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London offers pretty much everything you could possibly want. Incredible restaurants, top-notch boozers, world-leading theatres, galleries and museums, acres of gorgeous green space, loads of places to swim and even a bunch of adorable city farms. So, we wouldn’t blame you if you told us that you’ve never stepped foot outside of the capital. But we would tell you that you’re missing out.
The Big Smoke is home to a dozen or so major train stations, meaning that we have extremely convenient connections to almost every other part of the UK. So, to help you switch your weekends up a bit, Time Out has put together a ranking of the best places in the UK for a two-or-few-day break from London.
In first place is none other than the country’s second city: Birmingham. B’ham is around a tenth the size of London, but is still full to the brim with brilliant stuff worth travelling for. So much, in fact, that you’ll certainly struggle to fit it all into one weekend.
The city is an easy hour and half train journey from Euston. If it we were heading to Brum, we'd spend at least an afternoon roaming around Digbeth (which we named the UK’s second coolest neighbourhood last year). You can while away the time in the former industrial district digging through through vintage gems at Redbrick Market, browsing titles at indie bookshop Voce Press, trying a filthy burger at Original Patty Men, catching a niche movie at Mockingbird Cinema, sinking pints at The Ruin dive bar or boogying at Northern Soul and Motown club The Night Owl.
Set aside time to wander the city’s canals, too. Birmingham famously has more miles of canals than Venice and there are plenty of trails that take you along all the best bits. The most famous walking routes include include Curzon Street to Aston Junction, Livery Street to the Mailbox and the stretch between Brindley Place and the Gas Street Basin.
Explore all the best weekend trips from London in 2026 here.
We also highly recommend a stroll around the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, which boasts the largest collection of pre-Raphaelite paintings in the world, a mooch through the Jewellery Quarter, a crawl down the Stirchley Beer Mile and a show at The Rep. And there you have it – you won’t miss London one bit.
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