Solo travel

Birmingham has become my second home, where I live with my friends’ family in our council house. I head back there often, especially for ice skating during Christmas at the seasonal rinks around Centenary Square or Birmingham New Street—gliding under twinkling lights with hot chocolate afterward feels like a cozy tradition. The city’s welcoming vibe, from canal walks to local parks, keeps it special without the hype.

Family travel

I visited Birmingham with my mom and baby, and while it felt pretty safe overall, I was honestly underwhelmed. There were a lot of homeless people around, and the city felt very dirty, especially on the weekends. Airbnb rentals were surprisingly expensive, and while the food wasn’t bad, it was pretty average and not as affordable as I expected. The tourist attractions and historic sites were free, which was nice, but they didn’t really stand out. For 9 days, we spent around £2000, and it just didn’t feel worth it. I’ve never felt this unimpressed by a city before.

Solo travel

Birmingham is big city a bit chaotic but very well connected by public transport. The Victoria square and the library are great places to spend the afternoon. Birmingham is multicultural so you cam also find great food from all around the world

Birmingham is actually good it's very well connected public transport wise we do have an airport and some areas you do need to be it's a little bit careful but if you're a woman walking on your own, should be fine. I've never had any issues. Just avoid some areas. City centre is fine.

Birmingham isn’t the safest place in England, definitely has its fair share of crimes like petty theft and knife crime but as long as you mind your own business and don’t interact with random people, you should be fine. I’ve lived here for 2 years now and do take precautions like not staying out too late and not taking the public transport at a late hour so I’ve felt quite alright, not safe but just alright. In the day it’s better since there is crowds but typically there isn’t much to do around the city especially with everything closing around 5 pm.

Birmingham can be dangerous in some areas at night but okay in the city centre during the day if your exploring/shopping, it gets very busy so I would say stay alert, watch where your going and don't walk with your phone out when walking to avoid it being stolen. Overall it's a nice place to explore and check out the shops.