Birmingham tours, things to do and tickets

Walk in the footsteps of prisoners who have been residents of the wings during the last 200 years. Discover what happens behind the high walls and locked doors. Experience the hidden world of capital punishment and see first-hand where executions took place.

​Shrewsbury Prison conducts guided tours run by ex-prison officers who once managed these prisons. Our two-hour tours give you the opportunity to view our historic buildings and learn more about their history dating back to 1793.

‘The Bear Grylls Adventure’ is a completely new experience now open in Birmingham.
The world’s most exhilarating and most inspiring mental and physical challenges are brought together in one incredible location.

Visitors will have unlimited use of Assault Course included with any other activity you book. Balance, jump, climb and scramble your way through the assault course, tackling high walls and tricky ropes, all against the clock. You won’t know your limits until you meet them – and beat them!
Choose one of the hero challenges: iFLY, Climb,Shooting, Archery, Escape Room or face Europe’s highest free-roam High Ropes at The Bear Grylls Adventure.

Please: ticket includes 1 activity as per chosen at time of booking* + unlimited Assault course & free hot drink.
*YOU WILL BE BOOKED IN THE NEXT AVAILABLE TIME SLOT FOR YOUR CHOSEN ACTIVITY AT THE ATTRACTION. IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT YOUR CHOSEN HERO ACTIVITY IS NOT AVAILABLE ON THE DAY AN ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITY WILL BE PROVIDED

Find out more about Birmingham with a walking tour starting and ending at the Library of Birmingham in Centenary Square. We look at the canals, Birmingham’s industrial Georgian pioneers our Victorian heritage and the more recent architecture all around us. Current redevelopments taking place right in front of our eyes are explained and the directions that the city is taking into the future considered. The tour is based loosely on the book Positively Birmingham, currently available at the special price of £12 in the Library shop (normally £20) at tour end.

Starting and ending at the Library of Birmingham in Centenary Square this 2 hour walking tour gives a great introduction to the city and is of interest to local people and visitors alike. We support the charity Sifa Fireside who work on acute and longer term homeless issues in Birmingham, with at least 10% of all ticket sales going to their work and donations are clearly stated on our website.

Discovering Birmingham and the Jewellery Quarter - Positively Birmingham Tour No. 3
We use a live audio system - the guide wears a transmitter and our guests wear a receiver. You hear every word even if you are well away making it perfect for social distancing and also ideal for those with impaired hearing.
Understand how Birmingham developed and see that many of today’s ways of working have deep roots in our past. A real investigation into today's city in the context of the history of this centre of the industrial revolution now facing up to the future in a determined way. In particular we explore:
• Earlier times – medieval origins
• From Georgian entrepreneurs to Victorian idealists
• Jewellery Quarter
• Canal city
• An artistic side
• Today's city developing for the future.

This 2 hour walking tour gives a great introduction to the city and will be of interest equally to local people and visitors alike.

Tours start/finish: Library of Birmingham front entrance

Shrewsbury Prison is the World’s most interactive prison, that inspires people, educating, engaging and immersing visitors through a journey behind bars.

Our mission is to preserve, protect and promote the history and heritage of Shrewsbury Prison, by shining a light on prison life from the Georgian era to the modern day. Visitors are given a unique and immersive prison experience combined with first class customer service.

Shrewsbury Prison was built in 1793 and closed in 2013, with over 200 years of history behind its walls including the countries last remaining Georgian prison.

LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Birmingham is the ultimate indoor playground for children and big kids at heart! Get hands on in our LEGO themed play areas jam-packed with LEGO bricks and perfect your building skills alongside our very own Master Model Builder.
There’s fun for the whole family with Build & Test zones, DUPLO and Friends, soft play areas and regular Master Model Builder workshops! There’s even a 4D cinema – watch out for the ninja warriors on Ninjago!

Do you have what it takes to join a Birmingham Slogging gang? If so we are looking for new recruits so come and join our guide, Edward Shelby, a member of the slogging gangs. He will show you the city and teach you the ways of the gangs and how the reality differs from their portrayal in popular culture.. This tour will be centred around the historical and cultural aspects of the Birmingham slogging gangs. You learn about how the gangs terrorised Birmingham in the late 19th and early 20th century. This tour will explore gang members such as Billy Kimber, Alfie Solomon and the Italian Mob. This two-hour tour begins and ends at Aston University, with parking available and goes deep into historical gang territories. The tour will have two stops at local pubs where guests are welcome to buy a drink whilst hearing more about the Birmingham gangs of the last two centuries. If you need any further assistance or would like to book a corporate tour please contact us at

Get your bearings and discover Birmingham through a ‘Brummie’s’ eyes, with a local, expert guide. Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the city as you travel back through the centuries to discover how our city exploded from a small market town, to the second largest city in the UK.

On this 1.5 hour tour, you'll not only see and learn about our history, but you’ll also gain an authentic insight into modern life in the city today and explore some hidden gems along the way! From Birmingham’s boom during the industrial revolution, to our iconic canals, and of course, the home of Cadbury chocolate! There’s something for everyone on this unique experience.

A fun and different way to see Birmingham!

Solve satisfying clues and follow beautiful maps sent to your phones.

Spot things other people take for granted!

You’ll learn interesting facts and stories.

Everything is outdoors and you can do social distancing.

