Travel
Reaching Birmingham
Birmingham international airport (BHX), located about 10 km from the city centre, offers flights to major airports in Europe (including Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Munich, Paris) and beyond. Other airports located within 3 hours from Birmingham by public transport are: London Heathrow (LHR), London City (LCY), London Gatwick (GTW), London Luton (LTN), Manchester (MAN), Liverpool (LIV), East Midlands (EMA).Birmingham is a hub of the United Kingdom rail network, with regular connections from all parts of the United Kingdom. Rail travel times are below 2 hours from Bristol, London, Liverpool and Manchester, and about 4 hours from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle. Train timetables can be found and tickets can be booked at the National Rail website.
Birmingham airport to city centre
Birmingham airport has a very frequent train service to Birmingham New Street station in the city centre. Take a free 90 second ride in the AirRail link to Birmingham International station and buy your ticket for a 10–15 minute journey into Birmingham (cost: £2.20–£3.40 to Birmingham New Street, £2.20–£3.80 to University, depending on the time of the day). Alternatively a taxi for the journey to the city centre or the University takes around 30 minutes and costs about £20.City centre to University
The University of Birmingham main campus is located about 5 km south-west of the city centre, and has its own railway station. There are about 6 trains per hour (fewer trains on Sundays) from the city centre (Birmingham New Street station) to the University station. The tickets cost £2.00 (single), £2.20 (return). Departures are usually from platform 11 or 12 with a destination of either Longbridge or Redditch. University is the second stop. Some longer distance trains (e.g. to Hereford) also stop at University (first stop). The station is a 5 minute walk away from the conference venue. To reach the University, cross the railway by the bridge after exiting the station and continue going straight.Visas
Please note that the requirements to enter the United Kingdom on academic business are becoming more stringent. More information about the UK visas are available at the Home Office website.If you require a visa, you should register as soon as possible, request an invitation letter from the Local Organizing Committee, and apply by 15 April 2014 at latest, to ensure the visa application is processed before the conference starts.
About Birmingham
Birmingham is the second largest city in the United Kingdom, and is a major centre for commerce and tourism, attracting over 33 million visitors in 2011. Surrounded by the historic towns of Coventry, Lichfield, Shrewsbury and Worcester, and with Stratford-upon-Avon some 20 miles away, the city is at the heart of a region with a distinctive part in the history of England.Birmingham was at the centre of the Industrial Revolution, and retains many links to this period, with an eighteenth century canal system threading through the city and a number of industrial heritage museums in and around it. The Birmingham Lunar Society, an eighteenth century scientific society, was formed here, with regular participation from the founders of the Industrial Revolution, and included Joseph Priestley, Erasmus Darwin and James Watt among its members. Its importance was such that Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were both corresponding members, and both made the journey to Birmingham to attend meetings here. The city also has many connections in English literature; for example, the writer and English scholar J.R.R. Tolkien was brought up in Birmingham, and it is well established that his experiences here were instrumental in the writing of his most popular works.
Today Birmingham is a vibrant and multi-cultural city, offering a wide range of different cultural spectacles, dining and nightlife. Together with its surrounding area, it offers a unique opportunity to visit a region at the very heart of England.
