Birmingham tours, things to do and tickets

Walk in the footsteps of prisoners who once lived within these walls. Discover what happens behind the high walls and locked doors, experience the hidden world of capital punishment, and see first-hand where executions took place. ​Shrewsbury Prison offers Guided Tours led by expert guides with an encyclopaedic understanding of its rich and fascinating history. Over the course of 90 minutes, you'll have the opportunity to view its historic buildings and uncover their stories, which date back to the Georgian Era to modern day.

Visit Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World in Telford where you can see over 100 species of animals including Wolves, Lynx, Meerkats and Capybara. During your full day visit you can also experience 45 of the UKs most realistic animatronic dinosaurs and ice age beasts along with taking part in over 15 talks and activities designed to help you get close and find out more about the animals. TV Presenter Nigel Marven declared the dinosaurs as the most realistic he'd seen. Rated #2 Best Zoo on TripAdvisor for 2023 and 2024, Hoo Zoo is genuinely unique with it's family run approach meaning that it doesn't feel like most commercial or large zoos.

Shrewsbury Prison is the World’s most interactive prison, that inspires people, educating, engaging and immersing visitors through a journey behind bars. Our mission is to preserve, protect and promote the history and heritage of Shrewsbury Prison, by shining a light on prison life from the Georgian era to the modern day. Visitors are given a unique and immersive prison experience combined with first class customer service. Shrewsbury Prison was built in 1793 and closed in 2013, with over 200 years of history behind its walls including the countries last remaining Georgian prison.

Discover Birmingham’s past, present, and future on this two-hour walking tour starting at the Library of Birmingham. Explore canals, the city’s Georgian industrial pioneers, Victorian-era social and structural change, and today’s striking architecture. We reflect on the modern city’s diverse population and ongoing transformation. Tours are led by local experts including Jonathan Berg, author and photographer of Discovering Birmingham, and Michael Harrison, a specialist in 20th-century architecture. Each household receives a free copy of the book as a lasting memento. We also support Sifa Fireside, helping Birmingham’s homeless community.

Discovering Birmingham and the Jewellery Quarter - Positively Birmingham Tour No. 3 We use a live audio system - the guide wears a transmitter and our guests wear a receiver. You hear every word even if you are well away making it perfect for social distancing and also ideal for those with impaired hearing. Understand how Birmingham developed and see that many of today’s ways of working have deep roots in our past. A real investigation into today's city in the context of the history of this centre of the industrial revolution now facing up to the future in a determined way. In particular we explore: • Earlier times – medieval origins • From Georgian entrepreneurs to Victorian idealists • Jewellery Quarter • Canal city • An artistic side • Today's city developing for the future. This 2 hour walking tour gives a great introduction to the city and will be of interest equally to local people and visitors alike. Tours start/finish: Library of Birmingham front entrance

Uncover a world of chocolate delights and enjoy a fascinating, fun-packed day out at Cadbury World. Watch chocolatiers at work, learn how your favourite confectionery is made, and add your favourite treat to a delicious pot of warm melted Cadbury Dairy Milk. Discover the origins of the cocoa bean deep in the Aztec Jungle before jumping onboard the magical Cadabra ride and doodling your name in liquid chocolate. Plus, join Freddo and a whole host of Cadbury characters as they whisk you away on an adventurous journey in the 4D Chocolate Adventure cinema experience, complete with motion seats! Dive into a bowl of liquid Cadbury Dairy Milk, ride the Crunchie Rollercoaster and take to the skies in a Cadbury Creme Egg airship piloted by the Caramel Bunny. There’s so much to see and do for the whole family as you discover the amazing world of Cadbury!

LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Birmingham is the ultimate indoor playground for children and big kids at heart! Get hands on in our LEGO themed play areas jam-packed with LEGO bricks and perfect your building skills alongside our very own Master Model Builder. There’s fun for the whole family with Build & Test zones, DUPLO and Friends, soft play areas and regular Master Model Builder workshops! There’s even a 4D cinema – watch out for the ninja warriors on Ninjago!

Do you have what it takes to join a Birmingham Slogging gang? If so we are looking for new recruits so come and join our guide, Edward Shelby, a member of the slogging gangs. He will show you the city & teach you the ways of the gangs & how the reality differs from their portrayal in popular culture.. This tour from the award winning company, Top Tours Global, is centred around the historical & cultural aspects of the Birmingham slogging gangs. You learn about how the gangs terrorised Birmingham in the late 19th & early 20th century. This tour will explore gang members such as Billy Kimber, Alfie Solomon & the Italian Mob. This two-hour tour begins & ends at Aston University, with parking available & goes deep into historical gang territories. The tour will have two stops at local pubs where guests are welcome to buy a drink whilst hearing more about the Birmingham gangs of the last two centuries. City and restaurant recommendations are available on our website Toptoursglobal.com

See Birmingham through a true Brummie’s eyes on this 1.5-hour walking tour led by a local expert. Immerse yourself in the city's vibrant sights and sounds as you journey through centuries of history—discovering how a humble market town transformed into the UK’s second-largest city. From Birmingham’s industrial revolution boom to its famous canals and the birthplace of Cadbury chocolate, this tour offers a unique mix of history, culture, and modern life. Along the way discover Birmingham's key city sights, explore hidden gems, hear fascinating stories, and gain an insider’s perspective on today’s dynamic Birmingham.

