Driving In And Around Birmingham

The following is a guide to Birmingham, driving and general information regarding the area.

Birmingham is located in the West Midlands and is one of the largest cities in the entire United Kingdom, with the second largest population after the City of London.

The latest figures reveal that in 2006, Birmingham had 1,006,500 residents according to the latest Mid-year Population Estimates (source: Office for National Statistics).

Why not explore such a large city as Birmingham in the comfort of your own vehicle? Birmingham was originally a centre of industry, and the layout of the City of Birmingham reflects these early origins, most notably the extensive canal network.

Modern day Birmingham has been rejuvenated and many visitors each year enjoy new attractions such as the International Convention Centre which hosts trade and promotional shows throughout the year.

Imagine visiting the Birmingham Symphony Hall, with a reputation for providing some of the best arts events outside of London, parking up and locking up and going to take in the great arts.

The old canal network has been vastly redeveloped, turning many of these old work horse waterways into scenic parks and areas of natural beauty right in the city centre of Birmingham.

Birmingham has developed a reputation as one of the clubbing capitals of the UK, trendy, hip new nightclubs such as Gatecrasher, Risa, Oceana, Snobs and Ramshackle are packed to the roof every weekend with a lively crowd.
It is a must to note now that its strongly advised that if you are driving whilst visiting the bars and clubs of the area please be aware of the drink drive limit as drinking and driving is extremely dangerous.

The area is very well policed and it is highly likely that you will be caught too. The best bet is not to consume anu alcohol as the driving limits may vary from person to person.

Travel to and from Birmingham is very simple, as it maintains air, road and rail connections to most other major cities in the UK.

Birmingham has its own football club who at the time of writing have just managed to win promotion to the premier league with the help of their manger Mr Alex Mcleish.

The club have had a topsy turvy time lately going up and down the leagues but have a always maintained a very steady and loyal support.

Try and take a game in while visiting, be prepared for your journey to the ground, plan ahead as the area will be extremely busy and hard to park in.

Once their soak up the atmosphere it promises to be a good day, the premier league is definitely one of if not the best in the world.

Located just outside the City of Birmingham is the Birmingham International Airport, serving destinations across the globe.

If you are driving to Birmingham International Airport to travel please be aware that as with most Airports the parking fees are very high so if you plan on leaving the country for a long time it may be more cost effective to take a cab to the airport.

If you are driving to Birmingham from another area, reaching Birmingham whilst driving is simple as it is connected to many major roads including the M1, M42, M6, M40 and M5. Birmingham is well signposted on all of the major routes.