City guides
United Kingdom
England
Getting Around
The best way to explore Birmingham is on foot as the majority of the city centre is now pedestrianised and the canals make for attractive walkways. The most popular form of transport used in Birmingham and the West Midlands area are buses. There is no central bus station, but a bus stop can be found on almost every corner. Single fares, travel cards, and day tickets are available for unlimited travel for a day. An exact fare is required if passengers are paying by cash but cashless travel is also an option.
Black cabs can be hailed in the street or reached at one of the many taxi ranks in the city centre, the main ones situated at New Street Station, Stephenson Street, and Digbeth Coach Station. New Street and Moor Street train stations provide rail connections to destinations throughout the UK. For coach transfers to other major towns and cities, National Express is a good bet. Mobile app based taxi services, such as Uber, are also available.
Airports
Birmingham Airport
The airport is situated eight miles (12km) southeast of Birmingham.
Birmingham Airport (BHX)
Location
The airport is situated eight miles (12km) southeast of Birmingham.Getting to the city
Buses to the city centre and surrounds can be caught opposite the airport at the Bus and Coach Terminus. Birmingham city centre can also be reached via Birmingham International railway station connected to the airport by a free monorail system called the Air-Rail Link. Trains run from Birmingham International Station to Birmingham New Street Station and vice versa throughout the day but are less frequent in the evenings and on weekends. Uber, and other mobile app based taxi services are also available. For onward travel, Birmingham International Station is connected to over 100 towns in and around the UK.
Time
GMT (GMT +1 between the last Sunday in March and the Saturday before the last Sunday in October).Car rental
Car rental companies include Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and National. All car hire booking desks are located within the arrivals lounge which can be found easily once through security.
Airport Taxis
Taxis are available from outside passenger terminals and take about 15 to 20 minutes into Birmingham.
Transfer between terminals
The two terminals are within easy walking distance of each other.
Facilities
There are banks, bureaux de change, shops, restaurants, business lounges, play areas for kids, baby changing facilities and a tourist information desk in the airport. Disabled facilities are good; those with special needs should contact their airline in advance.
Parking
The airport's 'drop and go' area is adjacent to the departures terminal and is free for the first 20 minutes. Car parks 1, 2 and 3 are best for short and medium-stay parking; they are located beside the terminal building and charge per hour or per day. The long-stay parking garages are located next to the second roundabout along Airport Way, a ten-minute walk from the terminal. There are regular shuttle-buses between the long-stay parking lots and the terminal.