A fun and different way to see Birmingham! Solve satisfying clues and follow beautiful maps sent to your phones. Spot things other people take for granted! You’ll learn interesting facts and stories. Everything is outdoors and you can do social distancing.

Dive into the National SEA LIFE Centre Birmingham and come face-to-fin with over 2,000 amazing creatures including the UK’s first and only sea otters, Ozzy and Ola! Marvel at their playful personalities and adorable faces as you get up close to a species never seen before in the UK! Say hello to our cheeky colony of Gentoo penguins before heading to our interactive rockpool where you can learn all about marine life and even stroke a starfish! Immerse yourself in the UK’s only 360° Ocean Tunnel as sharks, rays and our giant green sea turtle, Mo swim around you!

Restored to its Edwardian Arts and Craft splendour, Winterbourne House is a unique heritage attraction – set within seven acres of beautiful botanic gardens. Only minutes from Birmingham city centre, Winterbourne is a hidden gem – home to beautiful antiques and over 6,000 plant species from around the world. Wander along the woodland walk, stroll through the hazelnut tunnel, cross the 1930’s Japanese Bridge or simply soak up the tranquillity of this perfectly English Edwardian home.

Ideal for those interested in this atmospheric part of the city where Birminhgam originated. We learn about how it all started as a market hamlet growing to become the ‘workshop of the world’. The Peaky Blinders TV series is based on this area. The Peaky Blinders films is being produced here and if we have time we will visit the Digbeth.com studios where it is being filmed - great for a selfie! The area has public art of all descriptions to experience, as well as atmosperic canals to walk along and modern developments such as the coming of HS2. This is an amazing mixture of the bohemian along with the modernity of a city reinventing itself yet again. The tour is timed so that you can also take our Saturday afternoon tour from the Library of Birmingham if you want to make a day of it! The guide on the Digbeth tour is Jonathan Berg, local author who is currently writing the book: ‘Birmingham’s Public Art’ which is due to be published in 2023.

The Cell Escape Room is a fully immersive, state-of-the-art escape room experience, where you get to do the time without committing the crime! Experience the pulse racing, mind-manipulating, adrenaline-charged rush of ‘The Cell Escape Room.’ Includes, ​​Self-Guided Tour of Shrewsbury Prison THE STORY Sentenced to 15 years for stealing £1million, you have hidden the money from the rest of your gang. Now you’re stuck in a prison cell with no way out! The inmates know what you have done, and they all want the money for themselves. Your only chance is to escape while the prisoners are on lockdown. With only 1 hour left until the lockdown ends, you must be fast and work out how to escape your cell.

Join a full-day tour from Stratford-Upon-Avon or Moreton-in-Marsh to the Cotswolds. Spend a day of relaxation in the English countryside, visiting Dover's Hill, Chipping Campden, Bibury, and more.

Discover two gems of southern England on this full-day coach trip to Stonehenge and Bath from Birmingham. Enjoy a self-guided tour to iconic destinations such as the Roman Baths, The Circus, and more.

This is a tour that immerses you in the local culture and a chance to understand the city's diverse communities. Handsworth has a bad reputation, but it also has a strong character with diverse people who live in the area from musicians, celebrities and sports. The area has been visited by Prince Charles and many others. They say that to find the real heartbeat of the city you have to visit the gritty areas that most tourists are told to avoid. The BHWN team will safely guide you through this historic area to capture the unique history of the African Caribbean community in the city.

Our slogging gang is looking for new recruits, so join Edward Shelby, a distant cousin of the real-life Birmingham gang, as he shows you around the city and teaches you the ropes of being a gang member in the late 19th century. Guides from our award winning in character walking tour company, Top Tours Global, will walk you through the streets the slogging gangs once ruled at night and explore parts of the city not covered on our daytime tour. How did the gangs use the canals? How did alcohol add to the gang problem. What did the city do to try to control it? On this tour, you will discover the answers and experience four unique drinking establishments, from real ale pubs to gin palaces and cocktail bars. Participate in some fun activities, such as drinking games and a pub quiz, while learning about the impact of gangs and alcohol on the city. Our night tour is perfect for hen and stag nights, birthdays, team-building events, or a great way to meet new people.

Ride in a tuk tuk to see the the tea, rubber, cocoa, and black pepper plantations with this private tour from Ella or Haputale. Visit the Millenium and Pilkington viewpoints and Diyaluma Falls.

Teamworks Karting Birmingham is the ideal choice for all types of group events, from fun days out, kids parties, stag and hen events and corporate hospitality. Complete with exciting indoor race track, the venue has 3 conference rooms for 20-150 guests, catering and fully licensed bar, free customer parking and some of the fastest indoor karts in Europe!