Living in Birmingham
Explore what the city of Birmingham has to offer
Our cosmopolitan city has a unique history and so much to see and do. It’s no wonder our students fall in love with the city and almost half decide to stay in the region after they graduate. Birmingham is more than somewhere to study. It’s a place to get future ready.
Your City
The UK’s second city, Birmingham is a vibrant and inspiring place to live, with a rich culture and diverse community.
Birmingham is such a great place to live, spend a day getting to know it and you'll fall in love
Kamil, from Redditch
Music and nightlife
When the sun goes down, Birmingham doesn’t sleep. From worldwide superstars at Resorts World Arena to indie nights at The Sunflower Lounge, and from classical performances at the Symphony Hall through to Northern soul at the Night Owl, whatever your tastes there is something here to suit you.
Birmingham is home to a vibrant cultural scene. As well as world-leading museums and art galleries, there are urban festivals such as Birmingham Pride and the Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival. You can also explore the industrial district of Digbeth, where the city’s history is brought to life.
History and culture
Once famous for being the ‘city of a thousand trades’ Birmingham was a world-leading powerhouse for jewellery, toys and buckles, and the legacy of these trades carries on today – 40% of all of the UK’s handmade jewellery is still produced in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. Since the industrial revolution, Birmingham has undergone a major transformation, with former industrial properties converted into some of Birmingham’s most exciting arts and nightlife spaces.
If you’re a culture vulture, Birmingham offers a fantastic range of galleries, museums, theatres and cultural assets to suit all tastes and to rival any major city. The Birmingham Hippodrome is the UK’s most popular single auditorium theatre, whilst Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery has over 40 galleries and Ikon is an internationally acclaimed contemporary art venue. The Electric is the UK’s oldest working cinema showing cult classics and independent films, whilst the University has its very own fine art gallery on campus, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts.
Food and drink
With new restaurants and food festivals always springing up across the city, you’re bound to find something to your taste. Digbeth Dining Club has won many awards for hosting independent food stalls and pop-ups across the city. While on campus we have our very own farmers’ market, offering local, environmentally friendly produce. With so many independent events, collaborations, and day and night markets, you’ll soon discover new favourite foods and places to eat.
Out and about
The shopping experience in Birmingham is one of the best in the country, with people travelling far and wide to visit the famous Bullring. If you dig a little deeper you will find an amazing selection of independent boutiques and vintage clothing stores too. The best place to discover Birmingham’s independents is via Independent Birmingham, a great organisation dedicated to unearthing Birmingham’s hidden gems and best-kept secrets.
At the centre of the UK, Birmingham benefits from being a major cosmopolitan city with the beautiful countryside just a stone’s throw away. Most people travelling to the city land at Birmingham New Street train station, part of the Grand Central development. From New Street, you can reach all corners of the UK easily, including London in 90 minutes, and Stratford-Upon-Avon in under an hour - and most importantly, you can get to the University itself (which has its own train station helpfully called ‘University’) in just 7 minutes.
With more parks than Paris and more miles of canal than Venice, there are lots of cycling and walking routes throughout the city, including a cycle route from the city centre straight through to the University. Home to a major international airport and surrounded by the UK’s network of motorways, no weekend trip is far away from Birmingham.
Discover all of Birmingham's vibrant areas
Birmingham is more than just a city centre. We have a wide variety of lively, spirited and friendly suburbs surrounding the campus and across the city for you to explore.
Keep exploring!
Here are some other websites you can use to explore what else Birmingham has to offer:
- Visit Birmingham
- Independent Birmingham
- Jewellery Quarter
- Digbeth
- Condé Nast Traveller - Birmingham was voted one of the best holiday destinations for foodies!