Birmingham is rich in culture and history, having experienced more changes than most British cities in the 21st century.
It’s also the city JRR Tolkien considered home.
If you want to explore all that Birmingham city has to offer without breaking the bank, there are tons of things to do that don’t cost an arm and leg.
Be sure to try these 20 best things (for free) when visiting the “second city of the United Kingdom.”
| Read more: If you’re a fan of live music, check out some of Birmingham’s most exciting Live Music Venues. Explore some of the magnificent Museums Birmingham has to offer. |
This Article Contains:
20 Exciting, Free Things To Do In Birmingham
- Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
- Library of Birmingham
- Moseley Bog
- Ikon Gallery
- Eastside Projects
- Martineau Gardens
- Thinktank Science Garden
- Custard Factory
- Birmingham Cathedral
- The MAC
- BBC Birmingham Visitor Centre
- Symphony Hall
- Victoria Square
- Bullring and Grand Central
- Lickey Hills Country Park
- Sutton Park
- Birmingham Hippodrome
- Lapworth Museum of Geology
- Jewellery Quarter
- Real Birmingham Walking Tours
Other Birmingham Attractions You Should Explore (That Aren’t Free)
20 Exciting, Free Things To Do In Birmingham
Birmingham is full of unique attractions you can enjoy free of charge. Here are the best things to try:
1. Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
History and fine arts fans are sure to appreciate the range of items housed at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. With everything from renaissance-era fine arts to Egyptian mummies, you’re sure to find something that piques your interest.
Address: Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, B3 3DH, UK
Opening times: 7 days a week from 10 AM to 5 PM
Contact details: 0121 348 8000, BMAG.Enquiries@birminghammuseums.org.uk
Website: https://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/bmag/
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Charlotte Street Stop Nh4 (3 min walk)
Train: Jewellery Quarter (5 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Theatrix Birmingham (0.07 miles away), Paradise Birmingham (0.6 miles away)
2. Library of Birmingham
The Library of Birmingham is the largest public library in the United Kingdom and features a state-of-the-art gallery space. It’s also home to the BFI Mediatheque, offering free access to the National Film Archive. Other facilities include an outdoor amphitheatre and a studio theatre.
Address: Centenary Sq, Broad St, Birmingham B1 2EA, UK
Opening times: Monday and Tuesday: 11 AM to 7 PM, Wednesday to Saturday: 11 AM to 5 PM
Contact details: 0121 242 4242, enquiries@libraryofbirmingham.com
Website: https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/libraryofbirmingham
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Great Charles Street Stop Nh1 (2 min walk)
Train: Jewellery Quarter (23 min walk)
Nearby attractions: The Coffin Works (0.14 miles away), Paradise Birmingham (0.06 miles away), Birmingham Repertory Theatre (0.13 miles away)
3. Moseley Bog
Managed by the Black Country Wildlife Trust, Moseley Bog comprises both wet and dry woodland with patches of fen vegetation. It’s an area frequented by J. R. R. Tolkien, who used it as inspiration for the ancient forests in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. In fact, Moseley Bog forms part of the Tolkien Trail. While you can’t walk the entire Tolkien Trail here as they’re spread across Birmingham city, Moseley Bog is one of the best locations.
Address: Yardley Wood Rd, Moseley, Birmingham B13 9JX, UK
Opening times: Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Contact details: 0121 523 0094
Website: https://www.bbcwildlife.org.uk/moseley-bog-plan-visit
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Church Road (5 min walk)
Train: Small Heath (35 min walk)
Note: These stations are in the town of Moseley. Moseley Bog is about a 20-minute walk from the centre of Moseley.
Nearby attractions: Birmingham Back to Backs (2.4 miles away), Cannon Hill Park (1.4 miles away)
4. Ikon Gallery
Located in the popular Brindleyplace complex, this two-story gallery showcases contemporary art in all forms of media, including sound, sculpture, photography, and paintings. Founded in 1965, the Ikon Gallery is housed in a magnificent neo-gothic school building. Ikon also offers an off-site Education and Interpretation scheme to educate audiences and promote emerging artists.
Address: 1 Oozells St, Birmingham B1 2HS, UK
Opening times: Tuesday to Sunday: 11 AM to 5 PM
Contact details: 0121 248 0708
Website: https://www.ikon-gallery.org/
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Birmingham New Street (5 min walk)
Train: Baskerville House (5 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Symphony Hall (0.2 miles away), Library of Birmingham (0.3 miles away)
5. Eastside Projects
Eastside Projects is an artist-run initiative, commissioning, producing, and presenting experimental art practices to demonstrate how art benefits society. Visitors can explore exhibitions, participate in workshops, talks, and seminars or enjoy the book club.
