Birmingham is the most populous city with population of 1,016,800 (as estimated in 2008) and lies in the heart of the West Midlands conurbation. Birmingham was known as “the workshop of the world” or “the city of thousand trades”. Birmingham has developed into the national commercial centre and being named as the second-best place to locate business in United Kingdom.
Birmingham has the second largest city economy and is also referred as Second city of UK. In 2010, Birmingham was ranked as the 55th-most livable city in the world. The people from Birmingham are known as Brummies derived from cities nick name “Brum”.
Attractions of Birmingham
As Birmingham is hub of tourist attractions, there are number of places to explore for all age group of tourists, therefore its one type of pick and visit for tourists but some of the attractions are :-
Cadbury World – Birmingham's very own chocolate paradise, a unique place to indulge all of your senses. The main attraction is the story of chocolate making, a gentle ride through a chocolate wonderland, a demonstration area, a fantasy factory and a children's playground.
Aston Hall – Aston Hall was built by Sir Thomas Holte in 1618 and one of England's great country houses.
Aston Transport Museum – A wide range of commercial vehicles on show so if you are interested in transport, particularly buses, then this is the place to come.
Botanical Gardens – The Birmingham Botanical Gardens were opened in 1832. These were designed by J.C.Loudon, a leading garden planner, horticultural journalist and publisher.
National Sea Life Centre – It is situated at Brindley Place, this is an underwater wonderland, collections of sea life around the world.
Transport
Being its inland central location, Birmingham is a major transport hub on the motorway, rail and central networks. The city is served by probably the best known motorway junction in the UK. The nearest airport is Birmingham International Airport, located at Borough which is the sixth busiest airport in UK by passenger traffic.
Local public transport includes bus, local train and tram. Outer circle bus routes are the longest urban bus routes in Europe, being 26 miles (42 km) long with 272 bus stops. The city main railway station is Birmingham New Street which is the centre of the national railway network.
Other railways station Birmingham Snow Hill station is another major railway station in the city centre which is also a terminus for the Midland Metro which operates between the station and Wolverhampton. Birmingham is also known for its expansive canal system.
Martin Wynn
