Welcome to Birmingham

The Second City of the UK has shaken off old stereotypes to proudly emerge as a leading destination for business and leisure. The once industrial powerhouse, known as the Workshop of the World, is now an important financial centre and has a flourishing service sector.

Top visitor attractions include the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, the National Sea Life Centre, the Think Tank, the Bullring, the UK's busiest shopping centre and the chocoholic's paradise of Cadbury World.

With a musical heritage including some of Britain's most popular and influential bands, Birmingham has a great deal to offer music lovers. The city has a vibrant and respected jazz scene and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra are world renowned as is their home, the ICC, which is widely regarded as one of the 20th Century's finest concert venue. For rock and pop fans, the National Exhibition Centre regularly hosts some of the biggest names in the music scene.

Finally, for fans of Lord of the Rings, you don't have to travel to New Zealand to immerse yourself in the world of Middle Earth. Author JRR Tolkien was born and brought up and Birmingham and took much of his inspiration from the city and its surrounding areas. Sarehole, in South Birmingham, was where he grew up and is considered to be the inspiration for the hobbits' home the Shire and the nearby Moseley Bog was the inspiration for the mysterious forests of Middle Earth.