Birmingham International Airport: where to stay, areas and…

The Air-Rail Link, the free automated shuttle, connects the terminal to Birmingham International station in 90 seconds: from there a train reaches Birmingham New Street in just 9-12 minutes, which makes the city centre almost as convenient as sleeping at home. Anyone flying in for a trade show at the NEC or catching a dawn flight will find it handier to stay on this side of the city, around Solihull or the village of Coleshill; anyone with a free evening or arriving by train can head straight for Birmingham city centre.

Airport area and NEC (Solihull)

Airport area · The hotel is 7 minutes' drive from the terminal and 5 from the NEC; Birmingham International station, with the Air-Rail Link to the terminal, is a few minutes away.

Best for: Trade shows and events at the NEC or Resorts World, and dawn departures.

Pros

A few minutes' drive from both the terminal and the NEC halls
Pool and gym at the leisure club, handy between a flight and a trade show

Cons

An area of offices and exhibition halls: not much around in the evening
Rooms without air conditioning, uncomfortable on hotter days

Recommended hotels in this area

The Arden Hotel and Leisure Club: 7 minutes' drive from the terminal and 5 from the NEC, with an indoor pool, sauna and two billiard tables: handy between a flight and a trade show.

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Coleshill

Nearby town · Coleshill is about 15 minutes' drive from the terminal, just past the M42.

Best for: For those who want a quiet village a few minutes' drive from the terminal, with more choice for dinner than the airport area alone.

Pros

A real village with shops and pubs, not just hotels and offices like around the NEC
A good number of reviews for both hotels, a sign of an established property

Cons

A car is needed: there's no direct bus link to the terminal
Even so, the distance to Birmingham city centre is still around twenty minutes

Recommended hotels in this area

The Coleshill by Greene King Inns: About 15 minutes' drive from the terminal, with 23 recently renovated rooms: the hotel with the most reviews in the area.
The Swan by Innkeeper's Collection: A sixteenth-century inn on Coleshill's High Street, with exposed beams and a traditional carvery: a more British alternative to the chain pub-hotels.

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City centre

The train from Birmingham International, reached from the terminal via the Air-Rail Link in 90 seconds, reaches New Street in 9-12 minutes; the hotel is a few steps from the station.

Best for: For those arriving by train from the airport who want to spend an evening or more days in the city.

Pros

New Street, Bullring and Mailbox all a few minutes' walk away
Direct and frequent rail link to the airport, around 7 trains an hour

Cons

Simple rooms, budget-hotel style: no extra services beyond the essentials
A lively Chinatown area at night, with some noise from the street

Recommended hotels in this area

ibis budget Birmingham Centre: A few steps from New Street, Bullring and Chinatown: the budget hotel with the most reviews in the centre, handy with the direct train from the airport.

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