Sign in with Facebook
Hotel Class: 
4 Stars - 78 Opinions
Park Street, Shifnal, Shropshire, Shifnal, Shropshire, TF11 9BA, United Kingdom
Check Rates and Availability
of people enjoy staying here
78 Opinions
1960s Brutalism
Centenary Square
Statue of Nelson outside Bull Ring
The wheel of Birmingham
I am planning to visit a friend in osbourne tower, Aston Birmingham I will be visiting from Canada.
I wanted to find our what kind of an area is that?s what there to do during the day and night? Is it better to drive or take the train.
How safe is this place and the neighbourhood and people
It's a suburb of Birmingham. It's fine, although Birmingham is not particularly pretty. It's where the university is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aston
Train or drive from where? If you mean the airport, then train (www.nationalrail.co.uk) or coach (www.nationalexpress.com). If you mean within Birmingham, then bus is probably easiest because of traffic. If you mean to explore the area, then car is easiest though buses and trains will get you around.
It is perfectly fine to walk around during the day and at night. I was there 2 years ago for a few days to visit a friend. There is not much to do in Birmingham and, as pointed out, it is not really a pretty city. Yet, you will have more freedom if you rent a rent. Otherwise, trains and buses are also an option.
I think you mean there is not much to do in Aston? There is plenty to do in Birmingham itself; it is the UK's second city!
Aston in itself depending on how deep into Aston you go can be ok.
Aston the area in general is one of the worst in Brum, it's basiclly classed as one of the 'ghetto's' of Birmingham.
Birmingham in itself is a decent area with a load to do all the time. There is always something going on and as it's in the midlands it's easy to get to other cities (train, coach etc) which all run on regular basis' and can be quite cheap.
It's pretty close to the city centre with Aston University being in the City Centre.
Visit the Birmingham Hotel. The hotel has excellent service. Taking a taxi to the canal front where the convention center and many of the restaurants are. Great picture taking. You notice the blending of different forms of architecture (the boats looked like gondolas(?) and they made you think of Italy). The shopping was nice, too.
Also, I was able to see a production of Les Miserables at one of the theaters in Birmingham. It was excellent.
Situated in the heart of the historic Stourbridge glassmaking district and built in the end of the 18th Century, the Cone was used for the manufacture of glass until 1936.
The cone itself reaches 100 feet into the sky, and enclosed a furnace (which you can climb through!) around which men made glass in non-stop 6 hour on and 6 hour off shifts for 140 years!
The furnace itself was kept at a constant heat of 1250 celsius for years on end to provide the raw materials for the manufacture of glass.
During its time the site remained virtually unaltered and an excellent audio tour (£2.50) and information panels take you on sequential progress through the factory including a live demonstration of glassblowing in the same location that it would have been manufacted when the factory was a going concern...
There is a gift shop selling souvenirs and craft items made on site, as well as a Stuart Crystal Factory Shop adjacent to the visitor centre.
For refreshments you can enjoy watching the canal boats chug by on the canal next to the museum from the cafe on site...
About 10 miles to the W of Birmingham centre. MAP
Selfridges is one of the iconic British department stores, right up there with Harrods of London and Harvey Nichols.
There are only four Selfridges stores in the UK, and the Birmingham store is one of them.
The store is divided roughly like this:
Ground floor - food court (Amazing! Watch out for the giant bull made of jelly beans. And make sure you try a Krispy Kreme donut. You can also have meal at Yo! Sushi! and much more).
1st floor - ladies wear
2nd floor - cosmetics & gents wear
3rd floor - champagne bar & the really, really designer expensive stuff (shoes & handbags!)
Oh yeah, and the architecture is pretty amazing, too. From outside, the building looks a bit like a giant spaceship that has landed in the city centre!
Birmingham is well serviced by both road and rail. It also has more miles of canals than Venice!
By road:
From London use either the M1 or M40 motorways.
From the south west use the M5.
From the north west use the M6.
From the north east use the A1/M1.
There is a circular motorway the M42 which serves the north,east and south of Birmingham.
By rail:
The main station is Birmingham New Street, this will bring you right in to the heart of the City.
By Air:
Birmingham International Airport is only a short distance from the City centre.
Also within easy reach is East Midlands Airport.
Balti was introduced to the region by Birmingham's large Pakistani and Kashmiri communities around 1976. It now appears in the Oxford Dictionary - it means 'bucket' but is in fact a flat bottomed wok.
There are around 50 balti houses in the 'Balti Triangle' - many of them famous for their giant 'table top' naans which can be used as a substitute for cutlery - just tear of chunks of naan and dip in!
SOME BALTI TRIANGLE RESTAURANTS
Al Frash, Ali Baba, Balti No. 1, Butts, Channi's, Cosmopolitan, Desi Khana, Diwan, Grand Tandoori . Jewel In The Crown, Joyoti , Kababish, Kings Paradise, Kushi, Lahore Karahi, Lahore Kebab House, Nirala, Plaza, Polular Balti, The President, Punjab Paradise, The Rose, Royal Al Faisal, Saleems, Shabab, Shahi Nan Kabab, Shandar, Sher Khan, Shareen Kadah, Ty's Jazz and Spice, Zaffs Fast Food and Zeb’s Mirpuri Cuisine
Sponsored Links
Near Park House Hotel
Cheapest in Birmingham
Great Hotels for Less
Q: Safe and green areas in and around Birmingham? "Need some help with finding a new home. Could you please recommend me a few places in/around Birmingham. It would be great if..."
A: "Will you be working *in* Birmingham?"
Sponsored Links
Latest Birmingham hotel reviews
Sponsored Links
We've found that other people looking for this hotel also know it by these names:
Address: Park Street, Shifnal, Shropshire, Shifnal, Shropshire, TF11 9BA, United Kingdom
Check Rates and Availability (from our partners)
