RunCity

Birmingham on foot: a self-guided walking route

This route takes you past 9 of Birmingham's best-known sights, including Back to Backs, The Rotunda, Selfridges Building and more. It is about 4.5 km on foot, roughly 2 hours at an easy pace with short stops. Follow the list on your own, or play it as a free GPS checkpoint game with RunCity and race the clock on the Birmingham leaderboard.

  • 9Stops
  • about 4.5 kmDistance
  • 2 hoursWalking
  • about 45 minRunning
Play Birmingham in RunCity

Free during launch. Runs in your phone's browser; the app is in English, German and Hungarian.

Birmingham
Photo: Stephen JG · CC BY-SA 2.0

Birmingham has more miles of canal than Venice, as locals like to say, and this route of about 4.5 km links its canals with the rebuilt city centre. It starts at the Back to Backs, the last surviving courtyard of Victorian workers' houses, and passes the round Rotunda and the Selfridges building, covered in thousands of aluminium discs by the Bull Ring. St Philip's Cathedral holds four Burne-Jones windows.

Victoria Square, with the Council House and the columned Town Hall, leads to the Library of Birmingham, wrapped in metal rings, with a free rooftop garden. Gas Street Basin, full of narrowboats, and the Brindleyplace waterfront follow, and the bonus stop is the Chamberlain Clock in the Jewellery Quarter, where much of Britain's jewellery is still made. The canal towpaths make a quiet, flat running route.

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Download the route as GPX (for Komoot, Strava or a watch)

The stops

A suggested order. In the game you can visit them in any order.

  1. Back to Backs

    Back to Backs

    The last surviving courtyard of Victorian back-to-back houses.

    Photo: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK · CC BY 2.0

  2. The Rotunda

    The Rotunda Photo

    The round tower seen from St Martin's Square.

    Photo: Erebus555 · CC BY-SA 3.0

  3. Selfridges Building

    Selfridges Building Photo

    The disc-covered curved shop front by the Bull Ring.

    Photo: Bs0u10e0 · CC BY-SA 2.0

  4. St Philip's Cathedral

    St Philip's Cathedral

    The baroque cathedral in its quiet churchyard.

    Photo: Elliott Brown · CC BY-SA 2.0

  5. Victoria Square

    Victoria Square Photo

    The square with the Council House and Town Hall.

    Photo: John Sutton · CC BY-SA 2.0

  6. Library of Birmingham

    Library of Birmingham Photo

    The lattice of metal rings on the library façade.

    Photo: Alex Liivet from Chester, United Kingdom · CC0

  7. Gas Street Basin

    Gas Street Basin

    The canal basin with its narrowboats.

    Photo: Oosoom at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0

  8. Brindleyplace Bridge

    Brindleyplace Bridge Photo

    The canalside footbridge and the Brindleyplace waterfront.

    Photo: Jynto (talk) · Public domain

  9. Chamberlain Clock

    Chamberlain Clock Bonus Photo

    The ornate clock tower at the heart of the Jewellery Quarter.

    Photo: Oosoom · CC BY-SA 3.0

Play Birmingham in RunCity

Leaderboard

    Questions

    Can you see Birmingham on foot in one day?

    Yes. The 9 stops on this route add up to about 4.5 km, roughly 2 hours at an easy pace with short stops.

    Is this self-guided walking tour free?

    Yes. The route and map on this page are free, and the RunCity game for Birmingham is free during launch.

    How does the RunCity game work in Birmingham?

    Open Birmingham in RunCity, walk to a stop and tap Validate: your phone's GPS confirms you are there. Some stops also ask for a photo. Timed runs go on the Birmingham leaderboard.

    Where does the route start?

    This page suggests starting at Back to Backs and finishing at Chamberlain Clock. In the game you can take the stops in any order.

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