Car Rental Birmingham Airport

Birmingham is a lively city, with culture, art, sport and retail to be proud of, sat at the very heart of England and with its own local traditions for you to discover.

Before you set off, remember that in the UK you’ll be driving on the left and overtaking on the right. Speed limits are set in miles per hour and will be regularly signposted at the side of the road. In most built-up areas you’ll be driving at 30mph, though this can drop to 20mph in some neighbourhoods and near schools. Outside of cities and towns on a single carriage road you’ll travel at the national speed limit of 60mph. On a freeway that speed rises to 70mph. If you’re unsure, look out for signage.

If, after landing at Birmingham Airport, your destination is the city center, a short westbound drive on the M6 or A45 (Coventry Road) will take you there. You can be checking into your hotel or just checking out ‘Brum’ - as the locals call it - in just twenty minutes.

The city’s roads can be busy at peak times and rush hour, but that traffic is well managed by an excellently-maintained road network and a great deal of congestion is cut down by the A4540, the city’s major ring road. You can also navigate the nationally-famous Gravelly Hill Interchange, better known in the UK as 'Spaghetti Junction’. A complex jumble of roads, less confident drivers might want to avoid this if they can.

As for road trips, Britain really is your oyster from Birmingham. If you want to head north towards the famous cities of Manchester  and Liverpool, you can use the M6 freeway. A diverse array of neighbouring cities like Nottingham and Leicester can be reached by taking the northbound M1. Stay on that freeway to reach Yorkshire and friendly cities such as Leeds and Sheffield.

Birmingham attracts a lot of visitors because of the sheer amount of businesses, commerce and industry in the Midlands. But whether it’s a work conference or a vacation that brings you here, most people who come here can’t help but be impressed by the welcoming and friendly nature of the people. And that’s not to mention the sights, history, heritage, culture, excellent shopping options and top-quality nightlife on offer…

Go back to black

A 16km drive west on the A457 will take you to the nearby town of Dudley and one of the UK’s quirkiest museum experiences, The Black Country Living Museum. The 100,000 square meters of land the open-air museum sits on has been artfully turned into a slice of Victorian Britain and, with the help of professional actors in costume, it’s like stepping back in time.

You can chat with the costumed characters of yesteryear, ask them questions and really interact with them. Then you’re free to explore the old factories and mines and experience all the authentic sights, sounds and smells of the time. The museum is always adding weird and wonderful new exhibits and odd little things, so every visit is different from the last.

Take the Bullring by the horns

While Birmingham is a richly historic place that’s rightfully proud of its fascinating heritage and past, it’s certainly not somewhere that’s stuck in the past. The city center is a fresh and modern urban environment that’s jam packed with bars, restaurants and attractions. But the real draw of the center is its world class shopping.

The Bullring is one of the country’s largest shopping spots, attracting some forty million visitors every single year, who come for the large department stores and more than 150 smaller units. It’s hard to miss the place, it’s a truly imposing structure adorned with over 15,000 huge shiny metal discs.

The retail therapy needn’t end at The Bullring, though. The nearby Mailbox mall proudly boasts more designer boutiques than anywhere in the country outside of the capital. This canal-side shopping experience is pure indulgence.

Take a peak at the Peaks

A steady 90-minute drive north on the M1, M6 or A38 will take you to one of the UK’s finest vacation hotspots - the beautiful Peak District. Truly stunning views and amazing treks through rolling hills, ridges, valleys, gorges and moorland… the Peaks are more than worth the detour.

The UK’s first ever national park is an ideal spot for anyone that loves hillwalking, hiking, horse riding or mountain biking. But the area is so vast that leisurely drives between the area’s pretty little towns and villages also provide a day very well spent indeed.

Whether you stay local or take a trek out across the countryside that envelopes the city, or even head further afield, car rental at Birmingham Airport will let you do it all.