10 Things To Do In Birmingham For Couples (2026)

Location: Grand Central, B5 4BF.

The Kitty Café runs as a rescue and rehoming centre for cats with a café built around it.

Bookings come in blocks of an hour, which is a fixed and low-commitment plan either side of a train from New Street.

House rules ask visitors to let the cats approach in their own time. Nobody picks them up, so much of the hour goes on sitting still and waiting to be chosen.

Worth knowing before you book:

• Climbing shelves run at head height around the walls, with the floor left clear for the cats to move between them.
• The kitchen serves hot and cold plates. Vegan and vegetarian choices are marked.
• Kitty Cafe has a welfare charge which is £8 per adult and £6 per child. The money funds veterinary treatment and daily care.

➡️ Weekend sittings go first. Book ahead if you want an afternoon slot.

Location: L6-L7, Bullring.

Lane7 occupies two floors above Bullring, pairing a full bar with a room's worth of games.

Most of them work with two players, which can be the difference between an evening here as a couple and the group bookings the venue is better known for.

Here’s what you can play:

• Bowling and American pool.
• Shuffleboard and darts.
• Karaoke pods.
• Beer pong and shooting pods.
• A room of retro arcade machines.

A bar runs through the middle of both floors, with a kitchen sending out plates meant to be picked at between rounds.

Closing runs to 1 AM from Monday through Saturday and midnight on Sunday, which leaves room for a couple of games after dinner. Hours shift, so check the listing before you commit to a late one.

Anyone arriving after 7 PM needs to be over 18 and carrying ID, since the venue switches to adults only at that point.

Free WiFi and step-free access run throughout, and assistance dogs are welcome.

➡️ Book online or ring 0121 759 0232. Weekends fill early.

Five of the jewellers at Bullring cover the range from Swiss watch brands down to high street pieces:

Goldsmiths

Location: Upper level, Bullring, Rotunda Square, B5 4BF.

Goldsmiths stocks fine jewellery alongside Swiss watches.

Rolex, Cartier, Hublot, Tudor, Fope and Messika all appear on the brand list.

Appointments are worth booking for anything at the milestone end of the range, and the shop takes in existing pieces for repair.

H Samuel

Location: Lower level, Bullring, B5 4BA.

Tissot, Hamilton and Hugo Boss watches share the floor at H Samuel with jewellery from Michael Kors.

Pricing here undercuts the Swiss watch specialists, which puts a birthday or an anniversary purchase within reach.

Two in-store services stand out for couples: welding bracelets and ear piercing.

Pandora

Location: Lower level, Bullring, St Martin's Square, B5 4BU.

Charm bracelets, rings and necklaces make up most of what Pandora carries, with lab-grown diamonds now in the range.

Engraving happens in store, so a date or a set of initials can go onto a piece before you leave.

Couples who add to the same bracelet over several occasions get the most out of the format.

Swarovski

Location: Upper level, Bullring, B5 4BG.

Swarovski deals in crystal, across jewellery, watches and decorative pieces.

Gift wrapping comes as standard, with a personal shopping service on hand if the range needs narrowing down.

The shop also runs click and collect, home delivery and repairs.

Warren James Jewellers

Location: Upper level, Link Street, B5 4BS.

Warren James is an independently owned chain whose Bullring shop runs from classic designs through to more modern ones.

Staff will work through the options with anyone who arrives without a fixed idea.

➡️ Ring sizing and engraving both take time. Allow for that if you are buying for an occasion with a date attached.

Four of the clothing shops at Bullring stock menswear and womenswear under one roof, which saves splitting up, with menswear and womenswear stocked under the same roof in each case.

Levi Strauss & Co

Location: Upper level, Bullring, Rotunda Square, B5 4BU.

Denim for men and women makes up the bulk of what Levi's carries at Bullring, from the 501 through to current fits.

Staff give fit advice on the shop floor, which can be useful if neither of you has been measured for jeans before.

The in-store Tailor Shop will take a pair up or in before you wear them.

Zara

Location: Zara, Moor Street, Bullring, Birmingham, B5 4BU.

Zara runs across two floors, stocking womenswear, menswear and kidswear.

Fitting rooms are bookable in advance, cutting the queue on a busy Saturday.

What’s more, automated collection and returns points handle click and collect orders without a wait at the till.

UNIQLO

Location: Upper Mall West, Unit SU742, Birmingham, B5 4BG.

UNIQLO covers LifeWear basics for women, men, children and babies, built around each season.

Its UTme service prints a personalised T-shirt in store from your own images or text, ready to take home the same day.

Tailoring and alterations happen on site, with free WiFi throughout the shop.

Hollister

Location: Su308, Bullring Shopping Centre, Birmingham, B5 4DA.

For casual clothing at the younger end of the centre, Hollister covers men and women across apparel, accessories and fragrance.

The brand belongs to Abercrombie & Fitch Co. and trades from more than 500 stores worldwide.

Its fragrance range makes the easier gift when you are unsure of someone's sizing.

Five restaurants and bars across Bullring and Grand Central work for an evening out, covering Italian, Pan-Asian, Lebanese and Indian cooking:

FUMO - Selfridges

Location: Upper level, Selfridges, Bullring, B5 4BP.

FUMO occupies level 4 of Selfridges, serving regional Italian dishes designed to be shared.

A full cocktail list is mixed at the bar, and the restaurant markets itself for first dates and special occasions.

➡️ Local tip: Windows run the length of the dining room and look out over Bullring, so ask for a table by the glass when you book.

Banana Tree

Location: Upper level, B5 4BG.

