There are many ways to enjoy a tour of the city; here are some of the most popular:

Blue Badge Guided Tours

Book a Blue Badge Guide to help plan routes and offer ideas for groups. Details are available through the Visitor Centres.

Mary Moore

Birmingham Tourist Guide,  Mary Moore is a  professional Blue Badge Tourist Guide offering guided walks and coach tours of Birmingham.

Find out more about the City's historical past and hear about the people who made Birmingham the Greatest Manufacturing City in the world. 

Why not visit the Jewellery Quarter and the Cadbury's Bournville Estate? Walk the Canal network and visit areas in the city linked to JRR Tolkien. Mary also conducts Guided Tours of  Stratford upon Avon,  The Cotswolds, Oxford and the Black Country. She looks after conference delegates and Partners. 

Living close to Birmingham Airport Mary can offer a Check-in and Meet & Greet and Hotel transfer service. 

For more information please contact 0121 705 1364 or 07960 459740.

Roger Bailey

Heart of England Blue Badge Tourist Guide Roger Bailey offers guided coach and walking tours of the region.  

He offers a variety of coach tours of Birmingham and the surrounding area. Follow the trail of its musical heritage, with over 100 artists and groups originating from here. Discover the links to Tolkien and find out where he grew up and what influenced him. Visit Bournville village, home of Cadbury’s, followed by the Jewellery Quarter, with its Jewellery Quarter Discovery Centre and Pen Museum.

On a walking tour, visit the Birmingham Art Gallery and Museum which currently houses part of the Staffordshire Hoard, discover its industrial heritage including the eight canals that meet in the city, and visit St Philips Cathedral which is surrounded by a fine collection of Victorian buildings.

Also visit Coventry, Stratford upon Avon, The Black Country, The Cotswolds, Oxford and much more in the Heart of England. Roger also offers conference support, meet & greet, employee familiarisation and transfers from airports and hotels. He is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He gained the 2012 Venues endorsement in 2007, being the first regional tourist guide to do so.

For more information contact Roger on 024 7669 1212 or visit here

Guiding You Ltd

Groups and individuals can join award winning Blue Badge Guides on the fascinating ‘Secrets of the Squares tour’ in the world famous ‘Jewellery Quarter’.  Why not book one of their high quality Coach or Executive Driver Guided tours to see the intriguing ‘Tolkien Trail’, ‘Matthew Bolton’s industrial heritage’, the historic ‘Gun Quarter’, Birmingham’s ‘historic Parks and Gardens’, ‘Bournville with Cadbury’s Chocolate factory visit’ or have your own personal and exclusive guide introduce you to the amazing art in the ‘Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery’ or the ‘Barber Institute’.  They also specialise in cultural and retail excursions both in and out of the city including Bride and Groom ‘Jewellery Quarter’ visits.   

Also providing visits to central England and beyond, travel by 5 seat, executive, Driver Guided vehicle, or by coach. These include Birmingham, the Black Country, the Potteries, Shakespeare Country, the Cotswolds, Oxford, Coventry, Ironbridge, Malvern and the Welsh Marches, The Black and White Villages, the Spring Blossom Trail, King Arthur’s Shropshire, Nottingham and Sherwood, Royal Windsor, The London Olympic Park and a range of other locations across the country. 

They offer itinerary planning, ground handling, hotel/airport transfers and meet and greet services for families, social groups and corporate organisations.  Their award winning customer service and specialist knowledge will show you the very best of Birmingham’s regional culture, heritage and retail experiences. 


To book a tour or for further information go to their website www.guidingyou.co.uk

Birmingham Tours

Birmingham Tours specialise in providing friendly professional guides for walking or driving tours in Birmingham. Run by Heart of England Blue Badge Guide Sue Behan they organise Days Out in Birmingham.

Start with the ultimate Big Brum Welcome to Birmingham Bonanza Walk or panoramic coach tour to get a snapshot of the city. Their special interest walking tours include something for everyone from Art & Architecture in the city to Children's Challenge Walks. Their themed bus tours include Tolkien Bus Tour, Birmingham Rocks Bus Tour, Birmingham Broadcasts, Olympic 2012 Special Bus Tour to name but a few.
 
The Big Brum Open Top Buz Sightseeing Tour (28th April to 30th September 2012 except for the first Sunday of the month when they operate as the Museum Heritage Bus linking the community museums of Birmingham City Council.) Chocolate, custard, cars, whistles and bangles to the best in the world for science, medicine, education, culture, sport and art – Birmingham has it all will be running every weekend as a hop on hop off tour by request.

