Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland and one of the most underrated city breaks in the UK. It’s compact, incredibly walkable, and packed with history, culture, and one of the best food and bar scenes I’ve encountered anywhere in the British Isles.
It’s also a city that wears its complex past openly the murals, the Peace Wall, the political taxi tours and that honesty makes it one of the most thought-provoking places I’ve visited. Come with an open mind, and you’ll leave with a genuine understanding of a city that has worked incredibly hard to reinvent itself.
Nowadays Belfast is my second home, as I own short term accommodation properties in the city. I’m constantly advising and engaging tourists so I do dare say I know a lot. So if you are visiting do me a favour and stay in one of them… wink, wink!
GRAND OPERA HOUSE
BELFAST ESSENTIALS
✈️ Getting There / Belfast has two airports, Belfast International (BFS) and George Best Belfast City Airport (BHD), most UK flights use City Airport, which is closer to the centre. Book a private airport transfer with WelcomePickups for a stress-free arrival. Search flights on Skyscanner.
🚗 Getting Around / The city centre is very walkable, with most attractions within a 20 to 30 minute walk of each other. For day trips out to Giant’s Causeway or Hillsborough Castle, compare rental cars on DiscoverCars.
🧳 Luggage Storage / If you’re early for check-in or have time to kill before heading home, no stress, there are luggage storage points all over Belfast. Use this website to find one nearby.
📱 Connect / Stay connected the moment you land with an eSIM. I use Holafly, use code TRAVELWITHPAU for 5% off.
🛡️ Get Insured / Even for a UK trip, it’s worth having cover. World Nomads offers coverage for over 150 activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.
Wonderful Things to Do in Belfast
Visit the Titanic Belfast Experience
The Titanic Belfast museum is, without exaggeration, one of the best museums I’ve ever been to. Built on the exact slipway where the Titanic was constructed, it takes you through the full story of the ship, from Belfast’s industrial history to the night of the sinking and beyond. The building itself is stunning, designed to resemble the prow of a ship.
Book in advance, this sells out, especially on weekends. Book your Titanic Belfast tickets and include the SS Nomadic visit while you’re there.
Spot the Samson & Goliath Cranes
These two giant yellow cranes are Belfast’s most iconic skyline feature, you can see them from almost everywhere in the city. They’re a symbol of the city’s shipbuilding heritage and make for great photos, especially from the Titanic Quarter waterfront.
Looking for immersive experiences in London? Well, good, because I’m the UK’s biggest independent immersive experience blogger. Whenever an immersive experience launches in London, I’m there no matter how weird it is. I have visited more than 100 so far!
Below London’s best immersive experiences that I have tried and tested, organised by type. This article gets updated regularly, check the last published date for the latest update time and you’ll find 30+ immersive experiences here at all times.
Something needs updating? Give me a shout in the comments, or on Instagram (@travelwithpau).
This Month’s Highlight
Luminiscence
After captivating over one million people worldwide, Luminiscence is coming to London this summer — and Westminster Cathedral might be the most spectacular venue it has ever had. The building’s vast domes, soaring columns, and intricate mosaics become a living canvas as 360° projections sweep across every surface, all set to the music of Beethoven, Verdi, Debussy, Vivaldi, and Bach performed live by the Lux Aeterna choir. There’s also a specially commissioned script narrated by Hugh Bonneville. It’s seated, around 50 minutes, and genuinely unmissable. Running 1 July – 27 September 2026, from £32.50.
The most technically remarkable concert I’ve ever seen — and I don’t even say that lightly. ABBA Voyage takes place in a purpose-built arena in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, where four holographic ABBAtars (the band as they looked in 1979) perform a 100-minute setlist backed by a ten-piece live band. The result is genuinely uncanny — it looks, sounds, and feels like seeing ABBA live. All 20 songs are greatest hits: Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia, Waterloo, Fernando, Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! — the full lot. You can sit or go on the dance floor. London exclusive, has been running for years, and still sells out. If you haven’t done it yet, stop waiting.
