10 Things to Do Along Birmingham's Canals

Sherborne Wharf operates boat trips along Birmingham’s canals. Its popular narrowboat tours provide visitors with an alternative viewpoint as they slide through tranquil city centre waterways. It’s a relaxing way to learn about Birmingham’s compelling industrial heritage.

Enjoy a picnic on the water with their 2-hour Sunday lunch cruises or eat traditional fish and chips on a supper trip. Alternatively, board the Ariel waterbus throughout the day. Hop on and off at 5 convenient stops, which include Brindley Place, the Mailbox, and Gas Street Basin.

Birmingham Town Hall (BTH) is a concert venue in central Birmingham that first opened in the early 19th century. Back then, it was a purpose-built space for the Birmingham Triennial Festival. Fundraising events raised money for worthy causes. Mostly, these were classical music concerts but in 1853, Charles Dickens read from some of his books during the event.

Birmingham Town Hall underwent a £35 million refurbishment in the 1990s. Restorers saved the historic pipe organ. Before BTH reopened, it doubled as a giant TV screen – locals watched 2002 FIFA World Cup matches on its wall. These days, it hosts a variety of performances. Ozzy Osbourne, Elton John and Queen are among the artists who have played there.

The Birmingham Repertory Theatre (The Rep) on Centenary Square dates back to 1913. The venue comprises 3 auditoriums, the largest of which is uniquely open plan. There are no pillars, balconies or boxes, which helps the audience to feel more connected to what’s happening on stage.

As a repertory theatre, it rotates productions. In any given week, you could watch a musical, a traditional play, a monologue, or stand-up comedy. Families often anticipate its seasonal productions, with beloved titles such as The Snowman.

CBSO Centre is the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s rehearsal space. The orchestra performs at nearby Symphony Hall, where it puts on around 150 concerts in an average year. The orchestra’s talented musicians can turn their hand to a wide range of musical styles, from film music to symphonic disco.

There are about 650 amateur musicians who are part of the organisation, including members of the Children’s Chorus and the CBSO Youth Orchestra. Community outreach and education programmes are important and help to make the CBSO the Birmingham base for all kinds of music. Tickets for their concerts are available online.

The Utilita Arena Birmingham is the 3rd-largest arena in the UK. In the 1990s, the popular TV show Gladiators was recorded there. Eurovision was broadcast from there in 1998 after Katrina & The Waves won the Song Contest in Dublin the year before. Big names like Coldplay and Oasis have also played concerts here.

Previously known as the National Indoor Arena (NIA) and Barclaycard Arena, this versatile space hosted Davis Cup tennis in 1999, 2002 and 2016. It has been the primary venue for Premier League Darts since 2007. The Utilita Arena Birmingham also hosts judo, trampolining, netball, athletics and wheelchair basketball matches.

Teamworks Karting Birmingham is Britain’s premier indoor karting track. Using a fleet of BIZ Lithium-Ion karts, participants can experience higher speeds and more power than a standard go-kart. For that reason, this venue is one of the fastest indoor tracks in Britain.

Staff members provide a full safety briefing to drivers before a race. It’s a fun thing to do whatever your age, so long as you meet the minimum height requirement of 150 cm. if you’re too short for go-karting, there’s a laser tag arena suitable for those aged 6 years and over.

A walking tour in Birmingham can be a pleasant sightseeing experience, providing you with a deeper understanding of the city’s highlights and history. Positively Birmingham is one of the walking tour providers in the city. They offer four guided tours showcase the most fascinating corners of the city centre. Public tours operate at weekends, while private tours offer more flexibility. Downloadable guides mean that wannabe explorers can tackle self-led routes at their own pace.

Tour 1 focuses on the city centre canals and investigates how the city would have looked in Georgian and Victorian times; Tour 2 meanders from Chamberlain Square to the iconic Bull Ring. Tour 3 leads walkers along a secret canal to the Jewellery Quarter, while Tour 4 potters around Centenary Square and Gas Street Basin.

The Mailbox is an upscale shopping centre close to the Birmingham Canal Old Main Line. Inside, you’ll find a branch of Harvey Nichols department store and designers such as Armani, Hugo Boss, and Calvin Klein. You’ll find a cinema and a hotel, as well as several bars and restaurants overlooking the water.

The original building housed the Birmingham postal sorting office, which is how the centre got its name. A public square and walkways now connect it to the nearby canals. The final phase, called The Cube, is a mixed-use development containing residential apartments and offices.

Gas Street Basin is a popular nightlife hub that sits at the junction between the BCN Main Line and Worcester & Birmingham Canal. The Basin takes its name from Gas Street, which was the first place in Birmingham to get gas lighting. When the canals were dug, there was a dispute over water and so the Worcester Bar was built to separate the 2 canals.

Wharves, warehouses, and factories once crowded the small space. The area was a hive of activity. These days, bars, pubs and restaurants line the towpaths. It’s just as busy, but now people come after dark. The Worcester Bar still exists, allowing Gas Street Basin to double as a kind of living museum.

The Birmingham Botanical Gardens occupy a 15-acre site in the Edgbaston area of the city. The gardens were designed in 1829 by Scottish landscaper John Loudon. The layout is more or less the same today, though the Terrace Glasshouses replaced the original conservatory in 1884.

The plant collection incorporates over 7,000 specimens from all over the world. Each of the 4 glasshouses represents a different biome: tropical, subtropical, Mediterranean, and arid environments. Must-visits include a dedicated section for alpine plants and the British National Bonsai Collection.