Birmingham is not often thought of as a tourist mecca, and in fact has somewhat of a maligned reputation, both in England and abroad.

But the fact of the matter is, as well as being centrally located for trips to more popular destinations, Birmingham is a place well worth visiting in its own right.

For art-lovers, Birmingham is the home of the Pre-Raphaelite movement and the Birmingham Art Gallery holds the largest public collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings in the world.

For music-lovers, Birmingham has both a top-ranked university music department and conservatoire meaning that there are always exciting chamber, orchestral and jazz events happening, often at the acclaimed Symphony Hall. And if your taste is a little more contemporary, Birmingham’s reputation as the home of both Heavy Metal and UK Reggae is both well known and justified!

For nature and horticulture-lovers, Birmingham has an astounding number of public parks and gardens including Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Aston Park, Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens, Charlecote Park, City Centre Gardens & Kings Heath Park. The hidden gem however, is Martineau Gardens, a small but stunning organic community garden located near the Botanical Gardens.

For shopping-lovers there is the renowned Bullring shopping precinct in the very heart of the city. Rght next door are outdoor, indoor and rag markets, where you can find bargain and specialty foods, fabrics and so much more. And for those more precious items, Birmingham’s renowned jewellery and metalworking heritage is alive and well in the Jewellery Quarter, where more than 40% of the UK’s jewellery originates from.

And for party-lovers, the fact that Birmingham has the youngest population of any city in Europe, means that the nightlife is incredible. Most of the action is centered on Broad St, but as the city has over 4000 pubs and bars, that still leaves plenty of places for those after a more refined evening to enjoy a real ale and perhaps some live folk or jazz.

Of course, there is also plenty of great B&B accommodation in and around Birmingham too! Our top recommendations being Awentsbury Hotel, in the leafy green area of Selly Park just outside of the city centre, and A1 The White House, in the village of Marston Green, near the international airport.

Cannon Hill Park

Birmingham Council House, Victoria Square

Birmingham Canal

Iron Man, by Anthony Gormley, Victoria Square

St Stephen’s Church, Selly Park

Well over a quarter of a million overseas tourists visit Nottingham each year, as well as many from the UK. The main drawcard for the city is undoubtedly its history, and the story of Robin Hood in particular, with Sherwood Forest and Nottingham Castle being especially popular attractions.

Sherwood Forest is nowadays a one and a half square-mile remnant of its former self, but it is still home to the famous Major Oak, which is between 800 and 1000 years old and, according to local legend, was the hideout of Robin Hood. There is also an annual Robin Hood Festival in Sherwood Forest for a week each summer, which features all the major characters from the Robin Hood stories and other entertainment including jousting tournaments, strolling players, and a medieval encampment complete with jesters, musicians, rat-catchers, alchemists and fire eaters.

Nottingham Castle was destroyed in 1649, but there are enough remains to give a good idea of what it was like. A ducal mansion now occupies the center of where it was and this  has become the city’s main museum and art gallery. A bunch of annual events are also held at Nottingham Castle, including the Nottingham Beer Festival and the Robin Hood Pageant.

Further notable historic attractions are the Galleries of Justice Museum – a preservation of Nottinghamshire’s old courthouse and county gaol and collection of artifacts relating to crime and punishment in the last 300 years,  and Wollaton Hall and Park – a stately country house, now a natural history museum, situated in 500 acres of beautiful gardens and parkland. Wollaton Hall features as Wayne Manor in the upcoming Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises.  An annual family-friendly music event called Splendour is held in Wollaton Park, this years one is coming up on July 24 and is headlined by Blondie, the Scissor Sisters, Feeder, and Eliza Doolittle.

And speaking of annual events, The Nottingham Goose Fair is an annual fun fair held during the first week of October at the Forest Recreation Ground. It is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious fairs in the UK, and historians generally believe the fair has probably being running since just after 1284. Attractions are largely provided by travelling fair people and it is Europe’s second biggest itinerant fair after ‘The Hoppings’ in Newcastle upon Tyne.

So there’s plenty to do in Nottingham, but only one place to stay – Elm Bank Lodge. however, there are plenty  more choices in the wider district of Nottinghamshire.

Robin Hood Topiary, Nottingham Castle

Castle Hill

St Marys

Nottingham Canal