Tour times: 10.30, 12.30 and 2.30 from Victoria Square next to the Council House.

The Big Brum Buz is available for private hire at any times of the year for schools, weddings, corporate events, parties, etc.
 
The Jewellery Quarter Walk - diamonds are forever! will be running on the first Sunday of the month from May to October 2012 starting at 11am from St Paul's Church in the Jewellery Quarter.

Tickets for the above can be purchased in person through the Central Library Reception, through their booking agent Oxboffice on 0845 6801926 or online at www.birmingham-tours.co.uk.  Tickets for the Big Brum Buz can also be purchased on the bus on the day. For further information call 0121 427 2555/078051 15998 or email enquiries@birmingham-tours.co.uk

Midlands Discovery Tours

Midlands Discovery Tours is the partnership of two Blue Badge Guides, Ian Braisby and Michael Reddy.

They offer a friendly and professional service, running public and private tours which cater for a whole range of tastes, such as the hugely popular Birmingham Ghost Walks, walking tours of the beautiful canal networks, guided walks through the historic Jewellery Quarter, as well as themed walks such as 1970s culture or Birmingham’s Heroes and Villains.

From January 2012 Midlands Discovery Tours will run a programme of public walks every Saturday and Sunday at 11.30am leaving from Victoria Square.

Find out more here or email info@midlandsdiscoverytours.co.uk

Canal Boat Tours

Birmingham is 'Britain's canal city'. As such, we have many canal-side walks. Much industrial heritage is still present with canals that were built over 200 years ago. The same is true of buildings that site alongside. All can be seen and enjoyed on these walks or on a canal boat tour with Sherborne Wharf or Away2Canal where you can discover the city from a different angle. Within a short distance, there is a huge range of attractions to visit including the National Sea Life Centre, designer shopping in the Mailbox, the CBSO at Symphony Hall, contemporary art at the Ikon Gallery and major events at the National Indoor Arena; not forgetting the lively mix of bustling bars and restaurants for a welcome break.

The Ollie the Otter trail has been specially designed for children (up to 8 years) to explore the canals from The National Sea Life Centre to Gas Street Basin. You can put stickers on your map when you have spotted things around your walk.

Check out the British Waterways website or their shop at ‘Cambrian Wharf’ for lots more information about the canals.

The Dudley Canal Trust protects and preserves the tunnels. And now, through a spectacular choice of guided boat trips - accompanied by videos, music and life-like reconstructions - you can revisit history and the lives of the people who made the Industrial Revolution that changed our world.

Walking Trails

Jewellery Quarter Pavement Trails take you around the Quarter’s fascinating blend of old and new. Unique in Europe, it’s home to a huge number of jewellery businesses operating in historic surroundings, which date back over 250 years. The Findings Trail and the Charm Bracelet Trail guide you from the city centre to the Jewellery Quarter. Both trails take about 45 minutes to walk and include easy-to-follow plaques in the pavement.

The Jewellery Quarter Walk, devised by Bob Miles, is a longer walk of discovery from the city centre to, and around, the Jewellery Quarter. It reveals the extensive history and heritage of the area. Although much has changed over the years, much is the same and still practised here; something the trail shows you. It can be picked up in the city centre or the Jewellery Quarter itself.

Find out more about the Jewellery Quarters historic trails here.

Tolkien Trails & Moseley Bog

Thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Advantage West Midlands, the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country  the well-loved nature reserve Moseley Bog has been improved for everyone with new paths, a boardwalk and signage.

Moseley Bog was the childhood playground of The Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien, who lived nearby. He stated that the site inspired the 'old forest' in his books. People come from all over the world to discover his inspiration for themselves.

A Tolkien Trail allows you to have a wonderful day seeing where Tolkien dreamt up The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings for yourself. Guided Tolkien tours of all the Tolkien-related sites around Birmingham are also available for groups - with additional in-depth knowledge from a specialised tour guide.

A Walk Through Time in Birmingham

Developed in conjunction with the BBC programme British Isles - A Natural History, this trail guides you on a Walk Through Time in Birmingham. Find out about Birmingham's past as a forest, a swamp and underneath an ice sheet hundreds of metres thick. Then walk right up to the present day, through Birmingham's history as a settlement and a thriving hub for industry. Keep your eyes peeled and you might just see some rare birds.

Faith Encounter Programme

Working for mutual respect and understanding between people of all faiths and communities the Faith Encounter Programme have trained Faith Guides at 20 places of worship in the city.  They offer training, speakers and tours related to Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Unitarian, Jain and Buddhist faiths.

For more information contact www.faithencounter.org.uk