Beyond the Bullring: Free Things to Do in Birmingham

“Birmingham is a creative city filled with free museums, historical trails and vibrant green spaces. If you’re travelling on a budget, Birmingham boasts numerous free activities and attractions to explore during your holiday.

### Explore the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

The Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery is one of the most popular attractions in the city, and best of all, it’s completely free. It offers rotating exhibitions, an activity space for children and a Victorian tea room to unwind after a tour. You’ll also find the world-famous Staffordshire Hoard, a huge collection of stunning pre-Raphaelite paintings in a dedicated building.

### Walk the Tolkien trail

Birmingham was part of ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Hobbit’ author J.R.R. Tolkien’s early works. As a child, Tolkien would play in the Sarehole Mill and Moseley Bog, which offers an official Tolkien Trail and Middle-earth weekend to learn more about the innovative author.

### Run with locals in Parkrun

Parkrun is a national initiative designed to get people active with 5k runs in local Birmingham parks. These runs are completely free and offer something for all skill levels. All you have to do to join is visit the website, register and print off your number.

_Photo by Alex Holyoake on Unsplash_

### See street art at Digbeth

Digbeth is Birmingham’s creative quarter and boasts some spectacular street art. Beginning with the Custard Factory, you can wander the streets to see unique modern street art and historic sites, such as Old Crown, the famous Irish Centre and the JFK memorial.

### Visit BBC Birmingham

BBC Birmingham broadcasts from a retail and restaurant outlet, Mailbox, and includes a free visitor centre. You can view original outfits from television series, pose for a picture with Doctor Who’s Tardis and watch live news bulletins. You can also take the full tour for a small admission fee.

### Explore the Library of Birmingham

The Library of Birmingham boasts 10 levels of hundreds of thousands of books, as well as the Shakespeare Memorial Room. You can peruse the titles and take out a book to read on the secret garden terrace to admire panoramic views of the city.

_Photo by Wei Wang on Unsplash_

### Get in touch with nature at a park

Birmingham has an array of free parks with activities, gardens, woodlands, nature trails and wildlife. Cannon Hill Park is one of the top attractions, boasting acres of wilderness, picnic areas, play areas and paddleboats. You can also visit the Midlands Arts Centre and the Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park, a wildlife refuge with wallabies, lynx and pandas.

### Stroll along the canals

Birmingham’s canal network winds through restaurants, shopping outlets and towpaths with hundreds of boats and barges. Some of the city’s hidden gems are found along these paths, from historic pubs to charming cafes.

### Listen to live music

The Symphony Hall in Birmingham hosts free music performances and workshops in the cafe bar, many of which are from prominent artists. You can also enjoy jazz in the Jewellery Quarter’s classical music auditorium, thanks to the Jazzlines initiative.

### Enjoy views at Lickey Hills

The Lickey Hills Country Park is one of the most popular parks in the city. Located on the southern tip of the city, the woodland park has spectacular vantage points of Birmingham’s landscape, complete with grass snakes, rabbits, squirrels and lizards.

_Photo by Luke Matthews on Unsplash_

### Marvel at natural history in the Lapworth Museum of Geology

The Lapworth Museum of Geology is among the country’s oldest specialist geological museums. It boasts a range of fossils and minerals that showcase life in the region millions of years ago, including fossils from a sabre-toothed tiger, giant ammonites, allosaurus skeletons and trilobites. In the upstairs portion, you’ll find an exhibition of local rocks and minerals.

### View medieval architecture at Birmingham churches

If architecture interests you, the Birmingham churches boast gorgeous medieval architecture and stunning stained-glass windows. You can explore St Laurence’s, St Edburgha’s and St Martin, as well as St Philip’s, a beautiful church with four stained-glass windows by pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones.

### Explore the Jewellery Quarter

The Jewellery Quarter is a bustling city area with an array of jewellery businesses and the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter. This museum is a former jewellery factory and showcases the history of jewellery production in the city over hundreds of years.

### Plan your budget-friendly Birmingham trip

If you’re travelling on a budget, Birmingham boasts plenty of free attractions to explore during your stay. To save even more on your trip, visit Expedia to find cheap Birmingham hotels to make the most of your holiday.”