Pan-Asian street food from Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia forms the menu at Banana Tree, including katsu curries and pad Thai noodles.

Cocktails and mocktails both feature on the drinks list, with vegan and vegetarian options marked throughout.

Portions are built for sharing, so ordering across the menu beats taking a dish each.

Frizzenti

Location: 68A East Mews, B2 4XJ.

Frizzenti pours sparkling and still wine from taps, alongside prosecco, cocktails and Italian tapas.

The bar overlooks the New Street concourse from the Grand Central balcony, and much of its appeal is the view down over the station.

Closing is early here, between 6 PM and 9 PM (depending on the day), so treat Frizzenti as the aperitivo stop rather than the evening itself. Coffee and pastries run through the day if you arrive before the fizz.

Comptoir Libanais

Location: Grand Central, Central Street, B2 4BF.

Mezze platters, tagines, rice bowls, wraps and baklawa make up the Lebanese and North African menu at Comptoir Libanais.

With its colourful interior and plenty of vegan and gluten-free options, it’s a solid option for relaxed lunches, pre-theatre dinners, or a quick mezze fix mid-shop.

The restaurant takes reservations and is halal certified.

Mowgli

Location: Grand Central, Central Street, B2 4BF.

Tiffin boxes, treacle tamarind fries and chat bombs make up the Indian street food menu at Mowgli.

Fairy lights and swing seats fill the dining room, setting the tone apart from the rest of the Grand Central restaurants.

Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes appear throughout, with the format built around sharing several plates.

Bookings are taken in advance, and Mowgli lists itself as halal certified.

Location: Gas Street Basin, Gas Street, Birmingham, B1 2JT.

Source

Birmingham Canalside is the stretch of towpath running through the city centre.

The wider Birmingham Canal Navigations network covers around 100 miles of navigable water, meeting the Worcester and Birmingham Canal at Gas Street Basin.

The Worcester Bar was thrown up as a physical barrier so one canal company could not draw off the other's water, forcing cargo to be manhandled between boats on either side. Boats pass through now, and the bar survives as the strip of walkway between the two.

The Canal and River Trust publishes a one-mile city centre route from Livery Street to the Mailbox. It passes:

• Farmer's Bridge Locks
• Old Turn Junction
• Gas Street Basin
• Black Sabbath Bridge, renamed from Broad Street Bridge in 2019, with a bench dedicated to the band

Towpaths are flat once you are down at water level, though several access points involve steps from the street.

Narrowboats moor along the basin through the year, with water traffic heaviest in the middle of the day.

💡 Local tip: the towpath is quietest early in the morning, before the boats and the lunchtime walkers arrive.

Location: Cathedral Square, Colmore Row, Birmingham, B3 2QB.

Birmingham Cathedral is a working Anglican cathedral on Colmore Row.

Its four stained-glass windows designed by the Pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones and made by Morris & Co. are the reason most visitors come.

The colours shift as the light outside changes, meaning the windows look different depending on when in the day you arrive.

Outside, the churchyard is described by the cathedral as central Birmingham's biggest green space, with benches in use through the working week.

Entry is free during general visiting hours, and the building stays open later on weekdays than at weekends, with shorter hours through August. Worth checking the day you plan to go. Concerts and other events also run through the year.

Location: Russell Road, Moseley, Birmingham, B13 8RD.

Cannon Hill Park divides into roughly 80 acres of formal parkland and a further 120 acres of conservation and woodland planting, according to Birmingham City Council.

The boating lake is the centre of it, with pedalos out on the water whenever the concession is running.

Also within the grounds:

• MAC, an arts centre programming exhibitions, cinema screenings and live performances across four auditoria. Entry to the building is free.
• A putting course, tennis courts and a land train, several of which operate seasonally.
• Formal bedding near the main entrances, with quieter woodland paths leading away from the lake.

One thing to be clear about: Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park adjoins the park on Pershore Road. It has its own entrance and charges separately.

💡 The woodland side stays quiet even when the lake and the play areas are busy.

Location: Vicarage Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham, B14 7TQ.

Herbaceous borders, heather beds, alpine outcrops and changing bedding displays fill the 35 acres of Kings Heath Park, four miles south of the city centre.

Planting is concentrated around the main house and conservatory, the house being Grade II listed and now occupied by the Horticultural Training Centre. Green Flag status has been held here for years.

The Television Gardens, a filming location for gardening programmes from 1972 onwards and now looked after by therapeutic gardening charity Thrive Birmingham, open to the public twice a month between April and October.

Check the dates before you build a visit around them, because the rest of the park is open daily either way.

Location: Ragley Drive, Church Road, Sheldon, Birmingham, B26 3TU.

Source

Sheldon Country Park covers just over 300 acres on the eastern edge of Birmingham, made up of mature woodland, old hedgerows, wetland and open grassland.

Old Rectory Farm, a restored seventeenth-century dairy farm, operates as a demonstration farm under the city council's Park Rangers.

Livestock includes ponies, Jersey cattle, pigs, goats and geese.

➡️ Local tip to experience this better: There’s a designated viewing point that looks onto the Birmingham Airport runway, which is a little under a mile from the farm buildings and reachable only on foot.

From an hour with rescue cats at Grand Central to a plane-spotting walk on the eastern edge of the city, Birmingham holds up well as a day out for two.

You can plan your visit to Bullring here to see how you can visit us by car, taxi, train, bus, or by bike.

If you’re visiting the shopping centre with a car, you can also register for our smart parking solution that eliminates tickets and reduces queues, so you can focus on enjoying your visit to Bullring.