You’re the crew of a starship. That’s the premise of Bridge Command, and it delivers completely. Held in a custom-built spaceship set in Vauxhall, you and your group take on roles — pilot, engineer, weapons, communications — and work together to navigate missions, survive crises, and interact with live actors playing characters in the story. No VR, no headsets — just an extraordinarily immersive set with sliding palmprint doors, smoke and sparks when you take damage, and two hours of proper group gameplay. One of the most original immersive experiences in London right now. Running until August 2026, from £40. Groups of up to 14.
This is one of the most exciting immersive experience launches of 2025! The official live, playable experience based on the BAFTA and Emmy award-winning TV show, The Traitors is set in London’s West End. The Traitors: Live Experience will allow players to dive into the world of the hit TV series as they take a seat at ‘The Round Table’, participate in missions and work together to uncover the Traitors.
Candlelight has exploded into one of the most popular concert experiences in London — and honestly, I get it. Intimate live performances in stunning venues, lit entirely by candlelight, at prices that won’t bankrupt you. There are now over 45 different shows running across the city, from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Hans Zimmer film scores to tributes to Adele, The Beatles, Queen vs ABBA, and even Hip-Hop on Strings. Venues range from Southwark Cathedral and St Martin-in-the-Fields to Central Hall Westminster and Cadogan Hall. Whatever your taste in music, there’s almost certainly a Candlelight show for you — and it makes a brilliant date night or gift.
I’ve visited Birmingham from London more than seven times now, and I even lived there for a couple of weeks while renovating my own apartment just a minute from New Street Station. It’s the second largest city in the UK, the youngest too, with over 40% of the population under 25, and it has more canal waterways than Venice. Add in fine dining, serious greenery, an industrial-meets-artsy vibe (Digbeth alone could keep you busy for a day), and the fact it’s home to Cadbury’s chocolate factory, the Peaky Blinders, and the birthplace of heavy metal, and it’s a city that deserves a lot more than a rushed day trip.
This guide covers everything: my Birmingham bucket list, where to stay, where to eat, and every practical detail you need, whether you’re doing it as a day trip from London or making a proper weekend of it.
Bath Place Street Art
BIRMINGHAM ESSENTIALS
🚆 Getting There / Birmingham is very walkable once you’re there, and getting to it from anywhere in England is easy. Check train and coach options together on Trainline so you can pick whichever is cheapest and fastest, New Street Station puts you right in the centre of everything.
🚗 Getting Around / The city centre is compact enough to walk between most of the big sights, and there’s a solid bus network for anything further out. If you want to combine Birmingham with a Cotswolds or Stonehenge day trip, compare rental cars on DiscoverCars.
🧳 Luggage Storage / If you’re early for check-in or have time to kill before your train home, no stress, there are luggage storage points all over Birmingham. Use this website to find one nearby.
📱 Connect / Stay connected the moment you arrive. I use Holafly, use code TRAVELWITHPAU for 5% off.
🛡️ Get Insured / Even for a UK trip, it’s worth having cover. World Nomads offers coverage for over 150 activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.
Birmingham Bucket List: 27 Things to Do
1. Take a Walking Tour to Get Your Bearings
If you only do one organised thing, make it this: a guided walk through the city centre to understand how Birmingham grew from a small market town into the UK’s second largest city. It’s a great way to get authentic insight into modern Birmingham life and spot a few hidden gems you’d otherwise walk straight past. Book the Birmingham Guided City Centre Walking Tour.
2. Explore the Bullring and Grand Central
Birmingham has been a marketplace since the 12th century, and that legacy has only grown over the years. The Bullring is the shopping district around Grand Central station, and it’s genuinely worth a wander even if shopping isn’t your priority, Selfridges looks like it landed from space, the Western Arcade has splendid architecture and lovely independent stores, and the Mailbox nearby is where you go for the luxury brands.
Practical info: Free to explore. Selfridges and the Bullring are a couple of minutes from New Street Station.
3. Take a Selfie with The Bull
Just outside the Bullring in Rotunda Square stands The Bull, a 6-tonne bronze sculpture by artist Laurence Broderick that’s become the symbol of the whole shopping district. It’s undoubtedly the most photographed spot in the city, and it’s impossible to walk past without stopping.
Practical info: Free, outdoors, accessible any time.