Address: 86 Heath Mill Ln, Deritend, Birmingham B9 4AR, UK
Opening times: Wednesday to Saturday: 12 PM to 5 PM
Contact details: 0121 771 1778, info@eastsideprojects.org
Website: https://eastsideprojects.org/
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Glover Street (2 min walk)
Train: Bordesley (BBS) (9 min walk)
Nearby attractions: The Old Library Building (0.1 miles), The Garrison Pub (0.5 miles)
6. Martineau Gardens
This beautiful community garden offers an oasis of wildlife and unparalleled serenity. With 2.5 acres of organically managed landscape to explore, the gardens feature twisting paths snaking through woodlands, orchards, ponds, and wildflower meadows. With a shipwreck play area, the kids are bound to love it too.
Address: 27 Priory Rd, Birmingham B5 7UG, UK
Opening times: Open 7 days a week from 10 AM to 4 PM
Contact details: 0121 440 7430, info@martineau-gardens.org.uk
Website: https://martineau-gardens.org.uk/
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Bristol Road (3 min walk)
Train: Birmingham New Street (6 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Edgbaston Stadium (0.29 miles away), 02 Academy Birmingham (1.2 miles away)
7. Thinktank Science Garden
Located just outside the Birmingham Science Museum, the Thinktank Science Garden is an award-wining outdoor discovery space located in Millenium Point, near the Birmingham city centre. Free every day from 3 PM, it offers an exciting and educational day out in the West Midland, with engineering, mechanics, and transportation themes across 30 hands-on exhibits. The Birmingham Science Museum is also worth visiting if you don’t mind buying tickets.
Address: 1 Curzon St, Birmingham B4 7XG, UK
Opening times: During term time: Wednesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM, During school holidays: 7 days a week from 10 AM to 5 PM
Note that the garden’s closing times may vary in the winter due to light levels. However, the earliest it’ll close is 4 PM.
Contact details: 0121 348 8000, hello@birminghammuseums.org.uk
Website: https://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/thinktank/highlights/science-garden
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Cardigan Street (4 min walk)
Train: Birmingham Moor Street (21 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Graffiti Art of Digbeth Walk (0.28 miles away), Tilt Birmingham (0.4 miles away)
8. Custard Factory
Set in 15 acres of what used to be Bird’s Custard factory, the restored Victorian factories are now a creative hub for young people, with music studios, drama, dance, and crafts alongside shops, cafes, restaurants, and the Mockingbird Cinema. The Green Man, a 40-foot sculpture, overlooks Gibb Street, and is a landmark in the Black Country.
Address: Gibb Street, Digbeth, Birmingham, West Midlands, B9 4AA, UK
Opening times: Monday to Friday from 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM, Saturday: 9 AM to 4 PM
Contact details: 0121 224 7777
Website: https://visitbirmingham.com/things-to-see-and-do/custard-factory-p1325571
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Birmingham Coach Station (2 min walk)
Train: Birmingham New Street (7 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Dead Wax Digbeth Bar (0.25 miles away), Vivid Projects (0.3 miles away)
9. Birmingham Cathedral
A Baroque style parish church, the Birmingham Cathedral was consecrated as the church of St Philip in 1715 and serves as an exquisite example of English Baroque architecture. The Cathedral of St Philip also houses astounding stained-glass windows designed by Birmingham artist Sir Edward Burne-Jones. A bombing in 1940 severely damaged the building, but it was fully restored by 1948.
Address: RBSA Gallery, 4 Brook Street, St. Paul’s Square, Birmingham, B3 1SA, UK
Opening times: Monday to Friday: 7:20 AM to 6:30 PM, Saturdays and Sundays: 8:20 AM to 5:00 PM
Contact details: 0121 236 4353, enquiries@birminghamcathedral.com
Website: http://www.birminghamcathedral.com/
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Snow Hill Queensway Stop Sq5 (1 min walk)
Train: Jewellery Quarter (32 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Birmingham Open Media (0.34 miles away), Flight Club (0.12 miles away)
10. The MAC
The Midlands Arts Centre is a charity and centre for contemporary arts, surrounded by Cannon Hill Park. Intending to promote the importance of art, the MAC welcomes over 1 million visitors each year. The Centre focuses on contemporary works and offers theatre, independent cinema, visual art exhibitions, special events, and creativity classes.