Highly immersive story with NPC (non-player character) interactions. It is the first and only one of its kind in Birmingham

Restored to its Edwardian Arts and Craft splendour, Winterbourne House is a unique heritage attraction – set within seven acres of beautiful botanic gardens. Only minutes from Birmingham city centre, Winterbourne is a hidden gem – home to beautiful antiques and over 6,000 plant species from around the world. Wander along the woodland walk, stroll through the hazelnut tunnel, cross the 1930’s Japanese Bridge or simply soak up the tranquillity of this perfectly English Edwardian home.

Uncover a world of chocolate delights and enjoy a fascinating, fun-packed day out at Cadbury World. Watch chocolatiers at work, learn how your favourite confectionery is made, and add your favourite treat to a delicious pot of warm melted Cadbury Dairy Milk. Discover the origins of the cocoa bean deep in the Aztec Jungle before jumping onboard the magical Cadabra ride and doodling your name in liquid chocolate.

Plus, join Freddo and a whole host of Cadbury characters as they whisk you away on an adventurous journey in the 4D Chocolate Adventure cinema experience, complete with motion seats! Dive into a bowl of liquid Cadbury Dairy Milk, ride the Crunchie Rollercoaster and take to the skies in a Cadbury Creme Egg airship piloted by the Caramel Bunny. There’s so much to see and do for the whole family as you discover the amazing world of Cadbury!

Ideal for those interested in this atmospheric part of the city where Birminhgam originated. We learn about how it all started as a market hamlet growing to become the ‘workshop of the world’.
The Peaky Blinders TV series is based on this area and adjacent Small Heath and is where the feature film will soon be produced.
The area has public art of all descriptions to experience, as well as atmosperic canals to walk along and modern developments such as the coming of HS2. This is an amazing mixture of the bohemian along with the modernity of a city reinventing itself yet again.
The tour is timed so that you can also take our Saturday afternoon tour from the Library of Birmingham if you want to make a day of it!
The guide on the Digbeth tour is Jonathan Berg, local author who is currently writing the book: ‘Birmingham’s Public Art’ which is due to be published in 2023.

Enjoy a full day of bespoke Guided rock climbing instruction in the stunning mountains of Snowdonia National park. After a short morning meeting over a hot drink, we'll head to a suitable Venue and you can experience a range of climbing challenges. The Course will be tailored to your needs; if this is your first rock climb, we will focus on a fun adventure being guided in the mountains. For those wanting to learn more advanced skills; no problem! Will can teach you any Rock climbing technique, including how to climb independently outdoors or even advanced rescue skills. The focus will be to learn whilst climbing, and we always endeavor to go to the most suitable Climbs for you. All technical equipment is provided, as is complementary transport if required. Our friendly staff are qualified Mountaineering Instructors with a very high level of experience.

The Cell Escape Room is a fully immersive, state-of-the-art escape room experience, where you get to do the time without committing the crime! Experience the pulse racing, mind-manipulating, adrenaline-charged rush of ‘The Cell Escape Room.’ Includes, ​​Self-Guided Tour of Shrewsbury Prison

THE STORY
Sentenced to 15 years for stealing £1million, you have hidden the money from the rest of your gang. Now you’re stuck in a prison cell with no way out! The inmates know what you have done, and they all want the money for themselves. Your only chance is to escape while the prisoners are on lockdown. With only 1 hour left until the lockdown ends, you must be fast and work out how to escape your cell.

We get to understand Birmingham through the public art all around us on the streets of this amazing city. We see the birthplace of Sr Edward-Burne-Jones and understand how important he was as a second wave pre-Raphaelite artist.

You will be guided by author and photographer Jonathan Berg whose new book; 'Birmingham's Public Art' is published in November 2023. This tour is informative, friendly and great fun - a truly memorable experience

Join a full-day tour from Stratford-Upon-Avon or Moreton-in-Marsh to the Cotswolds. Spend a day of relaxation in the English countryside, visiting Dover's Hill, Chipping Campden, Bibury, and more.

This is a tour that immerses you in the local culture and a chance to understand the city's diverse communities. Handsworth has a bad reputation, but it also has a strong character with diverse people who live in the area from musicians, celebrities and sports. The area has been visited by Prince Charles and many others. They say that to find the real heartbeat of the city you have to visit the gritty areas that most tourists are told to avoid. The BHWN team will safely guide you through this historic area to capture the unique history of the African Caribbean community in the city.

Our slogging gang is looking for new recruits, so join Edward Shelby, a distant cousin of the real-life Birmingham gang, as he shows you around the city and teaches you the ropes of being a gang member in the late 19th century. Find out what it was like to walk in the streets the slogging gangs ruled at night and explore parts of the city not covered on our daytime tour. How did the gangs use the canals? How did alcohol add to the gang problem. What did the city do to try to control it? On this tour, you will discover the answers and experience four unique drinking establishments, from real ale pubs to gin palaces and cocktail bars. Participate in some fun activities, such as drinking games and a pub quiz, while learning about the impact of gangs and alcohol on the city. Our night tour is perfect for hen and stag nights, birthdays, team-building events, or a great way to meet new people.

Discover two gems of southern England on this full-day coach trip to Stonehenge and Bath from Birmingham. Enjoy a self-guided tour to iconic destinations such as the Roman Baths, The Circus, and more.