4. Wander the Canal Quarter and Brindleyplace
Birmingham’s canal quarter houses the city’s best bars, restaurants, and views, and it just makes for a lovely stroll. Brindleyplace is a beautiful square with restaurants, bars, shops and cafes right on the water, and the area is also home to the National Sealife Centre and the IKON Gallery if you want to make a proper afternoon of it. Book National Sea Life Centre entry tickets.
Practical info: Free to walk. National Sealife Centre and IKON Gallery both charge separate entry (IKON is free on Mondays).
5. Wander Gas Street Basin
Just around the corner from Brindleyplace, Gas Street Basin is the historic junction where several of Birmingham’s canals meet, all cobbled towpaths, narrowboats moored three-deep, and canalside pubs. It’s one of the prettiest, most photogenic corners of the city, and a proper reminder of why Birmingham genuinely does have more miles of canal than Venice.
Practical info: Free to walk. Right next to Brindleyplace and the ICC.
Victoria Square
6. Admire Victoria Square and the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Victoria Square is best described as Birmingham’s answer to Trafalgar Square, and at its edge sits the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, home to the largest collection of pre-Raphaelite paintings in the world, occupying one of the city’s finest buildings. It’s also where you’ll find the Staffordshire Hoard, the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork ever discovered, on permanent display.
Practical info: Free entry. Located right on Victoria Square in the city centre.
7. Look Up at the Frescoes of Piccadilly Arcade
Opposite New Street Station, this picturesque arcade has beautiful architecture and an eclectic mix of independent stores, but what really gets my attention every time is the hand-painted ceiling frescoes, they’re rather unusual and easy to walk straight under without noticing.
Practical info: Free to walk through, open during shopping hours.
8. See Tolkien’s Inspiration at Moseley Bog
Moseley Bog is a green idyll on the fringes of the city, sitting on the site of an old millpond. J.R.R. Tolkien grew up around it in the 1890s, and it’s said to be the inspiration for hobbit-hangout the Shire, while a Victorian waterworks down the road in Edgbaston is said to have inspired Sauron’s towering lair. Wander around the nature reserve full of plants, animals, gnarled old trees, and gorgeous carpets of bluebells each spring. There’s real archaeological interest here too, including two burnt mounds and the remains of an old mill dam.
Recently named the Coolest Neighbourhood in Britain by the Sunday Times, Digbeth is less than ten minutes’ walk from the Bullring and Grand Central, and it’s completely worth the detour. The Custard Factory is the heart of it, cafes, independent shops, cinemas, arts venues, and the weekly food and drink festival, Digbeth Dining Club. Digbeth is also Birmingham’s street art hotspot, so a walk around doubles as an open-air gallery, Bath Place is one of the best spots for it. Book the Digbeth, Public Art and Peaky Blinders Film Locations Walking Tour to get the context behind it all.
10. Explore the Jewellery Quarter
Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter has been producing jewellery for over 250 years and still is, this is a working district, not a museum piece, with independent workshops, the Jewellers’ Clock, and genuine working goldsmiths behind unassuming shopfronts. It’s a completely different pace and character to the Bullring, well worth the wander if you want to see a side of Birmingham most day-trippers miss. Book the Discovering Birmingham Walking Tour, which winds through the “secret canal” on its way into the Quarter.
Bennets Hill
11. Eat Your Way Through the Chinese Quarter
Curry isn’t the only food scene worth crossing town for. Birmingham’s Chinese Quarter, centred around Hurst Street and Arcadian Centre, is strung with lanterns and packed with genuinely authentic Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai, and Korean restaurants alongside the Chinese ones, a proper contrast to the Balti Triangle further out.
I’m a craft beer fan, so this one’s close to my heart. Head to Indian Brewery in Snowhill, the craft brewery behind Birmingham Lager, for a proper pint made in the city.
13. Play a Round at Golf Fang (formerly Ghetto Golf)
Golf Fang, inside the Custard Factory, is an 18-hole graffiti-themed crazy golf course paired with a full cocktail bar, arcade games, AR darts, and pool, adults-only and thoroughly ridiculous in the best way. It went through a £500k refurb and rebrand from its old name, Ghetto Golf, in 2026, so don’t be surprised if you see the old name still floating around online. Book Golf Fang Birmingham.
