.

The decline of manufacturing industries in the UK has led to Birmingham re-inventing itself as a shopping and cultural centre.

Out and About in and Around Birmingham

Birmingham is a major population centre and a vast range of shops are catered for at the Bullring shopping centre.

The canal system in Birmingham that was used in more industrial times to transport raw materials is now primarly used for pleasure purposes with Canal Boats chugging along the waterways.

The National Exhibition Centre (NEC) is a few miles outside Birmingham and hosts major exhibitions such as the Motor Show and Ideal Home Show.

Around Birmingham are other major cities and towns such as Wolverhampton, Coventry and Warwick. Birmingham seems to stand at the heart of all these other towns and Motorways converge at Birmingham, with one interchange of Motorways commonly referred to as Spaghetti Junction.