Have you got 48-hours to kill in Birmingham? You’ll be spoiled for choice by the endless things to do in this vibrant city. Here are our top city experiences!
Get some breakfast in you!
Start the day bright and early with a fantastic breakfast from 7AM on weekdays at Yorks! This Birmingham favourite is quite often packed full of hungry commuters and lazy students wolfing down their extensive range of breakfast staples. They may not do a big full English, but their speciality in egg dishes will leave you completely satisfied, from their standard Eggs Benedict’s, Royale’s and Florentine’s to scrambled eggs and smoked salmon with labne and dill on soft sourdough toast. Their industrial era décor and rustic features makes the place feel ever so homely, especially when the place is packed with friendly chatter throughout the day.
Expand your mind
Once your belly is full, head over to the amazing Thinktank, Birmingham’s wonderfully eccentric museum, focused on the city’s own industrial history. The ground floor is all about full size locomotives and aircraft, with spitfires hanging from the ceiling! Children (and big children) will be delighted to power up mighty steam machines and learn how Birmingham became the ‘Workshop of the World’! Upstairs, the Planetarium offers a huge range of amazing shows about astronomy and space and in another corner of the vast museum, there’s a chance to have a play with some robots and even learn about your own anatomy! This place is hours of fun and, at £12.75 for an adult and £8.90 for children aged 3-15, is worth every penny!
Head into the deep blue sea
The National Sea Life Centre is always a great place to visit to learn about the oceans of the world and the inhabitants of the deep blue sea. Explore over 60 displays of marine life, from stingrays to turtles, otters to sharks and jellyfish to octopus, with daily creature talks and an interactive rockpool, where you can gently meet crabs and starfish! Plus, the centre’s penguin ice adventure is not to be missed! You can get up close to a colony of Gentoo Penguins in their specially designed Antarctic home, where they will dive and play in the icy landscape! Make sure to wrap up warm as the indoor temperature stays at 8C, just how the cheeky penguins like it!
Shop till you drop!
If you’re after a bit of retail therapy whilst in the city, then head to shopping paradise, The Bullring. Featuring all your favourite high-street stores, from Topshop to H&M, the centre also features high fashion brands like Michael Kors and Kurt Geiger alongside the gigantic Selfridges. You could very easily get lost in the glamour and luxury of Selfridges alone! The centre is open from 10AM – 8PM Monday-Friday, perfect for after work shopping!
Re-fuel
Phew, it’s time for a sit down and something to eat and drink! Head down to the effortlessly cool Pure Bar Kitchen, a craft beer bar with over 100 different brews on offer, great bar snacks and a hearty full food menu to work through! Its industrial minimal décor is the perfect setting for their trade and the guys behind the bar certainly know their stuff and are always willing to suggest beers to suit your taste. Their full menu features some mouth watering beer-inspired mains and desserts, but don’t look past their bar snacks! The Traditional UBU Glazed Pork Pie with Homemade Piccalilli is to die for!
What’s your favourite thing to do in Birmingham? Let us know on Twitter @minicabit or on Facebook!