14. Play Retro Games at NQ64
Also in the Custard Factory, NQ64 is a neon-splattered arcade bar packed with retro cabinets and pinball machines alongside a proper cocktail menu, open late every night of the week. A great one to pair with Golf Fang for a full evening in Digbeth.
The Old Crown is Birmingham’s oldest secular building, standing since 1368. Having survived the English Civil War, the pub and its events garden now sit proudly in the heart of Digbeth, Birmingham’s thriving creative quarter. Fun fact: it has some of the coolest, most original bar snacks in the city.
Gibb St Digbeth
Practical info: Located in Digbeth, easily combined with a street art wander.
16. Feel Like Charlie at Cadbury World
A chocolate-focused attraction? I’m in. Just 13 minutes by train from New Street takes you to the red-brick, old-world Bournville village, built for the workers of what was once the centre of England’s chocolate empire. The demonstration area involves actual molten chocolate (and you get to eat it), and the world’s biggest Cadbury store awaits at the end, stocking concoctions you won’t find anywhere else. Book Cadbury World entry tickets.
St Pauls Gallery is the world’s leading retailer of signed limited edition album cover fine art, with well over 100 signed prints on permanent show and sale. It’s not to be missed if music is your thing, especially if you’re into 60s or 70s rock, prints signed by Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, and plenty more are all on sale here, alongside exclusive musician portrait photography.
Practical info: Free to browse. Located in the city centre.
19. Sip a Cocktail in a Speakeasy
Some of Birmingham’s best bars are hidden behind unassuming storefronts and doorways. 18/81 on Thorp Street has no obvious signage, just ring the bell. 40 St Pauls is equally discreet, look for the door with the number 40 off St Paul’s Square.
Practical info: Both bars in or near the Jewellery Quarter and St Paul’s Square.
Peaky Blinders Pub (actually haven’t been on it, FYI)
20. Have a Curry in the Balti Triangle
Birmingham is the original home of the Balti. The Birmingham Balti was born here in the late 70s, when curry chefs started making dishes lighter, healthier, and faster to serve to suit Western tastes. There’s even an area called the Balti Triangle, just south of the city centre along Ladypool Road, Stoney Lane, and Stratford Road, named for the sheer number of eateries serving curries the balti way. See the Where to Eat section below for my picks.
21. Visit Winterbourne House and Garden
Step back in time at Winterbourne House and Garden, a beautifully preserved Edwardian gem a short distance from the city centre. Built in 1903, the house offers a genuine glimpse into early 20th-century middle-class life, with many rooms restored to their original charm. Surrounding it are seven acres of exquisite botanical gardens with over 6,000 plant species from around the globe, a picturesque walled garden, and a tranquil Japanese bridge, a peaceful escape from the city and a must for history and nature lovers alike. Book Winterbourne House and Garden entry tickets.
Practical info: Entry fee applies, check the official Winterbourne website for current prices and opening days.
22. Relax in Cannon Hill Park
Cannon Hill Park is Birmingham’s biggest and most popular green space, 200 acres of formal gardens, woodland, and lakes down in Moseley. Hire a swan-shaped pedalo on the ornamental lake, play a round on the 36-hole mini-golf course, or just find a patch of grass, and it’s also home to MAC Birmingham, an arts centre with a cinema, theatre, and gallery space if the weather turns.
A different, more curated green escape to Cannon Hill or Winterbourne, the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in Edgbaston pack glasshouses, aviaries, and beautifully maintained grounds into 15 acres, a proper afternoon out if gardens are your thing. Book Birmingham Botanical Gardens entry tickets.
24. Step Inside the Library of Birmingham
The Library of Birmingham is the largest public library in Europe, and even if libraries aren’t usually your thing, this one is worth popping into for the building alone, a striking, filigree-wrapped structure in Centenary Square with a rooftop garden and sweeping views over the city. It also holds one of the most significant Shakespeare collections in the world.
Practical info: Free entry. Open Monday to Saturday, closed Sundays. Located in Centenary Square, Broad Street.
