Do you fancy a day in Birmingham? Birmingham is the UK’s second city, but it often gets overlooked. Many people like to take the mickey out of the accent and I’ve found that it’s not somewhere that people would choose to visit. I think it’s about time that more people gave Birmingham a chance.

If you don’t just want to spend a day in Birmingham and want to go all out and stay the night, then there’s plenty of hotels. If you are flying in then you can stay in a Birmingham airport hotel. Otherwise, there are plenty of offerings in the city centre or just outside.

Food and Drink in Birmingham

There are plenty of great places to eat and drink during the day in Birmingham. If you are looking for somewhere that does great street food, then you need to give Digbeth Dining Club a go. It’s open every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The vendors change regularly and there’s always something for everyone. My favourite vendors are The English Indian and Low n Slow.

If you fancy a pizza then my favourite place is The Stable. Although this is a chain restaurant, the menu is adapted especially for Birmingham. I went along and had a pizza and wedges plus a pint of lemonade. This cost me around £25 but I could have easily shared all of the food with another person. I had the Blazing Beef Wedges “topped with slow cooked pulled beef brisket, jalapeños and smoked cheddar” and the Blazing Saddle Pizza “slow-roasted pulled beef, smoked bacon, caramelised onion, roasted peppers and mozzarella, topped with garlic aioli and jalapeños”. The menu changes regularly so it’s always worth a visit.

If you are looking for a pretty place to stop and have coffee and a cake, then I recommend Cocoa By Ali. This is situated just next to the Mailbox and is an Instagram perfect coffee shop. I went for the Honey and Rose cake and a flat white which cost me just over £8. It was a great place to relax and have a break from shopping.

Shopping

If you want to go shopping, then Birmingham is the place to be. We have the Bullring which has over 200 shops including Selfridges, H&M, Zara, Levis, Schuh and Dr Martens.

If you are looking for more high end shops, then you will want to go to the Mailbox. They have a great selection of shops and restaurants including Harvey Nichols. I like to have a wander round there and pretend I can afford it all!

The world’s biggest Primark

One of the main attractions in Birmingham at the moment is the world’s biggest Primark. People have been flocking from all over the country to visit it and check out its 5 floors. I have had a few friends who have finally decided to come up for a day in Birmingham to see me, just so that they can go to Primark. It’s very busy in there during the weekend, but if you visit late afternoon then it’s a bit quieter.

Primark is your one stop shop for clothing, homeware, beauty treatments and hair cuts. That’s right – you can get your hair cut, your nails done and your eyebrows threaded all at Primark! I love treating myself to a bit of a pamper and have been to Primark to get my eyebrows tidied up before. The prices are very reasonable, as you would expect for Primark. There’s also now a massive Greggs in store!

Museums

Birmingham has plenty of museums if that is your kind of thing. One of my favourite places is Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, I actually used to volunteer here! They have a great range of permanent exhibits and are home to the Staffordshire Hoard. It’s definitely worth a visit if you are interested in finding out more about the history of the local area. The Staffordshire Hoard was found in my town and I wrote my BA dissertation on it, so it has a special place in my heart.

Other museums/galleries include Think Tank which is great for kids and anyone who is into science and Ikon gallery. You can also head to the Jewellery Quarter and have a look at the Museum of The Jewellery Quarter. Just hop on one of Birmingham’s shiny new trams to get there, it only costs £1 each way!

Do you think you would be more inclined to visit Birmingham now?

This post is in collaboration with Hotels.com, but all views are my own.