Birmingham: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Birmingham is a city of 1.2 million people in United Kingdom (England), 149 m (489 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Birmingham Airport (BHX), 11 km (7 mi) from the centre. It has a dozen or more railway stations on record, including Five Ways railway station. Our booking partner lists 2,269+ places to stay.
Key facts
Open Birmingham in Google Maps
Daylight in Birmingham runs from about 7 h 44 min a day in late December to 16 h 54 min in late June (computed for 52.48° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Birmingham is served by 3 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Birmingham Airport (BHX), 11 km (7 mi) from the centre, whose 10,013-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft. The alternatives are East Midlands Airport (EMA, 55 km), Manchester Airport (MAN, 100 km).
Flights to Birmingham: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Five Ways railway station, Jewellery Quarter railway station, Adderley Park railway station, Witton railway station, Tyseley railway station, Four Oaks railway station. Trains to Birmingham
Buses to Birmingham · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 2,269+ places to stay in Birmingham (statistics below are from the first 1,000). Of the 463 with a star rating, the largest group is 4-star (231), and 13 are five-star. Across 343 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.1 out of 10. Guests have left 351,440 reviews in total.
Hotels in Birmingham: the full picture, and book
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- London, 163 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Dublin, 307 km (Ireland) — flights · trains · buses
- Manchester, 113 km — tours
- Sheffield, 104 km — tours
- Leeds, 148 km — tours
- Edinburgh, 395 km — flights · trains · buses
- Liverpool, 126 km — tours
- Bristol, 124 km — tours
- Cardiff, 142 km — tours
- Leicester, 55 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
Twin towns and sister cities: Frankfurt, Chicago, Leipzig, Johannesburg, Lyon, Milan, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Zaporizhzhia, Changchun.
Common questions
Which airport serves Birmingham?
Birmingham Airport (BHX), 11 km (7 mi) from the centre, plus 2 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Birmingham?
About 1.2 million people live in Birmingham, across 268 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Birmingham in?
Europe/London, currently UTC+1.
What currency is used in Birmingham?
The Pound (GBP). Traffic drives on the left.
How many hotels are there in Birmingham?
Our booking partner lists 2,269 or more places to stay in Birmingham, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Birmingham?
London (163 km), Dublin (307 km), Manchester (113 km), Sheffield (104 km), Leeds (148 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.