United Kingdom, Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the English West Midlands. It is commonly considered to be England's "second city" and is the largest of England's core cities.

Birmingham enjoys a strategic position, being at the hub of the UK's road and rail network, with excellent European and International air connections.

The centre of Birmingham has large modern shopping centres and shops specialising in everything from A to Z, there are indoor and outdoor markets where you can grab a bargain and you shouldn't forget to visit the famous Rag Market. The Bull Ring Shopping Centre and the Markets are undergoing major reconstruction work at present which will make the whole area more pleasant and provide an even wider range of facilities

Local public transport is by bus, local train and tram (the Midland Metro light railway system between the city centre and Wolverhampton). The number 11A and 11C outer circle bus routes are the longest urban bus routes in Europe. The city's main station, Birmingham New Street, is at the centre of the national rail network, whilst Birmingham International railway station serves Birmingham International Airport which has flights to cities across Europe and several Asian and North American destinations.

Birmingham is also notable for its canal system; formerly the lifeblood of the city's industries, their use is now mainly for pleasure. There are 35 miles (60 km) of canals in the city, most remaining navigable. The abundance of canals has led to the frequently made claim that "Birmingham has more canals than Venice". Although this is in some sense correct (Venice has 26 miles), Birmingham is far larger [3], and the types of waterway are very different. Birmingham's canals are comparatively shallow artificial channels, while those in Venice are primarily reinforced natural channels between islands of the lagoon on which the city stands.