England · Region

West Midlands

Shakespeare's town, Ironbridge and Birmingham's canals

Tk420 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

The heart of England, and the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution at Ironbridge Gorge. Stratford-upon-Avon keeps Shakespeare's town and theatres; Warwick has one of Britain's best-preserved castles; the Malverns and the Shropshire Hills provide the green; and Birmingham — more canals than Venice, a serious food scene and the 2026 Commonwealth Games host — anchors it all.

Best time: May–Sep; the RSC season runs most of the year

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West Midlands by experience

The VisitBritain themes this region delivers on.

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