Birmingham is a perfect escape for budget travellers, offering rich culture, fascinating history, and lively entertainment, without the big price tag. Discover free museums, enjoy bustling markets, and soak in the city’s vibrant atmosphere. With affordable accommodations and easy transport, Birmingham proves that unforgettable experiences don’t have to cost a fortune! Regardless of whether your purse strings are suffering or you have a stash of Sterling to splash, there’s plenty to see and do in England’s second city.
Here’s the low-down on the best cheap, fun and free things to do in Birmingham city centre.
Free Indoor Things to do in Birmingham: Enjoy a free culture fix
Culture doesn't need to cost a thing in Birmingham. Completely free cultural venues include the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, where you can wander among a world-class collection of Pre-Raphaelite works, and the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists.
Owned by the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists itself, which makes it one of only a handful of galleries to be owned by artists and run for artists, the latter offers an ever-changing programme of exhibitions across two floors.
Had your fill of art? Look to the Library of Birmingham. Designed by Dutch architects Mecanoo, the futuristic space features a shimmering façade, a sunken amphitheatre, rooftop gardens, and an Instagram-worthy golden rooftop rotunda. It’s anything but your average library!
Budget Birmingham: Enjoy Park Life
Surprisingly, given that Birmingham was built on the back of heavy industry, Brum, as it is affectionately known, boasts more parks than any other European city of the same size and some six million trees.
Check out Cannon Hill Park, which has been awarded green status, before wandering to Woodgate Valley Country Park, where you’ll find 450 acres of meadows, woodland, hedgerows and wetland alongside a visitor centre complete with a cafe. You can also enjoy a stroll in Birmingham National Park or the beautiful Sutton Park.
Cheap Fun Things to Do in Birmingham: Canal cruising
Back in the industrial age, Birmingham was a key hub on the UK's canal network. Consequently, the city continues to have more miles of canals (313 to be precise) than Venice, and boarding a narrow boat and discovering Birmingham’s hidden corridors remains a quintessential cheap and fun thing to do in Birmingham.
Cost-effective Birmingham: Checking out Cadbury’s World
Of course, you can’t visit Birmingham without taking a trip to the area’s top attraction, Cadbury’s World chocolate factory.
Situated on the site of the original Cadbury factory in Bournville, established in 1879, the chocolate haven is divided into 14 zones where you can discover how the UK’s favourite chocolate is manufactured. Take a walk through time in the life-sized Chocolate Street and try a few samples along the way.
Blow the budget: Shop to it
Shopaholics should seek out Birmingham’s iconic Bullring shopping centre, a gleaming £500m retail complex replete with a glass roof that opened in 2003.
However, if you hit just one shop, make it the £60m branch of Selfridges. The store, which has earned its place as an architectural landmark for its Paco Rabanne-inspired exterior, is home to some of the world’s most established designers – whose wares are showcased over four floors.
Blow the budget: Bon appetit!
Birmingham is famous for its Balti (a stir-fried curry) that’s both made and served in one stainless steel bowl, traditionally eaten with fingers using naan bread.
That said, if you fancy a more upscale dining experience, Birmingham won't disappoint you. No fewer than seven Brummie restaurants have been named among the best in the UK by Harden’s Best Restaurants Guide 2019.
Are you eager to explore more of the UK's most iconic cities? Check out our travel guide about London and discover the most interesting things to do in the British capital!