25. See How Birmingham Really Lived at the Back to Backs
The Birmingham Back to Backs is the city’s last surviving court of back-to-back houses, once the standard working-class housing across Birmingham, and now preserved and restored by the National Trust to show life there across different decades. It’s guided-tour only and genuinely moving, a side of the city’s industrial history that’s easy to miss among the shopping centres. Book your Back to Backs visit through the National Trust.
Practical info: Booking essential, tickets are released a few weeks ahead. Located in the city centre near the Bullring.
26. Go to a Candlelight Concert
Experience live music illuminated entirely by candlelight at a Candlelight Concert in Birmingham. These intimate performances feature talented musicians playing everything from classical to contemporary, all under the soft glow of hundreds of candles, a lovely, low-key evening activity. Browse Candlelight Concerts in Birmingham.
27. Catch an Immersive Experience
The best immersive experiences tend to cluster in London, but a city the size of Birmingham gets its fair share too, worth checking what’s on while you’re in town. Check what’s currently available in Birmingham.
Picadilly Arcade
Birmingham Day Trips
The Cotswolds: While Birmingham is a vibrant urban hub, the idyllic Cotswolds are just a short drive away and make for an excellent day trip. Known for rolling hills, picturesque villages, and honey-coloured stone cottages, the Cotswolds offer a quintessential English countryside experience, explore charming villages like Broadway or Stow-on-the-Wold and soak in the tranquillity. Book the Cotswolds Full-Day Tour from Birmingham.
Stonehenge and Bath: A longer but genuinely worthwhile day out, combining England’s most famous prehistoric monument with the Roman baths and Georgian architecture of Bath. Book the Stonehenge and Bath Day Tour from Birmingham.
Warwick Castle and Stratford-upon-Avon: The closest day trip on this list, both are only around 40 minutes from Birmingham by car or train, and just nine miles apart from each other, easily combined into one day. Climb the ramparts of the medieval Warwick Castle, then wander Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s birthplace and final resting place. Book Warwick Castle entry tickets.
Where to Stay in Birmingham
Make a weekend of it if you can, get to Birmingham on a Friday and stay through Saturday for two full days of exploring.
Perfect for longer stays, this all-suite hotel offers modern, spacious accommodation with kitchenettes and complimentary breakfast, right in the city centre.
If you only have one day, start at the Bullring, stroll around and make sure to visit both arcades (Piccadilly and Western), then walk through the canal quarter and drop into St Pauls Gallery, have a curry for lunch, then head to Digbeth for another stroll, drinks, and food in the evening at Digbeth Dining Club, and make sure to pop into The Old Crown.
If you make a weekend of it (which I recommend), use the second day to visit Moseley Bog, Cadbury World, and the Peaky Blinders walking tour.
Getting To & Around Birmingham
You can take a bus or train from pretty much anywhere in England. Check train and coach options together on Trainline so you can compare and pick whichever is cheapest and fastest, New Street Station drops you right in the middle of the action. If you’re planning day trips out to the Cotswolds or further, a rental car gives you more flexibility, compare rates on DiscoverCars.
Once you’re there, Birmingham is a genuinely walkable city with a great bus system for anywhere slightly further out, you won’t need a car for the city centre itself.
Birmingham FAQ
Is Birmingham worth visiting? Absolutely. It’s the UK’s second largest city, with world-class museums, a thriving food scene (it’s the birthplace of the Balti), a genuinely cool street art neighbourhood in Digbeth, and enough history and quirky attractions to fill a full weekend.
How many days do you need in Birmingham? One full day covers the city centre highlights, the Bullring, the canal quarter, and a curry in the evening. A weekend lets you add Cadbury World, Moseley Bog, and the Peaky Blinders walking tour without rushing.
Is Birmingham a good day trip from London? Yes, trains from London take around 1.5 hours, making it a very doable day trip, though a weekend gives you a much fuller picture of the city.
What is Birmingham famous for? The Bullring, the Peaky Blinders, being the birthplace of heavy metal, Cadbury’s chocolate, the Balti curry, and having more canals than Venice.
What is the best area to stay in Birmingham? The city centre around New Street Station and the Mailbox puts you within walking distance of almost everything. Digbeth is a great alternative if you want to be closer to the nightlife and street art scene.
Do I need a car in Birmingham? No, the city centre is very walkable and the bus network covers everything else. A car is only useful if you’re planning day trips out to the Cotswolds or further afield.
