Best things to do in Birmingham, including free and rainy-day options

Birmingham rewards a day on foot in the centre plus one or two ticketed sights. The free core is Centenary Square and the Library of Birmingham, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, the Jewellery Quarter and the canal network around Gas Street Basin. If it rains or you have children, Thinktank and Cadbury World are the two obvious paid options.

Two days is enough for the centre, the Jewellery Quarter and one outlying sight. Three days lets you add a day trip to Coventry or the Black Country. Most museums close around 17:00, so plan the free walking part for the morning and the ticketed part for the afternoon.

Prices are 2026 estimates; free entries can change, so check the official site before you go. Times are the minimum that does the sight justice, not the maximum.

The centre is compact. From Birmingham New Street you can walk to Centenary Square, the Museum and Art Gallery and Gas Street Basin in 10–20 minutes each. The Library of Birmingham sits on Centenary Square and has a viewing terrace, a café and free wi-fi, which makes it the default stop when it rains. The Museum and Art Gallery is a short walk away and holds the city's main art and history collections.

The Jewellery Quarter is 15–20 minutes on foot from the centre or one stop by train. It is the best area for a wander: workshops, small museums, independent cafés and the Pen Museum and Coffin Works if you want a ticketed stop. The canal network around Gas Street Basin and Brindleyplace is the other easy walk, with towpaths, locks and waterside pubs.

For families, Thinktank at Millennium Point is the city's science museum with hands-on galleries, and Cadbury World at Bournville is a chocolate-themed attraction about 20 minutes by train from New Street. Both are paid and both are sensible rainy-day choices. Cannon Hill Park and the MAC in Edgbaston suit a dry afternoon, and Sarehole Mill in Hall Green ties into the Tolkien trail for a half day out.

A day of free sights costs almost nothing beyond transport and food. Paid attractions are the main variable, and family tickets are usually better value than individual adult tickets. Prices below are 2026 estimates; confirm on the official site.

Book ticketed attractions online, especially Cadbury World and Thinktank in school holidays. Free museums need no booking but can be busy at weekends. Wear shoes you can walk in: the centre and the Jewellery Quarter are best done on foot, and the canal towpaths are uneven in places.

If it rains, start at the Library of Birmingham and the Museum and Art Gallery, then move to Thinktank or Cadbury World. If it is dry, do the canals first and save the indoor sights for the afternoon. Check opening days before you set out, because several sights close one or two weekdays.