Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

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United Kingdom : Birmingham - November 2007

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Getting around

Birmingham International

Bus: Buses from the airport to the city centre leave every 30 minutes and a single fare costs €1,95/£1.50.
Train: Trains run from Birmingham International to New Street Station; the journey will take around 10-20 minutes and a return ticket will cost €7/£5.30 before 9.30am and €4,50/£3.40 after 9.30am.
Taxi: A taxi from the airport into the city centre will cost around €22/£17 and take about 40 minutes.
Tourist information: The main tourist office is at The Rotunda, 150 New Street (tel. , beinbirmingham. com).

City Centre

Birmingham’s newly revitalised city centre rivals Leeds and London for serious shopping.

Sleep soundly – Malmaison (1 Wharfside Street, The Mailbox, tel. , malmaison-birmingham.com, rooms from €142/£99) is the only real contender for Hotel du Vin’s chichi crown. Otherwise, the Radisson SAS (12 Holloway Circus, Queensway, tel. , radissonsas.com, rooms from €128/£89) does a nice line in no-holds-barred luxury.

Shop til you drop – Start at the looming, space-age Selfridges (Upper Mall East, Bullring) and head west to the Mailbox (Queensway) where you can work your way around Harvey Nichols, Hugo Boss and Emporio Armani before popping into the Obsession Salon and Spa for one of their acclaimed ayurvedic treatments.

Digbeth

In the face of all this enthusiastic redevelopment, Digbeth retains a certain grimy hauteur, and is all the better for it.

Culture vultures – Standing on the site of Alfred Bird’s eponymous enterprise, The Custard Factory (Gibb Street) houses bars, galleries and shops, and in a district synonymous with dance music, its very own Factory Club is still the best venue in the area.

Must drink – The Rainbow (160 High Street Deritend) has swiftly become one of Birmingham’s most talked about venues, with an imaginative music policy and a great atmosphere.

Dance the night away – Birmingham institution Air (Heath Mill Lane) currently plays host to God’s Kitchen.

Brindley Place

Tucked behind Birmingham’s bustling main thoroughfare, Brindley Place is a pretty little pocket of civilisation.

Sleep soundly – Just around the corner, the Marriot Hotel (12 Hagley Road, tel. , marriott. co.uk, rooms from €112/£78) has sumptuously appointed rooms and a great spa.

Culture vultures – You’re spoilt for choice. Cross the canal for concerts at the ICC (Broad Street), the NIA (King Edwards Road) and Symphony Hall (Broad Street). Or stay this side of the water for the Ikon Gallery (1 Oozells Square), which does good food too.

Must eat – Brasserie Blanc (9 Brindley Place, tel. ) serves robust French food at restrained prices. Otherwise, Cielo (6 Oozells Square, tel. ) does assured Italian.

The Jewellery Quarter

The historic Jewellery Quarter is still said to contain the highest concentration of jewellers in Europe.

Sleep soundly – The Hotel du Vin (Church Street, tel. , hotelduvin.com, rooms from €201/£140) is perhaps the city’s most stylish hotel – all granite pillars, ornate staircases and of course, fabulous bathrooms.

Must drink – Under the auspices of musical director Jools Holland, The Jamhouse (1 St Pauls Square) showcases live rhythm and blues.

Dance the night away – In a city full of students, the Boiler Room (120 Vyse Street) pulls in a mercifully grown-up crowd.

Moseley

Birmingham’s bosky ‘bohemian quarter’ sits south of the city centre.

Sleep soundly – La Plancha (113 Alcester Road, tel. ) does excellent tapas, K2 (107 Alcester Road, tel. ) serves genuine Kashmiri cuisine, and Sabai Sabai (25 Woodbridge Road, tel. ) is good for Thai food.

Must drink – The Cross Café Bar (147 Alcester Road) has a wide selection of continental beers.

Compiled by Tabitha Lasley