Top Hidden Gems Day Trips from Birmingham
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The top Hidden Gems Day Trips from Birmingham include Birmingham Library Rooftop Garden, Birmingham’s Hidden Catacombs, Clent Hills, Letocetum Roman Site, Lichfield Clock Tower, Beacon Park, Minster Pool and Erasmus Darwin House.
Birmingham puts a surprising variety of quirky spots within a day's reach, some barely a walk from the centre and others out in the countryside. Right in the middle of the city, the Library of Birmingham hides rooftop gardens with sweeping views, while a short step into the Jewellery Quarter brings you to the hidden catacombs of Warstone Lane Cemetery.
Head south-west and the wooded slopes of the Clent Hills offer walks and wide Midlands views. Most of the rest lie to the north, around Lichfield: the Roman remains at Letocetum near Wall come first, followed by a cluster in the cathedral city itself.
There you will find the well-travelled Lichfield Clock Tower, the green expanse of Beacon Park, the reflective calm of Minster Pool and the Georgian home of Erasmus Darwin. Between them these places take in Roman ruins, rooftop views, standing stones and elegant townhouses, all easy to fold into a single outing.
Here are eight hidden gems for a day trip from Birmingham.
Birmingham Library Rooftop Garden
Photo: Philip Pankhurst via Geograph.org.uk
Visit the Library Rooftop Garden Right in the heart of Birmingham, the striking modern Library, opened in 2013 and ringed with interlocking metal circles, hides two open-air gardens high on its terraces. A larger one sits lower down, while a smaller, more secluded space is tucked near the top, both laid out with grasses, shrubs, winding paths and sheltered seating.
From up here the whole city spreads out below, rooftops and towers in every direction, a view few think to seek. Near the summit you will also find the restored Shakespeare Memorial Room, a richly panelled Victorian reading room rescued from an earlier library.
The gardens open on certain days and are reached by lift.
Birmingham’s Hidden Catacombs
Photo: habiloid via Geograph.org.uk
Explore Birmingham’s Hidden Catacombs A short stroll away in the Jewellery Quarter, Warstone Lane Cemetery holds two great curving tiers of brick catacombs built into the side of a hill. Laid out in the 1840s on the site of an old sand quarry, the terraced ground was shaped into rows of arched burial vaults stacked one above another, sweeping round like the seats of an amphitheatre.
The vaults are sealed and railed off now, but you can wander among the leaning Victorian headstones and along the terraces above. A blue-brick Gothic gatehouse guards the entrance, and the printer John Baskerville lies here, his remains having reached the catacombs by a long and curious route.
Clent Hills
Photo: Phil Champion via Geograph.org.uk
Walk the Clent Hills Just south-west of Birmingham, the Clent Hills rise as a spread of wooded slopes and open ground cared for by the National Trust. Footpaths climb up through the trees to grassy tops that open out into wide views across the Midlands on a clear day.
The best-known feature up on the heights is the Four Stones, a row of four standing stones set up as a folly by a local landowner in the 1700s, rather than any ancient monument. Walton Hill marks the highest point, rising a little over 300 metres.
It is an easy escape into the countryside within a short drive of the city.
Letocetum Roman Site
Photo: Gordon Griffiths via Geograph.org.uk
Discover Letocetum Roman Site Heading north towards Lichfield, the village of Wall holds the remains of a Roman settlement that once stood on Watling Street. You can walk among the exposed stone foundations of a mansio, an official inn where travellers on the road could rest, and the bathhouse beside it, where the hot, warm and cold rooms and traces of underfloor heating can still be picked out.
A small museum displays finds from the site. Owned by the National Trust and looked after by English Heritage, it is free to visit and open in daylight hours.
The visible remains date from around the 2nd century AD.
Lichfield Clock Tower
Photo: Richard Law via Geograph.org.uk
See the Lichfield Clock Tower In Lichfield itself, this Victorian stone tower with its pyramidal roof and clock faces stands on The Friary, close to the western edge of the city centre. It went up in 1863 to a design by Joseph Potter the younger, paid for by a local charitable trust, on a spot once served by a medieval water conduit known as the Crucifix.
There is an unusual twist to its history: when The Friary road was laid out in the late 1920s, the entire tower was taken down and shifted some 400 metres west to where it stands today. It is now a listed roadside landmark.
Beacon Park
Photo: Richard Law via Geograph.org.uk
Relax in Beacon Park A little way across the city, Beacon Park spreads over around 70 acres on the north-western side of Lichfield, opposite the cathedral close, with the cathedral spires rising into the view. It grew out of the Museum Gardens of 1859 and now packs in a golf course, tennis courts, bowling greens, playgrounds, cafes and boating.
Dotted about are statues of the Titanic's Captain Smith, of Erasmus Darwin and of King Edward VII. The park holds a Green Flag award and plays host to the city's festivals, including the yearly Bower celebration.
It makes a green and easygoing stop on any Lichfield outing.
Minster Pool
Photo: Stephen McKay via Geograph.org.uk
Stroll around Minster Pool Close by in the centre of Lichfield, Minster Pool is an ornamental lake lying between Bird Street and Dam Street, just south of the cathedral, whose towers are mirrored in the still water. It began life as a medieval dammed stream that once drove a mill and held fish, and in 1772 it was reshaped into the graceful curving form seen today, taking its cue from the Serpentine in London, with the poet Anna Seward playing a part.
A lakeside walk runs alongside past memorial gardens, with wildfowl paddling on the water. Local brooks keep the pool fed.
Erasmus Darwin House
Photo: Rob Farrow via Geograph.org.uk
Visit Erasmus Darwin House To round off a Lichfield visit, call at Erasmus Darwin House, a Georgian townhouse on Beacon Street at the edge of the cathedral close. This was the home of Erasmus Darwin, physician, inventor, poet and grandfather of Charles Darwin, who settled here in the late 1750s.
He remodelled an older building into the brick house that stands today, and it grew into a meeting place for the scientific circle known as the Lunar Society. It now works as a museum run by a charitable trust, with restored period rooms, hands-on exhibits about his ideas and a herb garden behind.
The building is listed.
FAQs
How far are the Clent Hills from Birmingham?
The Clent Hills lie about 14.5 km south-west of Birmingham, an easy drive of roughly half an hour. This National Trust range of wooded slopes and grassy tops is one of the closest countryside escapes to the city.
Are any of these Birmingham day trips free to visit?
Several are. The Library of Birmingham rooftop gardens, Warstone Lane's catacombs, the Clent Hills and the Roman site at Letocetum near Wall can all be enjoyed without a ticket, though some keep set opening days.
What is there to see in Lichfield?
Lichfield, north of Birmingham, packs in several gems: the relocated Clock Tower, Beacon Park opposite the cathedral, the tranquil Minster Pool and Erasmus Darwin House, once home to Charles Darwin's grandfather.
Conclusion
From rooftop gardens above the city to Roman ruins and a cathedral city full of history, Birmingham sits within easy reach of a genuinely mixed bag of days out. You could pair the catacombs and Library gardens in the centre with an afternoon on the Clent Hills, or point the car north and give Lichfield the time it deserves, taking in Letocetum, the wandering clock tower, Beacon Park, Minster Pool and Erasmus Darwin House in one unhurried loop.
Some spots are free and open all hours, others keep set days, so a quick check before you leave pays off. Whatever mood you are in, these are the hidden gems for a day trip from Birmingham.
