Hotels near ICC Birmingham

The ICC is at 8 Centenary Square, Birmingham, B1 2EA, in the middle of the city centre. That means most visitors arrive by train, tram or on foot rather than by car. The ICC says 90 percent of the UK is within a four hour drive, and that many visitors travel home after the event, while others stay overnight.

By train, the ICC says there are three city centre stations, all a short walk away, with Birmingham New Street the closest. It does not give walk times on its find us page, and links to walking route videos from New Street instead. The directions are to head up to Victoria Square, follow the signs to Centenary Square, the ICC and Utilita Arena Birmingham, and walk straight towards the ICC. You pass the Library of Birmingham and the Rep Theatre on your right.

By tram, the ICC says the tram line between Birmingham and Wolverhampton stops at Centenary Square, just outside the ICC. Brindleyplace, the estate behind the ICC, says it has its own tram stop on Broad Street and is a four minute tram ride from the city centre. Check the West Midlands Metro and Network West Midlands for current services before you travel, as we did not read a live service notice.

By air, the ICC points out that Birmingham Airport has a railway station connected to its terminal, and that the train to Birmingham New Street takes about ten minutes. Avanti West Coast confirms the Birmingham International to New Street journey takes nine minutes. There is a taxi rank directly outside the airport.

By car, the ICC says Birmingham is close to the M6, M5 and M42 and that there are thousands of parking spaces near the venue, with the closest at the Utilita Arena Birmingham car parks on King Edward's Road. The ICC and its visitor car parks are inside Birmingham's Clean Air Zone, which is covered below. For buses, the ICC page does not name routes, and the Utilita Arena says buses pass the area frequently and points to Network West Midlands for route details, so use that service for live planning.

One more note for visitors who see the NEC and the ICC mentioned together. Both are run by the NEC Group, but they are different places. The NEC is near Birmingham Airport, about a ten minute train ride away, while the ICC is in the city centre.

The ICC's main frontage faces Centenary Square. Wikipedia describes the centre as facing the square with another entrance leading to the canals, and the ICC's own pages describe The Mall, a public walkway inside the building that connects the halls and meeting rooms and links Brindleyplace and the Convention Quarter to the rest of the city centre. The Mall is open to the public, but security may ask to search your bag on entry, and the ICC says it never interferes with an event.

On The Mall you will find a Starbucks, a Subway, a PizzaExpress and a Castle Fine Art gallery. Symphony Hall is inside the building complex off The Mall and is managed by the Town Hall Symphony Hall charitable trust, not the ICC. A cloakroom is just off The Mall and is available during most events, with charges. There is a free cash machine just off The Mall. Toilets are on level 2, next to Castle Fine Art, and level 3, next to Starbucks. Baby changing is on level 2. Accessible toilets on levels 2 and 3 need a radar key from the security mall officer.

The halls are numbered. The official space search lists Halls 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, and Wikipedia says the centre has ten halls and ten meeting rooms with a delegate capacity of 8,000. Hall 3 is the largest, seating up to 3,000 delegates. Hall 1 is the conference auditorium, which Wikipedia gives as 1,502 delegates. Hall 4 has 806 square metres of carpeted flat floor and direct street level vehicle access and is a favourite with exhibitors. Hall 5 has a ground level stage with direct loading bay access. Hall 9 has a foyer overlooking the canal, and Halls 8 and 9 are often used for smaller exhibitions or dining.

The ICC is accessible by ramps and lifts, and tactile signage is fitted in most lifts. Induction loops operate in selected halls. Assistance dogs are welcome, though the ICC recommends not bringing them to events that are particularly noisy. Which hall your event uses is decided by the organiser, so check the event page and the ICC site before you travel.

We have not published a last train time for ICC Birmingham, because we did not read one on an official timetable and it depends on the operator, the day and your destination. Check the operator timetable on the day before you commit to a late event.

What helps is the number of ways out. The ICC says three city centre stations are a short walk away, with New Street the closest. Avanti West Coast notes that Birmingham International serves the airport, so trains between there and the city centre run early and finish late, and it advises checking timetables in advance because times may change. The tram stops at Centenary Square just outside the ICC, but we did not confirm its evening frequency. Check West Midlands Metro on the day.

