Experience in Birmingham, United Kingdom by Monika

What is it like to live in Birmingham? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

Birmingham is an incredibly diverse city. If you are looking for a cultural mix, this is the right place for you. The city center has a lot of shops at reasonable prices, restaurants with food from all around the worlds, typical pubs and fancy bars both independent ones and chains and you will always find what to do and where to go.

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There is a huge shopping center just in the middle of the city where you can spend your whole day shopping and you can find anything in there.

Personally my main issue is that there are not many green areas and parks near the city center, most of them are quite far away in the near which makes it a burden if you enjoy taking walks and spending time in the nature. There are not many places for taking a stroll and just enjoying your day apart from the canals as there is a huge network of canals where you can jog or walk around.

The city is a typical industrial city which makes the architecture not its best feature but it has its own vibe and atmosphere.

The weather is quite nice as it does not rain as much as in other parts of the UK and you get both your sunny and chilly, rainy days.

There is a big airport just outside the city which makes reaching Birmingham quite easy from basically anywhere. As for trains and buses, the train system is normally good (apart that there are no trains after 12/1) with lots of stations but the buses can appear to be quite slow and expensive. There is not much transport in the middle of the night.

What is the student lifestyle like in Birmingham?

I would describe the student life in Birmingham as generally good. There is a whole area with only clubs and bars and you can find most students there on the weekend. During the week there are some clubs organising student nights (usually on Tuesday), the drinks are cheaper as well as the entrance.

Most accommodations are incredibly nice to live in and you can easily meet new people.

How much does it cost to live in Birmingham?

Food appears to be quite cheap if you know how to budget. There are a lot of chain stores like Tesco, Aldi etc. and you can do your food shopping for a week in about £20. Going out can be a bit more expensive though as most clubs have entrance, drinks are quite expensive (this counts for everywhere around the UK) and if you want to get home you usually have to get a cab. Transportation can come quite expensive but if you happen to live near the campus most probably you won't need to travel a lot.

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Birmingham? Is there any advice you can give?

There are a lot of student halls around the different universities and campuses. It's pretty easy to get a room in there, you just need to apply and in most cases you will get a room but student halls are the most expensive option for living. Private accommodation appears to be a lot cheaper but you either have to find people and rent a house (cheapest option) or try finding a flat share but it's not really common. I would suggest living in student halls even though it's quite expensive (£90-130 per week) because you get to meet people, it is quite safe and secure and the halls are usually really nice and pleasant to live in.

What places would you recommend visiting in Birmingham?

If you like shopping as I mentioned, there is the Bullring (the huge shopping center) and it's quite impressive as a building itself.

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I would recommend visiting Brindleyplace as this is my personal favourite part of the canals.

Cannon Hill park is a must if you enjoy walks as well as Aston Villa park.

There is the Art gallery and museum on Victoria Square (the main square) which is worth visiting.

Another important and incredibly nice part is the German Christmas market during November and December as it is one of the biggest in the UK and it creates an incredible atmosphere during the cold winter months so make sure you go at least several times during this time.

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Is it good to eat out in Birmingham? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

If you enjoy South American food Bodega is the perfect place for you as it is one of my favourites. There are some Italian chain restaurants in the city center as well as a lot of Burger places. There are a lot of places offering Asian food, this is the most common type of food around here.

Home Is Where... is my personal favourite for breakfast or brunch, it's quite chill, the food is good and the prices reasonable.

In most traditional pubs you can find really nice food such as burgers, fries and of course fish & chips.

Is the nightlife good in Birmingham? Where is good to go?

As mentioned the place with all the clubs is called Broad Street there you can find various clubs with different music (mostly mainstream) also there are some clubs in an area called Digbeth as they focus more on underground electronic and hip&hop music.

Indi Bar in the Chinese quarter is a place for every student to go at least once as they have student nights all the time and it's quite nice. A lot of pubs in the city center with live music are available as Sun on the Hill and the Botanist being my personal favourites but they are not that student-orientated.

What advice would you give future students heading to Birmingham?

Be ready for a really diverse population and lots of students. There are not that many places to go sightseeing but you can always find what to do with a bit more effort and with a bit extra time in your day.