Living in Birmingham
What’s Birmingham like?
The UK is a diverse, multicultural country made up of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Right in the heart of England is Birmingham, one of the most diverse and multicultural cities in Britain. Just over an hour by train from London, the city is the second largest after the nation’s capital.
Whilst the city is home to more than 1.1 million people and growing, there are close to 3 million people living across the wider Birmingham region.
As you can imagine, it’s a big, lively place with lots to see and do. And because Birmingham’s population is so diverse, it makes the perfect home for international students.
Student city, international culture
Located in a region known as the West Midlands, Birmingham truly is a student city. With 80,000 students across eight universities, it’s a vibrant, welcoming community that’s affordable too.
The University of Birmingham is the largest University in the city, with the highest number of students. It’s also ranked as the best place to study within Birmingham itself. As a truly global University producing world-leading research, we partner with institutions around the world.
We’re also home to more than 8,700 international students from 150 different countries. Close to a third of our academic staff come from different countries around the world too. Meaning wherever you’re from, you’ll fit right into our international culture.
*The Good University Guide 2021 – The Times
Life in Birmingham
You may have already heard about the British weather, how it changes with the different seasons and how we love to talk about it. You might also know that we love our football and fish and chips. But there’s so much more going on in Birmingham, often with an international flavour. From music festivals to food and drink, shopping to sport and nightlife, there’s always something exciting happening. Either in the city, or close by in another part pf the UK.
There’s lots to do here from watching Aston Villa in the premiership and going shopping in the Bullring, to sitting outside canal cafés and visiting some of the locations where Peaky Blinders was filmed.
Here are 40 hidden cultural gems found in Birmingham.
Food and drink
Just as you’d expect from a multicultural city, our food and drink is truly international too. With flavours from all over the world, you’re bound to find some of the tastes of home. Not to mention new cuisine you’ve never even tried.
Birmingham is famous for its many curry houses, but there are so many other food adventures to enjoy. From afternoon tea to cocktails, vegan and vegetarian to burgers and halal, there’s something for everyone and every budget.
Festivals and celebrations
The UK holds all kinds of celebrations, all year round. There are the big holidays such as Christmas, New Year and Easter, along with ‘bank holidays’, which usually fall on a Monday giving you a long weekend, but sometimes on a Friday too.
Occasionally, there are national events like the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations and other days celebrating each country in the United Kingdom.
World-famous festivals and more
You’re likely to have heard of the world-famous Glastonbury music festival. The good news is, you’ll only be three hours on a train away. But there are many more festivals on the doorstep in Birmingham, across music, literature, art, film and beyond.
Eid, Ramadan and Chinese New Year are big occasions here too, while the city hosts Birmingham Pride for our large LBGTQ+ community. So whatever you’d like to celebrate, start marking the days in your calendar now.