Orientation

Birmingham’s city center is surrounded by the A540, or the Ring Road, which, logically, makes a circle around the city’s main downtown area. The central part of town is highlighted by Victoria Square, a pedestrian-friendly, European-style plaza that’s home to Birmingham’s Town Hall and Council House and is an easy meeting place. Adjacent to Victoria Sq. is Chamberlain Square, which contains the Birmingham Museum and Central Library. Chamberlain Square also holds the Paradise Forum whose bars, shops, and restaurants sit in a pedestrian-friendly area. The city’s four major shopping centers are hard to miss, with the Bullring bordered by the elaborately modern metal Selfridges building, the Palisades located above New St. Station, the Mailbox, a massive new building which reigns over Commercial St., and the Pavilion, a modern, glass structure adjacent to the Bullring. New St. links the Bullring to Victoria Square, with New St. Station sitting in the middle. Finally, Brindley place, off of Broad St., encompasses the scenic and upscale canal area.