Enjoyed this article? Support my work by buying me an oat capuccino. Otherwise, do me a great favor of leaving a comment and following me on Instagram (@travelwithpau). Feel free to say ‘Hello!’ I don’t bite. And make sure you save the article for later on Pinterest!
This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase, I might make a small commission, at no extra cost to you in order to help support my blog.
La Fortuna was my very first stop in Costa Rica, and it set the bar impossibly high for everything that followed. Nestled beneath the brooding cone of Arenal Volcano, this small town is one of those rare places where you can genuinely do as much or as little as you like, soak in a hot spring and call it a day, or pack your schedule so full of things to do in La Fortuna Arenal that you collapse into bed each night absolutely buzzing with it all.
I stayed at Rancho Margot, a self-sustainable ranch near Lake Arenal that turned out to be one of the most memorable stays of my entire trip. But I’ll get to that. First, here’s everything you need to know to plan your own Arenal adventure.
ARENAL /LA FORTUNA ESSENTIALS
✈️ Getting There / Fly into San José (SJO) from the UK, flights take around 11 to 12 hours, typically with one stop (most commonly via the US or Madrid). From San José, La Fortuna is roughly a 3.5-hour drive northwest. Book a private airport transfer with WelcomePickups for a stress-free arrival. Search flights on Skyscanner.
🚗 Getting Around / The roads around Arenal and La Fortuna are largely paved and manageable, but a 4×4 is still recommended if you want to access more remote waterfalls and trails. Compare rental cars on DiscoverCars, they consistently had the best rates with full insurance included when I booked mine. Shared shuttles (Interbus, Comfortable Costa Rica) also connect La Fortuna to San José and other destinations like Monteverde.
📱 Connect / Stay connected the moment you land. I use Holafly, use code TRAVELWITHPAU for 5% off.
🛡️ Get Insured / This is not one to skip. La Fortuna is an adventure-activity hub, rafting, canyoneering, zip-lining, and most standard travel policies won’t cover any of it. World Nomads covers 150+ adventure activities, medical emergencies, trip cancellation, and lost luggage. Sort it before you fly.
Koh Phi Phi is, genuinely, one of those places. You arrive by ferry, the islands come into view from the water, and you understand immediately why everyone you’ve ever met who came to Thailand talked about this place with that slightly glazed look in their eyes. The water is a colour I don’t have a good word for (not quite turquoise, not quite green, brighter than teal) and it sits against limestone cliffs that shoot straight up from the sea as if someone placed them there for maximum dramatic effect.
I visited in late April, which put me just at the edge of peak season, and even then it was less chaotic than I’d feared. The islands have a certain energy (part beach paradise, part party destination, part protected national park) that somehow all coexists. There’s something really special about Koh Phi Phi, and I came away a little obsessed with it.
Whether you’re planning a two-day stopover or a full week of island life, here’s everything to put on your Koh Phi Phi bucket list.
KOH PHI PHI: THE ESSENTIALS
Getting There / Koh Phi Phi has no airport. You arrive by ferry. From Krabi, the crossing takes around 1.5 hours; from Phuket, around 2 hours. Ferries run daily and can be booked through Ferryhopper. If you’re flying into Phuket or Krabi first, book a private airport transfer with WelcomePickups to get to the ferry pier without the taxi negotiation faff. Search for flights into Phuket or Krabi on Skyscanner.
Getting Around / There are no cars or motorbikes on Koh Phi Phi. The island is car-free, which is one of its great charms. You get around on foot (Tonsai Village is walkable) or by longtail boat (to reach more remote beaches and neighbouring islands). Budget around 100–500 THB (£2–£12) per longtail boat trip depending on distance.
Connect / You’ll need mobile data while you are in Koh Phi Phi, I always recommend using an eSIM (there’s absolutely no need for a physical one!). I always use HolaFly, and you can get 5% discount with code TRAVELWITHPAU. Get it here.
Get Insured / Koh Phi Phi involves boats, snorkelling, and diving: all things you want to be covered for. World Nomads covers 150+ activities including water sports, emergency medical, and trip cancellation. Don’t skip this one.
