Narrowboat cruises, chic bars and Michelin-star restaurants…How to spend 48 hours in Birmingham
Get yourself to Britain’s second largest city pronto
ONCE best known for Spaghetti Junction, it can be easy to forget Birmingham’s prettier parts.
But with canals, chic bars and eye-catching architecture, it’s well worth a weekend adventure.
Explore the canals
With 114 miles of canals, Birmingham is an “urban Venice”.
Take an hour’s under looping bridges for £8.
Just steps from the towpath and with free entry, houses contemporary art in a neo-gothic school building.
Go windsurfing
Rent paddle boards on overlooking the city centre, or take a two-hour windsurfing taster lesson for £21.
Fans of BBC’s Peaky Blinders should then head to Digbeth, where gangsters like Tommy Shelby once prospered.
Dine like a star
Birmingham boasts five Michelin-star restaurants – more than any other English city outside London.
Our pick is , serving modern British bites in a chic monochrome setting.
On Broad Street, serves fresh Indian fare – the grilled sea bass with ginger and coconut was our fave, £18.95.
Find gin heaven
Reached from the canal, is a juniper lover’s dream, with over 30
gins from £4.95.
The whimsical offers a gin-based menu, including seared tuna, £15.50, paired with the tipple.
Or visit , which has a backyard strung with fairy lights and three tapas dishes for £12, including whitebait and halloumi.
Doubles start from £125 per night.