Travel routes to Birmingham
By air. The city of Birmingham itself is served by its own airport, Birmingham International (BHX) which has more than 150 direct connections and indirect connections with almost all continents and all countries (Fig 12). The airport is home to 50 airlines including global air carriers such as Emirates, KLM, Swiss, Air India, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, Air France, Ryanair, EasyJet and KLM. Additionally, there are 17 non-stop routes from the USA from companies American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. Further, given its strategic location at the centre of England, Birmingham also has easy access to other airports; London Heathrow (~2h20m), Manchester (~1h30m), East Midlands Airport (50min), Luton (~2h20m) and Bristol (~2h10m); all of these connected via coach to Birmingham Digbeth Coach Station with high frequency.
By train. Birmingham International is only 12 mins by train from Birmingham New Street station with trains running every 10-15 mins (first train 6am; last train 23:50). During night times, Bus X1 connects Birmingham to the airport.
By coach. Digbeth Coach Station (established in 1929 and fully renovated in 2009) is often regarded as one of the busiest in the UK only after London Victoria and Manchester Chorlton. From there, coaches can take you almost to and from all major cities in the UK and also to Ireland (Dublin and Belfast are served destinations from Digbeth).
By car, Birmingham is connected to London by the M40, To Bristol by the M5 and to Manchester and Liverpool by the M6. Further, the M6 also connects Birmingham to the M1 that crosses England from London to Leeds via Nottingham and Sheffield. Approximate driving times (based on Google) are London (2h20m), Manchester (1h45m), Liverpool (1h50), Cardiff (2h), Bristol (1h30m), Nottingham (55min), Sheffield (1h30m).
