Guru/Birmingham/Date ideas
Date ideas in Birmingham
A canal walk at dusk, a concert at Symphony Hall, dinner in the Jewellery Quarter or Digbeth: Birmingham has more good date options than it gets credit for.
14 picks that fit, best first. The order follows the live forecast and the time of day.
Symphony Hall
Broad Street
One of the best concert halls in the world, home of the CBSO, with a busy programme.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Good in the evening.
- £10 to £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Cannon Hill Park and mac
Edgbaston
The city’s favourite park, with boating lakes, a mini golf course and an arts centre on the edge.
Mostly under cover. Good in the evening. Free.
- Free
- In and out
- Half a day
- Fine in rain
- Good with kids
Birmingham Hippodrome
Southside
The busiest theatre in the country, with touring musicals and Birmingham Royal Ballet.
Indoors, so the rain doesn't matter. Good in the evening.
- Over £25
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
- Good with kids
Digbeth
Digbeth
Street art, the Custard Factory and the bars and music venues in the old industrial quarter.
Good in the evening. Free.
- Free
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
Jewellery Quarter
Jewellery Quarter
Two hundred working jewellers, a preserved 1980s workshop museum and the best pubs in the city.
Good in the evening.
- Under £10
- In and out
- Half a day
Quarter free; museum ticketed
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Chamberlain Square
The biggest Pre-Raphaelite collection in the world, in a Victorian palace of a museum, free.
Usually closed by now; try tomorrow.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Library of Birmingham
Centenary Square
A gold-ringed library with two free roof gardens and a Shakespeare room at the top.
Usually closed by now; try tomorrow.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Moseley village and Moseley Bog
Moseley
Independent shops, a farmers’ market and the woodland that inspired Tolkien’s Old Forest.
Good in the evening. Free.
- Free
- In and out
- Half a day
Gas Street Basin and the canals
Brindleyplace
Narrowboats, towpaths and waterside bars where the canal network meets the city.
Wet right now, so save this for a dry spell.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
Barber Institute of Fine Arts
University of Birmingham
A small Art Deco gallery with Monet, Degas and Turner, free, on the university campus.
Usually closed by now; try tomorrow.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Ikon Gallery
Brindleyplace
Contemporary art in a neo-Gothic school by the canal, free, with a singing lift.
Usually closed by now; try tomorrow.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
The Coffin Works
Jewellery Quarter
The factory that made the fittings for Churchill’s coffin, preserved as it was left.
Usually closed by now; try tomorrow.
- Under £10
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Edgbaston
Fifteen acres of Victorian gardens and four glasshouses in Edgbaston.
Usually closed by now; try tomorrow.
- £10 to £25
- In and out
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Winterbourne House and Garden
Edgbaston
An Edwardian house and seven acres of Arts and Crafts garden on the university campus.
Usually closed by now; try tomorrow.
- Under £10
- In and out
- Under 2 hours
Good to know
What is a good date idea in Birmingham?
A canal walk at dusk, a concert at Symphony Hall, dinner in the Jewellery Quarter or Digbeth: Birmingham has more good date options than it gets credit for. There are 14 ideas here, ranked for the conditions right now, with viewpoints pushed up around sunset and indoor picks pushed up when it rains.
Are there cheap date ideas in Birmingham?
Plenty. Look for the "Free" and "Cheap" labels: galleries, viewpoints and walks make good first dates and cost little or nothing.