Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

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United Kingdom : Birmingham - October 2009

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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).

BROAD STREET AND BRINDLEYPLACE

Regenerated in the 90s, this quarter makes the most of its best asset: the old Worcester & Birmingham canal that cuts through its heart.

Culture vultures – The National Sea Life Centre (The Waters Edge, Brindleyplace) towers over the canal. The centre’s most famous residents are Molokai and Gulliver, giant sea turtles who share their domain with seahorses, starfish, sharks and rays.

Must eat – Bathed in light from the glass-roofed atrium of the Hyatt Regency, Aria (2 Bridge Street, tel. ) focuses on fish and locally sourced greens. It’s great for a romantic dinner a deux – try the seared diver-caught scallops with garlic mash, black pudding and feve purée, followed by the grilled fillet of Scottish salmon with warm niçoise salad and a poached free-range hen’s egg.

Must drink – Tucked away, Bank (4 Brindleyplace) serves some of the best cocktails in the city – don’t miss the Birmingham bellini.

VICTORIA AND CHAMBERLAIN SQUARES

These two adjoining squares, flanked by the freshly scrubbed-up town hall, serve as Brum’s centrepiece.

Culture vultures – Jostling with a world-class collection of pre-Raphaelite paintings at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (Chamberlain Square) are temporary exhibitions on local life.

Must eat – Need refreshment after a morning padding around the museum? Try the pillowy scones at Hudson’s Coffee House (122 Colmore Row).

Must drink – Atmospheric real ale pub The Wellington (37 Bennetts Hill) prides itself on selling more ales than any other pub in the UK – 2,610 at the last count.

SPARKHILL/ LADYPOOL ROAD

This is the heart of South Asian Birmingham and home to the city’s famous balti restaurants.

Must eat – Padding your cheeks with authentic subcontinental fare is the order of the day. Try Adil (353-355 Ladypool Road, tel. ), which claims to have introduced Birmingham’s most famous dish.

Shop til you drop – Stock up on silks, Birmingham International Airport is 13km south-east of the city centre. Train Trains run from the airport to New Street Station. The journey takes around 10-20 minutes and a return ticket costs €6/£5.30 before 9.30am and €4,10/£3.60 after 9.30am/weekends. Bus The 900/58 to the city centre leaves every 30 minutes and a single ticket costs €1,70/£1.50. Taxi A taxi from to the city centre costs around €24/£21 and takes 30 minutes. Tourist office The main tourist office is at The Rotunda, 150 New Street (tel. , visit birmingham.com). beadwork and spices at World of Fashion (222 Ladypool Road), where a peacock plumage of saris, shalwar kamiz and bridalwear awaits.

BOURNVILLE VILLAGE

This pretty village was designed by George Cadbury in the early 20th century to house workers at his chocolate factory, which remains one of Brum’s biggest employers today.

Culture vultures – The main draw here is, of course, Cadbury World (Linden Road), a lip-smacking introduction to the history of the UK’s favourite treats. Skip breakfast to leave room for the freebies on offer. Selly Manor (Maple Road) was another of George Cadbury’s projects. He carefully took the manor house apart and restored it with 18th-century furnishings and a Tudor garden.

Must eat – More waistband-popping fare is on offer at Mangos Restaurant (3 Bournville Lane, tel. ), an unpretentious Caribbean eatery serving bowls of ackee and salt cod from the depths of its tiny kitchen.

A LITTLE FURTHER OUT… RAGDALE HALL

The famous spa – just 40 minutes from Birmingham – is surrounded by lush Leicestershire countryside.

Sleep soundly – Ragdale Hall Health Hydro & Thermal Spa (Ragdale Village, near Melton Mowbray, tel. , ragdalehall.co.uk, rooms from €217/£190) is an institution. It has the usual roll call of facilities, but what makes it really stand out is its cheerful air of inclusiveness – a rarity in British spas. Instead of pampered urbanites fiddling with their Blackberries, you get family parties and gaggles of good-natured girls.

Compiled by Sally Howard