For taxis, the Utilita Arena says taxis are readily available at each of the city centre stations. The ICC page does not name a taxi rank at the venue itself, so use a booking app or ask staff on the day.

If you are not sure you can get a train home, stay overnight. The ICC says there are over 6,500 hotel rooms in the area and several are within a few minutes' walk (see the hotel sections below).

The ICC does not run its own named public car park on the pages we read. It tells visitors that there are thousands of spaces near the venue and that the closest are at its sister venue, Utilita Arena Birmingham, on King Edward's Road, B1 2AA. The ICC's accessibility page adds that Blue Badge parking and accessible bays are in the arena's car parks, and gives the number 0121 200 2000 (option 5) for disability parking issues.

The Utilita Arena has three on site car parks run by APCOA, named North, South and West. The South car park is off Sheepcote Street and has lifts, with Blue Badge bays on Level 11 and direct access to Entrance D. The West car park is off St Vincent's Street, has lifts and is open on event days only for pre booked spaces. The North car park has no lift, with all accessible spaces on Level 9 near Entrance G, and vehicles over 2 metres in height should use it. The arena recommends pre booking at uabparking.co.uk, and says all payments are cashless. Prices change from event to event, so check the booking site.

Brindleyplace, behind the ICC, has an 890 space multi storey car park operated by QPark with electric vehicle charging, according to the estate's own site. Premier Inn's Broad Street hotel page also names Q Park Brindley Place as an alternative to its own very limited parking.

Birmingham has a Clean Air Zone, and the ICC says the venue and its associated visitor car parks are inside it. The ICC's notice says the zone covers all roads within the A4540 Middleway Ring Road, operates all day every day, and that a daily charge applies to vehicles that do not meet the criteria, including cars, taxis, vans, lorries, coaches and buses. That notice dates from 2021, so check the Birmingham City Council site for current rules and charges before you drive. The ICC and the arena both link to a checker.

Because parking is limited in the centre, many visitors find it easier to park outside the zone and use the train or tram. If you drive into the centre, set aside time for the zone check and for finding your pre booked space.

The ICC sits where the Convention Quarter, Brindleyplace and Broad Street meet, so there are three useful areas. Staying on the Broad Street and Brindleyplace side puts you closest. Premier Inn Birmingham City Centre Broad Street says it is about three minutes from the tram and ten minutes' walk from the ICC and Symphony Hall. The Travelodge Birmingham Central hotel at 230 Broad Street describes itself as close to the ICC, and Travelodge calls Broad Street a major thoroughfare and nightspot with many bars and restaurants.

Directly beside the venue are two larger hotels. Leonardo Royal Hotel Birmingham says it is adjacent to the Brindley Place Metro station and a stone's throw from the International Convention Centre and Birmingham Arena. The Hyatt Regency Birmingham, at 2 Bridge Street, is described in its fact sheet as linked directly to the International Convention Centre and Symphony Hall.

If you would rather be near New Street, the ICC says New Street is the closest station and gives the walking route as via Victoria Square and Centenary Square, so you will walk past the Library of Birmingham. The Broad Street and Brindleyplace side keeps the walk to the venue shorter.

The ICC says there are over 6,500 hotel rooms nearby and recommends its HotelFinder service for comparing options, which is a booking widget, so we did not read it for hotel names.

Two budget chains are confirmed near the ICC from their own websites. Premier Inn Birmingham City Centre Broad Street says on its hotel page that it is about three minutes from the tram and ten minutes' walk from the ICC, Symphony Hall and other facilities. It also says it is less than a ten minute walk from Utilita Arena Birmingham and the National SEA LIFE Centre, and that very limited on site parking is on a first come, first served basis. The hotel is within the Clean Air Zone.

Travelodge Birmingham Central, at 230 Broad Street, B15 1AY, describes itself as close to the ICC and right in the centre of Birmingham's attractions.

Room prices around the ICC change with the event calendar, particularly during large conferences. For a team, Event Escapes can book rooms on a company invoice, and a custom quote is available.

