One of the best ways to discover Birmingham it's with a boat ride through its old canals. And it is that the historic center of this English city is crossed by hundreds of these water paths that in other times played a important role as transportation routes for heavy materials at the time of the Industrial Revolution, when they communicated the city with the rest of the West Midlands region.
The urban landscape is not exactly similar to that of Venice, but it is extremely interesting. The walk is also a very pleasant and colorful activity very attractive for tourists, and a real surprise, as they come across a series of impressive buildings. Not for nothing in Victorian times this was the second great city in the country.
The routes start in Gas Street Basin, the starting point of a journey through a network of canals much more extensive than that of Venice itself. The image of the Birmingham canals, dirty and smelly, has thankfully been left behind. Today we find a network of channels completely renovated, perfectly preserved and adapted to their new role: they no longer transport industrial materials, but tourists.
These channels form one of the most important recreational areas in the city, especially during the summer months, when restaurant terraces look out on its shores, as well as music from pubs, cocktail bars and concert halls. A pleasant surprise on your trip to Birmingham.
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