Birmingham, in the United Kingdom’s industrial heartland, has been named as one of the top 10 cities in the world to visit in 2015, according to the guidebook publishers Rough Guides.
The UK’s second city is joined by the likes of New Orleans, Johannesburg and Rangoon on the list, which does not rank the cities.
More than a few eyebrows will have been raised in the UK at the city’s inclusion among the world’s leading destinations. Birmingham, you see, has something of a reputation for post-industrial squalor, inner-city deprivation and an accent that some people find more than a little irritating.
I, however, couldn’t agree more with Rough Guides’ decision: Birmingham is great (full disclosure: Louise, my wife, is a Brummie). Birmingham isn’t the prettiest city in the UK – not least because of a curious network of motorways criss-crossing the city centre – but it certainly is the most interesting.
World-leading cuisine (including the best curry you’ll find outside of south Asia), excellent shopping, some of the country’s best theatres, superb art galleries and a proudly regenerated canal district make the city well worth a visit.
Justifying the city’s inclusion, Rough Guides wrote:
“Midway between two of England’s big cultural powerhouses – London and Liverpool – Birmingham has often missed out on its share of the limelight. Creative hotspots are beginning to emerge in the urban sprawl, however, like the old industrial district of Digbeth, where vintage shops and street food stalls have begun to appear in and around the old Victorian buildings. Head to the old Bird’s Custard Factory for vintage kilo sales and live music performances. Plus with Birmingham New Street station reopening in 2015 after a much-needed renovation, this year is the ideal time to make a trip.”
Well said.
* Photo by Andy G and available for re-use under a Creative Commons licence.
From here to where? 
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