Several hotels are within a short walk. Premier Inn Birmingham City Centre Broad Street gives about ten minutes on foot to the ICC. Leonardo Royal Hotel Birmingham is next to the Brindley Place tram stop and a stone's throw from the ICC and the arena, in its own words, and says the Ikon Gallery and the National SEA LIFE Centre are within a five minute stroll.

Hilton Garden Inn Birmingham Brindleyplace is listed by Brindleyplace as the estate's hotel, described as affordable hotel rooms, and Brindleyplace says the estate is a ten minute walk from the centre of Birmingham. We did not confirm the exact walk from the hotel to the ICC from Hilton's own site, which blocked our request.

The Hyatt Regency Birmingham, at 2 Bridge Street, is described in its fact sheet as having a direct link to the ICC and Symphony Hall.

Walking time from New Street station to the ICC is not stated in minutes by the ICC, so plan on a walk through the city centre and leave a little extra time with luggage.

For an upscale stay beside the venue, the Hyatt Regency Birmingham is the most obvious. Its fact sheet says it has 319 guest rooms, regency club rooms on the 23rd and 24th floors, a pool, gym, sauna and steam room, eight meeting and event rooms, and a direct link to the International Convention Centre. It also says it is linked to Symphony Hall.

Leonardo Royal Hotel Birmingham is the other large hotel beside Brindley Place, next to the Metro stop and close to the ICC. Hilton Garden Inn Birmingham Brindleyplace has a restaurant, Recess, which is named on Brindleyplace's restaurant page as the restaurant at Hilton.

If you want to be closer to the main shopping area, the ICC mentions the Bullring, Mailbox and Grand Central at New Street station as retail options in the city centre. We have not verified individual hotels on that side for this page.

We do not quote prices. Check availability for your dates, as large events fill the nearest hotels first.

Inside the ICC, The Mall has a Starbucks, a Subway and a PizzaExpress, so you can eat without leaving the building. The ICC says Starbucks has comfy sofas and is suited to informal meetings before and after your event.

Outside, Brindleyplace is the nearest cluster. Its restaurants page lists All Bar One, Bank Restaurant, BOX, Cosy Club, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Las Iguanas, Lulu Wild, Panko and Sushi, Piccolino, Pitcher and Piano, Qavali, Ribeye Steakhouse, Rudy's, Siamais, Slug and Lettuce, The Alchemist, Turtle Bay, Wagamama and Zizzi, grouped around The Water's Edge, Central Square, Oozells Square and Brunswick Square. Brindleyplace also has the Ikon Gallery and the Crescent Theatre, and the SEA LIFE Centre, which are listed on its site as current attractions.

Broad Street is described by Travelodge as a major thoroughfare and nightspot with many bars and restaurants. The ICC's city page adds that Birmingham has four Michelin starred restaurants, the Balti Triangle, Digbeth Dining Club and many cocktail bars, and the Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas Market among its festivals. Symphony Hall, inside the same complex, hosts concerts and comedy, and the ICC says the Rep Theatre is on the walk from New Street.

The Utilita Arena next door hosts concerts and tours, so evening crowds around Centenary Square change with its event calendar.

Check the event's own page first. The ICC hosts around 400 events a year and welcomes over 350,000 visitors, and the events listed by MeetBirmingham include conferences, awards, congresses and a touring show, so entry rules differ. Your organiser's ticket or registration email is the place to find out where to go.

Expect a possible bag search on The Mall. The ICC says security may ask to search bags as a condition of entry to the public Mall.

Exhibitors should look at Hall 4, which the ICC describes as a favourite with exhibitors thanks to direct street level vehicle access, and Hall 5, which has a loading bay. The ICC has an exhibitor page with ordering services and a team that helps with build and breakdown. For the exact time slots, ask your organiser, because we did not find a public move in schedule.

Cloakroom charges apply at the ICC. Cash is available from a free cash machine just off The Mall. Wheelchair access is by ramps and lifts, and accessible toilets on The Mall need a radar key, available from the security mall officer.

Plan your travel around the Clean Air Zone if you drive. Most delegates arrive by train to New Street and walk via Victoria Square and Centenary Square, which takes you past the Library of Birmingham.