If you’re travelling to Birmingham and don’t know where to start, perhaps a guide made by a brummy will help you out! We found this video with plenty of good tips, from transportation apps to landmarks, places to shop and have a pint. You can either watch the video, or just take a quick look at the main topics we listed down bellow.
Transportation and Apps
Omio – Formerly called Go Euro, this app and website is an excellent tool to compare coach, train and flight fares. Omio is pretty practical because once you buy the ideal ticket, you have it saved in your mobile, thus there is no need for printing it.
Main train stations – New Street Station (The biggest one, and you’re probably gonna come into this station), Moor Street Station and Snow Hill Station.
Buses in Birmingham – The local YouTuber highly recommends making use of the bus network because it’s good and extensive. You can pay the fare in 03 ways:
- In cash, yet no change is given.
- By debit card, which has contactless on, so you just tap it and go.
- Using the NX Bus App.
NX Bus App – If you don’t want to be messing around with change, or you don’t have a contactless debit card, this app is the ideal tool for you! You book online a single ticket or a day saver, you activate it and it gets saved in your “wallet”, so you just show it on your mobile to the driver once you enter the bus.
Day Saver – If you plan on taking a minimum of 02 bus rides within a day, you’ll end up getting a day saver, which is pretty much the equivalent of 02 single tickets and you can travel as much as you want on the West Midlands throughout the day.
If your debit card is contactless, there is no need to download the app, because once you tap it, they cap it and you will never spend more than it would be for a day saver.
Important – The YouTuber is presenting outdated bus fares, as the video was recorded in February, 2019.
Landmarks
- Grand Central – Shopping Centre
- Bullring – Shopping Centre
- Victoria Square
- Council House
- Town Hall
- Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
- Library of Birmingham
Pubs, cafés and restaurants
The brummy recommends areas like the Broad Street, Gas Street and the Brindleyplace, with tons of amazing pubs, restaurants and cafés right next to the canal.
Bournville – Cadbury Factory
In an affective way, she recommends visiting Bournville, the place where she grew up. Bournville is about 10min away on the train from the city centre, and it’s home to the original Cadbury Factory, a chocolate factory that contributed to Bournville’s development.