Address: Midlands Arts Centre, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, B12 9QH, UK
Opening times: Monday to Sunday: 9 AM to 9:45 PM
Contact details: 0121 446 3232
Website: https://macbirmingham.co.uk/
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Midlands Arts Centre (5 min walk)
Train: Birmingham New Street (8 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Highbury Hall (0.71 miles away), The Nightingale Club (1.46 miles away)
11. BBC Birmingham Visitor Centre
The BBC Birmingham Visitor Centre offers a collection of outfits and memorabilia from your favourite BBC shows. Grab a photo with Doctor Who’s Tardis or pose behind the Strictly Come Dancing desk. Alternatively, take a peek through the viewing windows to catch a glimpse of BBC presenters live on air, or try your hand at presenting the weather or the news yourself.
Address: Level 3, 102-108 Wharfside Street, Mailbox, Birmingham, B1 1RE, UK
Opening times: Monday to Thursday: 10 AM to 5 PM, Saturday: 10 AM to 5 PM, Sunday: 11 AM to 5 PM
Contact details: 0121 632 1000, info@mailboxlife.com
Website: https://mailboxlife.com/directory/bbc-shop-public-space/
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Alexandra Theatre Stop Sf1 (1 min walk)
Train: Birmingham New Street (7 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (0.4 miles away), Roundhouse Birmingham (0.9 miles away)
12. Symphony Hall
Officially opened by the Queen in 1991, the Birmingham Symphony Hall is home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. The Musikverein in Vienna and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam influenced the design of the hall’s interior. It hosts a programme of jazz, world, folk, pop, and classical concerts, as well as organ recitals, spoken word, dance, comedy, educational, and community performances. Symphony Hall was voted as having the best acoustics in the United Kindom in 2016.
Address: 8 Centenary Square, Birmingham, B1 2EA, UK
Opening times: Monday to Saturday: 10 AM to 6 PM, Sunday: 12 PM to 4 PM
Contact details: 0121 200 2000, frontofhouse@bmusic.co.uk
Website: https://bmusic.co.uk/whats-on
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Art Gallery Stop Es1 (3 min walk)
Train: Birmingham New Street (7 min walk)
Nearby attractions: National Sea Life Centre Birmingham (0.16 miles away), Legoland Discovery Centre (0.2 miles away)
13. Victoria Square
Formerly known as Council House Square, it was renamed Victoria Square in 1901 to honour Queen Victoria. Today, it’s a pedestrianised public square home to both the Town Hall and the Council House. The square is often thought of as the centre of Birmingham and hosts the Frankfurt Christmas Market and Craft Fair every Christmas.
Address: Victoria Square, Birmingham, B1 1BD, UK
Opening times: Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Contact details: N/A
Website: N/A
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Alexandria Theatre Stop Sf1 (4 min walk)
Train: Jewellery Quarter (48 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Ikon Gallery (0.6 miles away), Birmingham Botanical Gardens (1.7 miles away)
14. Bullring and Grand Central
The Bullring and Grand Central are two major conjoined shopping centres. They should be the perfect thing for anyone looking to indulge in some retail therapy. The area has seen its share of traders, with the ground originally home to various merchant markets since the Middle Ages. It’s also one of the UK’s most visited shopping centres with more than 250 stores.
Address: Moor St, Birmingham B5 4BU, UK
Opening times: Monday to Friday: 10 AM to 8 PM, Saturday: 9 AM to 8 PM, Sunday: 11 AM to 5 PM
Contact details: 0121 632 1526
Website: https://www.bullring.co.uk/
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Moor Street Selfridges Stop Ms2 (3 min walk)
Train: Birmingham Snow Hill (14 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Birmingham Back to Backs (0.3 miles away), The Old Rep Theatre (0.21 miles away)
15. Lickey Hills Country Park
Lickey Hill is one of Birmingham’s most prized and oldest parks managed by the Birmingham City Council, with the first recorded people in the area dating all the way back to the Stone Age. The area is home to various environments, including woodlands, heathland, and grassland. Lickey Hill also has a Green Flag Award to its name.
Address: Lickey Hills Country Park, Warren Lane, Rednal, Birmingham, B45 8ER, UK
Opening times: Open daily from 10 AM to 5:50 PM in summer and 4:20 PM in winter
Contact details: 0121 445 6036
Website: https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/20089/parks/406/lickey_hills_country_park
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Lickey Square (2 min walk)
Train: Alvechurch (64 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Selly Manor Museum (5.8 miles away), Clent Hills (5.9 miles away)
16. Sutton Park
Operated by the Birmingham City Council, Sutton Park is 2,400 acres of National Nature Reserve situated 6 miles from the centre of Birmingham. It’s one of the largest urban parks in Europe and is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. With various habitats, including heathland, woodlands, marshes, and seven lakes, Sutton Park is home to rarely seen flora and fauna.
