The Best Canal Trips That Are A Must When Visiting Birmingham
Read on to discover the best canal trips in Birmingham!
Birmingham is home to the biggest canal system in the UK, and going on a canal boat trip while visiting the city is an absolute must!
As a local who lives nearby Birmingham, I’ve been fascinated with learning all about the canals in the West Midlands and the numerous canal trips you can take in and around England’s second city.
That’s why I’ve curated this post, detailing the best canal trips in Birmingham, featuring all the info you need to help you choose an unforgettable, romantic and educational boat trip.
Plan Your Trip With My Recommended Resources:
🏨 Accommodation: I always use Booking.com
🚙 Rental Car: Discover Cars has the best car rental prices
❤️ Travel Insurance: I recommend using Visitors Coverage
✈️ Flights: Kiwi.com has the best prices on flights
📱eSIM: Airalo has a fantastic range of eSIMs
The Best Canal Trips In Birmingham
So without further ado, let’s take a look at what are the best canal trips you can take in Birmingham, in no particular order:
Brindley Cruises
⌚ Duration: 60 mins | 💰 Cost: Adults – £6.50 Children – £4.50 | Website
One of the most popular boat trips you can take in Birmingham is run by Brindley Cruises. Operating 7 days a week from Brindley Place near the city centre, Brindley Cruises offer an educational tour of the city’s fascinating canal system.
Each tour lasts an hour and provides knowledgeable guides that will fill you in on the history of Birmingham’s canals and the important part they played during England’s industrial revolution dating back 200 years ago.
With four tours each day, you can expect to explore key waterway routes such as Birmingham’s Old and New Main Line canals, the Worcester Bar and of course the iconic Gas Street Basin.
This is fantastic value for money and the perfect way to see a side of Birmingham that most tourists totally miss out on.
👉 Pro Tip: To reach Brindley Place from Birmingham city centre is quite straight forward and just a short 10-15 minute walk.
From the city centre you want to head towards Broad Street, which is north of Victoria Square.
After passing the Birmingham Symphony Hall on your right, you’ll soon come to Brindley Place – just look out for the famous Black Sabbath Bridge, where you’ll see a bench with plaques of the four members of the famous Birmingham heavy metal band.
Roundhouse Birmingham
⌚ Duration: 60 mins | 💰 Cost: Full Price – £9 Concession – £6.50 | Website
Roundhouse Birmingham offers a whole range of hidden gem activities in Birmingham, including a fascinating trip on an actual 1930’s heritage working boat.
You’ll be travelling on a vintage open topped narrowboat that was typically used to transport coal and other goods in the past, giving a unique sense of how these boats operated throughout the West Midlands.
This is very much a family friendly activity that is ideal during the summertime and takes you through the Oozells canal Loop and towards Port Loop, lasting an hour in total.
Sherbourne Wharf Ltd
⌚ Duration: 65 minutes | 💰 Cost: Adults – £10 Children – £6 | Website
Another popular city canal boat trip in Birmingham is operated by Sherbourne Wharf Ltd. Departing from the International Convention Centre Quayside near Brindley Place, these tours offer recorded commentary throughout each trip.
Snacks and drinks are available on their luxury passenger narrowboats and the trip takes you on Birmingham’s historic City Heritage Route, which includes the following canals:
- Oozells Street
- The original James Brindley canal
- A section of Sir Thomas Telford’s Main Line
- Gas Street Basin
If you want to travel in style on Birmingham’s canals then this is definitely the tour company to choose!
Central Boat Parties
If you’re celebrating on your visit to Birmingham and want to party, then you can do so on a canal trip! With central boat parties, you can hire an entire boat for whatever the occasion you may be celebrating.
Offering a full bar service, buffet food and a friendly crew, their boats can cater for up to 30 people and is a really unique way to host a party in Birmingham.
Check out their website for more details.
Bosworth Cruises
This is another very informative and educational canal cruise boat tour option when in Birmingham.
Bosworth Cruises offers 1 hour boat rides in traditional narrowboats from central Birmingham to the Vale, and promise a memorable experience with entertaining and knowledgeable guides.
Their website appears to be currently under construction, but you can contact them for bookings on: +44 7853 226516.
Birmingham Boat Hire Companies
As well as city canal cruises, there are several companies that allow you the chance to hire a canal boat as well. Let’s take a look at what these companies have to offer:
Debbie’s Day Boats
Based in Tamworth just 14 miles north east of Birmingham, Debbie’s Day Boats offers you the chance to hire their 32 foot long canal boat ‘Nessie’ for an entire day.
Upon arrival you’ll be given a full tutorial by experienced boaters on how to operate the boat before being able to enjoy cruising through the West Midlands’ canals at your leisure.
The boat comes with full facilities onboard as well, making this a really unique and memorable day out discovering the British waterways at their best.
Check out their website for more info.
Lyons Boatyard
This is a canal side boatyard near Birmingham where you can hire a boat for a day. Based on the Stratford Canal just south of Birmingham, they have a couple of different canal boats for day hire which can cater up to 8 and 12 people.
Their website also has great info on different canal routes you can take during your day trip, including routes along the Stratford Canal, as well as a route into Birmingham and the Worcestershire countryside.
ABC Boat Hire Alvechurch Marina
This is another canal boatyard that offers boat hires for up to 7 nights. Alvechurch Marina is close to Redditch and is one of the most impressive boat yards in the UK, with the longest flight of locks in the UK as well.
