Birmingham
Required Information
You’ll use pound sterling (£GBP) while you’re here. One pound is divided into one hundred pence (100p). Notes are issued to the value of £50, £20, £10 and £5, and coins to the value of £2, £1, 50p, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p and 1p.
The nearest airport to Birmingham is Birmingham (BHX) Airport which is 7.3 miles away. Other nearby airports include Manchester (MAN) (63.3 miles), London Luton (LTN) (77.3 miles), Bristol (BRS) (83.7 miles) and London Heathrow (LHR) (93.7 miles).
If you want to travel by train from London to Birmingham, you’ll be travelling with either Avanti West Coast or Chiltern Railways on this route depending on the railway station you’ll be leaving from. Avanti West Coast trains depart from London Euston, while Chiltern Railways services depart from London Marylebone station.
Train:
Eight local rail lines criss-cross the city to ensure quick links to all attractions and venues (as well as connecting to services to other UK cities and towns).
Buses:
Birmingham is brilliant for buses. There’s a huge network linking everyone to everything.
Cycling:
With miles of canals and a compact city centre, what better way to explore Birmingham and the wider region than by bicycle?
Taxis:
Birmingham’s well regulated taxis are especially convenient for those with heavy luggage or returning late from a night out.
When entering the UK, you need to either: carry a letter of proof that the medicine was prescribed to you. Get a personal licence if you’re travelling in the UK for at least 3 months or carrying enough of the medicine to last you that long.
If you’re planning an adventure to the UK, you may need to organise a visa. Whether you need one or not depends on your nationality and your reason for visiting.
If you’re visiting from the EU:
For the most up-to-date information on visiting the UK for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, please see the official government website.
If you’re visiting from the Rest of the World
If you’re an American, Canadian or Australian tourist, you’ll be able to travel visa-free throughout the UK, providing you have a valid passport and your reason for visiting meets the immigration rules.
If you’re a tourist visiting from Brazil, South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan, you are able to travel visa-free around the UK. This also applies to nationals from some additional South American and Caribbean countries. You can check if you need a UK visa here.
If you’re a national of Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, or the UAE and you’re planning to visit the UK, you may be able to get an electronic visa waiver instead of a visa. You can find further details at
https://www.gov.uk/get-electronic-visa-waiver
In the United Kingdom the power plug sockets are of type G. The standard voltage is 230 V and the frequency is 50 Hz.
First Visit To Dubai?
Packed with a wealth of history, arts and culture, this vibrant city was a global manufacturing powerhouse, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, and was known in the Victorian era as the ‘Workshop of the World’. You could say that Brummies invented the modern world.
Birmingham was England’s first civic university, a place where students from all backgrounds were accepted on an equal basis. More than 100 years on, Birmingham campus has grown to 672 acres, and also now have a campus in Dubai. Each year, it welcomes more than 30,000 students from across the world. Its size has changed, but its civic commitment has not.
Birmingham is a leading, global top 100 university.
Its graduates are sought-after by employers: It is 1st most targeted university in the UK by top employers (The Graduate Market in 2021). It is a member of the elite Russell Group of UK universities. Birmingham is the first Russell Group, and global top 100 university to establish a campus in Dubai. Birmingham has one of the largest international student communities in the UK, with over 10,000 students from 150 countries.
Bright and thriving Birmingham has an incredible wealth of green spaces, festivals, and cultural activities. Needless to say, with such a rich history there are lots of fascinating facts about Birmingham. For example, did you know that Birmingham has Europe’s largest urban nature reserve?
Forget what you think you know about libraries. The Library of Birmingham has reimagined the whole concept for the digital age, with surprises in store, inside and out. The building itself is a real head-turner, with a 7th-floor garden and several spacious viewing platforms.
There’s a full programme of events to attend for free. Watch live theatre in the amphitheatre or explore the permanent exhibition dedicated to William Shakespeare, Britain’s most celebrated playwright. For movie buffs, the entire National Film Archive is available in private booths, courtesy of the British Film Institute.