Address: Park Road, Sutton Coldfield, B73 6BT, UK
Opening times: Opens from 9 AM all year. From mid-November to January, the park closes at 5 PM. Closing times vary from late January, rising until they reach 10 PM by mid-May. By the end of July, closing times gradually reduce to 5 PM by mid-November.
Contact details: 0121 355 6370
Website: https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/20089/parks/405/sutton_park
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Sutton Coldfield (34 min walk)
Train: N/A
Nearby attractions: Jaguar Manufacturing Tour Castle Bromwich (3.3 miles away), Aston Villa Football Club (4.4 miles away)
17. Birmingham Hippodrome
The home of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, the Hippodrome in south Birmingham also hosts lots of other performances, including touring West End shows, visiting opera and ballet companies, pantomime, and drama. The Hippodrome is the United Kingdom’s busiest single theatre, welcoming over 600,000 annual visitors.
Address: Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre, Hurst Street, Southside, Birmingham, B5 4TB, UK
Opening times: Monday to Saturday: 10 AM to 8 PM, Note that the Hippodrome closes at 6 PM on non-performance days
Contact details: 0844 338 5000
Website: https://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: O2 Academy Stop Hf1 (3 min walk)
Train: Birmingham New Street (3 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Trefoil House (0.2 miles away), The Alexandra (0.23 miles away)
18. Lapworth Museum of Geology
Dating back to 1880, the Lapworth Museum showcases some of the most exceptional items from one of the United Kingdom’s most extraordinary geological collections. Located in south Birmingham, the museum covers everything from volcanoes to dinosaurs.
Address: Aston Webb Building, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
Opening times: Monday to Friday: 10 AM to 5 PM, Saturday and Sunday: 12 PM to 5 PM
Contact details: 0121 414 7294, lapworth@contacts.bham.ac.uk
Website: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/facilities/lapworth-museum/index.aspx
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Bristol Road (2 min walk)
Train: Birmingham New Street (48 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Winterbourne House and Garden (0.24 miles away), Birmingham Ghost Walks (0.87 miles away)
19. Jewellery Quarter
Located on the edge of the Birmingham city centre, the Jewellery Quarter is one of the oldest districts in Birmingham. Easily accessible by trains, trams, busses, and foot, the area has a reputation for high quality, bespoke jewellery but features tonnes of restaurants, bars, and cafes too. Saint Paul’s Church is nestled in the Jewellery Quarter, sitting on the last Georgian Square in Birmingham.
Address: The Big Peg, 120 Vyse Street, Birmingham, B18 6NF, UK
Opening times: Monday to Friday: 9 Am to 5 PM
Contact details: 0121 233 2814, info@jqdt.org
Website: https://jewelleryquarter.net/
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Hall Street (2 min walk)
Train: Birmingham New Street (19 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Bar Ikigai (0.2 miles away), Exciting Game Escape Room (0.3 miles away)
20. Real Birmingham Walking Tours
Real Birmingham is the perfect thing for those looking to experience Birmingham’s rich cultural and historical heritage. The free walking tours covers everything from the birth of heavy metal to the city’s rise as the ‘workshop of the world’. The tours last around 2 hours and covers Birmingham’s industrial rise, mid-century slump, music, architecture, the West Midland accent, and local quirks.
Address: Queen Victoria Statue, Victoria Square, Birmingham, B3 3DH, UK
Opening times: Selected Saturdays from 10:30 AM
Contact details: 0121 348 8000, real.birmingham@hotmail.com
Website: http://www.realbirmingham.com/
Nearest bus/train stations
Bus: Alexandria Theatre Stop Sf1 (4 min walk)
Train: Jewellery Quarter (48 min walk)
Nearby attractions: Colley Ison Gallery (0.18 miles away), The Coffin Works (0.22 miles)
Other Birmingham Attractions You Should Explore (That Aren’t Free)
If you don’t mind buying tickets, Birmingham has lots of paid attractions worth vising, including
- Birmingham Botanical Gardens
- Cadbury World
- Legoland Discovery Centre Birmingham
- Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park
- Drayton Manor theme park
- Aston Hall
(Fun fact: Just don’t get confused with Birmingham in Alabama, United States! The attractions there might tempt you while you look up on the web. For instance, venues like Red Mountain Park, Birmingham Zoo, Railroad Park, Mountain Brook, Magic City, Kelly Ingram Park, 16th Street Baptist Church, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, and Alabama Sports Hall are in Alabama and not in the UK.)