The locks here lead to Worcester and the River Severn and there is an award winning pub on site at the marina. From here you can explore the various routes available, including the following popular canal loops in the West Midlands:
- The Warwickshire Ring
- The Black Country Ring
- The Stourport Ring
- The Avon Ring
👉 Pro Tip: To reach the Alvechurch Marina from Birmingham, the easiest way is to catch a train from Birmingham New Street station to Redditch, and get off the train at Alvechurch station. From there, the marina is just around 300 metres away.
Other Canal Trips In The West Midlands
There are some other canal trip alternatives in the West Midlands outside of Birmingham, so let’s take a look at these for your consideration:
Dudley Canal and Caverns
Dudley Canal and Caverns has arguably the most awe-inspiring canal trip you can take in the whole of the UK. The Dudley Tunnel was built back in the 1700’s and is nearly 3 kilometres long.
The limestone caves in Dudley are an incredible sight to see and the Dudley canal trust has four different boat trips available ranging from 3 to 6 hours long, where you can explore the mesmerising underground canal structure.
👉 Pro Tip: If you have enough time then I definitely recommend a visit to the Black Country Living Museum which is very close to the Dudley canals, just a few minutes walk away.
This massive open air museum is a fascinating place that recreates what life was like back during the industrial age.
Georgie’s Canal Cruises
This is one of the best canal boat cruise companies in the UK and they have proof of that claim too – having won the specialist cruise operator of the year award in 2024.
Based in Penkridge, Staffordshire (which is about a 30 minute drive north from Birmingham), Georgie’s Canal Cruises has a canal boat for hire for day trips. Their boat accommodates up to 8 people and is available all year round.
They also offer a range of fantastic cruises too that each last for 2 hours and have various fun themes, including:
- Afternoon Tea Cruises – a range of lovely teas are available on this cruise, as well as cakes and scones.
- Bridgerton Afternoon Tea Cruises – inspired by the TV series!
- Fish and Chip Cruises – this is a 2 hour long cruise where you get to enjoy Britain’s national dish (and my favourite meal too); fish and chips.
- Pottery Painting Cruise – a creative evening of pottery painting is available run by an expert, and you get to take home your painted pottery creation as well.
- Alice in Wonderland Afternoon Tea Cruise – inspired by the popular Disney classic, this is a magical 2 hour cruise with food available related to the movie; ideal for both kids and adults alike.
Canal and River Tours
A popular destination close to Birmingham (less than 40 miles away) is Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare, this delightful town is an awesome day out and its number one outdoor attraction is run by Canal and River Tours.
Offering 40-45 minute tours to the public, the tour takes you past the famous Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the Holy Trinity (Shakespeare’s burial place) and you’ll see some of the oldest and most iconic locks in the whole of the UK.
This is a great choice when visiting this popular town and will make your visit all the more memorable.
Birmingham Canal Trips FAQs
Still not sure about taking a canal trip when visiting Birmingham? Let me answer some of the most commonly asked questions about this topic:
Where in Birmingham are the canal trips located?
Most of the canal trips listed on this blog post are based in Brindley Place, a popular waterfront location near the city centre of Birmingham.
You’ll see the New Maine Line canal as you reach Brindley Place, and the trips mentioned above in Birmingham are based near to the International Convention Centre.
Brindley Place is one of the most beautiful areas of the city, with plenty of restaurants and bars in the area with lovely views of the city’s historic canals – it is definitely worth a visit on its own merit when in Birmingham.
Do the canal trips serve food and drinks?
Yes, the majority of the canal boat rides listed do serve food and drink onboard which you can purchase during your trip.
Some even have the option of afternoon tea and cakes, making your cruise all the more delightful and memorable.
What is the history of Birmingham’s canals?
Dating back to the 1700’s, the canal systems of Birmingham were the epicentre for transporting goods to all over the UK back during the industrial revolution.
Canal boats were the main mode of transportation for moving goods back then, before trains overtook them in the 1830’s onwards.
The canals were vital for the city’s economy and helped to grow the various industries of the time, moving every type of product including coal, textiles, alcohol, chocolate and more.
Can you go kayaking on Birmingham’s canals?
Although I don’t recommend you to go kayaking on the Birmingham canals by yourself, it is possible to go on kayak tour of the canals, which is quite a unique and exhilarating experience.
Roundhouse Birmingham has an award winning ‘Bustling Birmingham Kayak tour‘, which lasts for 90 minutes. On the tour you’ll kayak past some of the city’s most iconic landmarks and you’ll have chance to stop and have breaks too.
You’ll be kayaking along 3 miles of Birmingham’s canals and all equipment and clothing is supplied on the day. This is a really cool activity and a special way to discover the heart of Birmingham.
Conclusion: Birmingham Canal Trips
So that concludes absolutely everything you need to know about the best canal trips there are available in Birmingham.
There are some amazing trips mentioned in this blog post, ranging from educational trips where you can learn all about the history of the canals, to special themed cruises and even party boats if that’s what you’re looking for!
I honestly can’t recommend these canal trips enough the next time you’re in Birmingham – they’re great fun, fantastic value for money and a very special way to experience and explore Birmingham in a memorable and enjoyable way.
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➡️ Planning your trip? Here are my favourite resources:
🏨 Accommodation: I recommend using Booking.com
🚙 Rental Car: Use Discover Cars for the best car rental prices
❤️ Travel Insurance: I recommend using Visitors Coverage
✈️ Flights: Use Kiwi.com for the best prices on flights
