Brindleyplace Birmingham: The Canalside Squares, and Hotels
Brindleyplace is the canalside development on the western edge of Birmingham city centre, a set of squares between the International Convention Centre and the National Sea Life Centre.
The towpath runs straight through it, which is the detail that makes the area function differently from the rest of the centre.
Birmingham grew on a plateau with no navigable river, and built canals instead.
Brindleyplace is where that history becomes useful to a visitor in place of merely interesting: the water gives you a level, traffic-free route between places that look far apart from one another whenever you look at a road map.
What is at Brindleyplace Birmingham
The Sea Life Centre sits at one end of the squares and Symphony Hall and the ICC at the other, with bars and restaurants along the water in between. The city-centre arena on King Edwards Road is a few minutes further on, which puts three large venues within one short walk.
The squares themselves are the underrated part. They are the pleasantest stretch of the centre simply to be in on a warm evening, and the towpath railings and footbridges make the area far more photogenic than the office frontages behind them would ever lead you to suggest from a distance.
Getting to Brindleyplace from New Street
From New Street the walk takes about twelve minutes, west past Centenary Square and along Broad Street.
The canal route is the quieter alternative for part of the way, coming up beside the squares instead of running through the middle of the Broad Street nightlife on a busy Saturday evening.
Going the other way, the towpath reaches Gas Street Basin in a few minutes, where Birmingham's canals meet.
Carry on past it and the same level path takes you towards Digbeth, the Custard Factory and the studios that have arrived around it over the course of the past ten years or so.
Hotels at Brindleyplace Birmingham
For an arena or conference visit this is the obvious base, because the ICC, Symphony Hall and the arena are all minutes away and New Street is a straightforward walk. Delegates in particular gain more from that than they would from any saving that might be available further out in the city.
Two things temper the recommendation. Eating on the water is the most expensive option per head in the centre, and Broad Street adjoins the squares, which makes this among the noisiest parts of town late on a weekend.
Neither matters much midweek and both matter a good deal on a Saturday.
The practical answer is to match the room to the trip. A midweek conference or a weeknight concert suits a room right on the squares, with the venues minutes away on foot. A weekend stay with an early night in mind is better served a short walk away from Broad Street, with the towpath still close enough for dinner.
Step-free access at Brindleyplace
The squares themselves are level and easy to move around, and the venues at either end have step-free access.
The towpath is the variable: where it is reached by a gentle slope the canal route is the better one, and where it is reached by steps it is no option at all.
Questions about Brindleyplace Birmingham
What is Brindleyplace?
A canalside development of squares, offices, bars and restaurants on the western edge of Birmingham city centre, between the International Convention Centre and the National Sea Life Centre. The towpath runs through it, connecting the squares directly to Gas Street Basin without ever once having to touch a public road.
How far is Brindleyplace from Birmingham New Street?
About twelve minutes on foot, heading west past Centenary Square and along Broad Street. The canal towpath offers a quieter parallel route for part of the way, coming up beside the squares instead of following the traffic straight through the middle of the Broad Street nightlife on a busy Saturday.
What is there to do at Brindleyplace?
The National Sea Life Centre sits at one end and Symphony Hall and the ICC at the other, with bars and restaurants on the water in between. It is also the most pleasant stretch of the centre simply to walk, and that is the thing visitors here underuse the most.
Are Brindleyplace hotels a good base?
For an arena or conference visit, yes: the city-centre arena, Symphony Hall and the ICC are all within a few minutes. It is also among the more expensive parts of the centre per head for eating, and among the noisiest late at weekends, because Broad Street directly adjoins the squares.
Can you walk from Brindleyplace to Gas Street Basin?
Yes, along the towpath, and it takes only a few minutes on a level route with no roads to cross. Gas Street Basin is where Birmingham's canals meet, and continuing past it takes you towards Digbeth and the Custard Factory over in Digbeth along that very same level traffic-free path.