A Festive Day Out In Birmingham

Birmingham is the UK's second city and just under an hour for me on the train from Stratford Upon Avon so I regularly visit for events, dining, shopping and entertainment. Being from the midlands all my life, I have seen Birmingham become a thriving city,  welcoming 41.8 million visitors in 2017 alone. Helped by the fact it has the most Michelin-starred restaurants outside of London, home to Cadbury's Chocolate, the NEC and over 100 balti houses and so much more!

I decided to spend the day in Birmingham with my university friend Louise to show you that Birmingham is a great day out for everyone and has plenty of things to see and do. If you wanted to spend the weekend in Birmingham to explore the many museums, Cadburys World or even see a show at the theatre there are plenty of hotels in Birmingham for you to choose from.


Frankfurt Christmas Market Birmingham

First stop on our day out in Birmingham was the famous 
Frankfurt Christmas Market which has been running for over 15 years. Starting in November and finishing on 23rd December, I have been going for years because it really gets you in the festive mood and it gives you the chance to visit an authentic German market outside of Germany. We had a wander around the food and drink stalls opting for a Baileys hot chocolate and 1/2 meter bratwurst which we shared for lunch. There are also plenty of Christmas stalls selling traditional toys, ornaments and gifts.

Selfridges & Bullring Shopping Centre

Birmingham’s Bullring shopping centre is one of the largest shopping centres in Europe with over 200 stores including some of my high street faves: Zara, H&M, New Look, Forever 21 and it is also home to one of the most iconic buildings in the Birmingham skyline - Selfridges which you can't miss if you get off the train at Birmingham Moor Street. With only four of these in the UK we are really lucky to have the designer department store within easy reach and for Christmas they always decorate the store with amazing inflatables and a bull made completely of jelly beans.



Tim Hortons, Birmingham
Canadian cafe Tim Hortons recently opened its first midlands store in Birmingham on 22nd November and by the queue outside we knew it was already popular. With bright red branding and comfy grey seating upstairs and downstairs plus plug sockets making it the perfect cafe for charging your phone or laptop. Tim Hortons menu includes various hot and cold drinks, breakfast and savoury food (sandwiches, wraps, paninis and toasties). But also sweet treats such as titbits (bite sized doughnuts), reindeer doughnuts and cakes.


Lane7 Bowling, Birmingham

If you walk through the Mailbox (a shopping and food venue in Birmingham) you will come across The Cube and inside is Lane7. A n
ew late-night venue in Birmingham offering bowling, pool, beer pong, a retro games arcade and karaoke. Plus a bar for drinks and a cool photo booth that takes four black and white photos for just £3. I was amazed by the cool and modern decor including the bowling lanes that are split into three different sections and there was plenty of booths if you wanted to have drinks after bowling.
Revolucion De Cuba, Birmingham

After working up an
appetite bowling, we headed for dinner at authentic Cuban bar and restaurant Revolucion De Cuba on temple street, Birmingham and conveniently close to the Christmas market. This Cuban restaurant in Birmingham serves latin-inspired food including tapas and paella whch I had for my main served with prawns, chorizo and chicken. We also took advantage of the expertly made 2 for 1 cocktails from 5-7 on Saturdays. With a great atmosphere, a live band playing authentic music and a great choice of food and drinks I will definitely be back!



Dirty Martini Birmingham

To end the night on a high we opted for more cocktails at Dirty Martini which was just around the corner from Revolucion De Cuba and to my surprise also had two for one cocktails from 12pm-8pm. With bars also in London, Cardiff, Manchester & Leeds their speciality is martinis so of course we had to give some a try! Louise had a chocolate martini and I chose a passionfruit martini and I can confirm they were delicious. The decor inside this stylish new bar in Birmingham is very sophisticated and girly with a colour scheme of black and pink.

What's your favourite thing to do or see in Birmingham?

Liz x

*The spending money was gifted by Hotels.com, but all views are my own.

8 comments

  1. Mellissa Williams30 November 2018 at 14:00

    That sounds like such a fun day out! I love festive days out like this in the lead up to Christmas.

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  2. There is always so much going on in Birmingham isn't there. They definitely go all for Chirstmas, the German market can be such a lovely visit too!

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  3. Ooo this time of year...it is all about the festive markets - just amazing xx

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  4. I haven't been to Birmingham in years and it sounds like you had a wonderful time. That paella looks delicious :)

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  5. Looks like you enjoyed a fab day in Birmingham.....I have only ever been to the arena, so would love to explore more

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  6. I’ve never been to Birmingham but it looks like a great city. How cute are those doughnuts! I’m actually in the midst of planning a UK road trip and Birmingham is definitely getting added to the list after reading this

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  7. The German market is great! Looks like you had a great time. I need to visit Lane 7 and try Tim Hortons, looks really great! xx

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  8. Birmingham is such a fun city. Alas! It is always been neglected because of London but this city has a lot of potential. You found good spots for a day out.

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