Birmingham has more than 8,000 acres of award-winning green spaces and parks to escape the hustle and bustle of city life – or there are plenty of gorgeous villages on its outskirts that are the perfect setting for a day trip.
Leafy Staffordshire, the greenest parts of affluent Solihull and honey-hued corners of the Cotswolds are all within an 80-minute drive of Birmingham city centre. If you’re looking for somewhere quaint and scenic to spend your next day off or a weekend away, there are plenty of rural retreats within easy reach.
Think waterside walks, rolling countryside, pretty streets lined with thatched cottages and cosy pubs for Sunday lunch. See below for our top six villages near Birmingham to visit in 2025.
Read more: Tiny Cotswolds village an hour from Birmingham with top Sunday roast pub
Knowle
Knowle is famous for its independent shops on the high street which was named one of the best places to live
(Image: Nick Wilkinson)
This exclusive corner of rural Solihull combines a lively high street dotted with restaurants and pubs with tranquil walking routes along the locks and it’s only a half-an-hour drive away from central Brum. It’s no wonder residents pay a pretty penny to live there.
Cheals, Elderberry Blacks cafe and Eros are among the favourite stops for a bite on the high street, which is also home to an artisan bakery, traditional pubs and a new Giggling Squid Thai restaurant. Day-trippers can take the short walk to Knowle Locks to see deer frolicking in the fields, then follow the Grand Union Canal path for more countryside views broken up by more pubs like the Black Boy and the Kings Arms.
Ilmington
The village of Ilmington
This lesser-visited Cotswolds village, perched on the northern tip of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, was named as one of the best places to live in the country for 2025 by lifestyle magazine Muddy Stilettos, but it’s also worth the hour-long drive from Birmingham for the panoramic views that rewards the two-mile hike up Warwickshire’s highest point, Ilmington Down, and a Good Food Guide-recommended Sunday lunch at the Howard Arms.
The tiny village of Ilmington is home to only 800 residents and a handful of roads lined with limestone cottages. Pop into the community-owned village shop for locally-sourced supplies or coffee and cake in the café, or tie in the visit with an outing to Stratford-upon-Avon just eight miles away.
Hampton-in-Arden
Grace & Savour restaurant situated in a walled garden of Hampton Manor
(Image: Darren Quinton/BirminghamLive)
If you plan your days out around food, then Hampton-in-Arden is a must-visit. A 30-minute drive from Birmingham or 14 minutes by train, the upmarket Solihull village is home to two Michelin-recommended restaurants, both located in the grounds of the award-winning Hampton Manor hotel.
You’ll have to be quick to dine at MasterChef The Professionals champ Stuart Deeley’s Smoke as the refurbished smokehouse is set to close on February 23, but there’s always the Michelin-starred Grace & Savour, which overlooks the walled garden. Hampton Manor also has its own bakery, or there’s the Corner Shop deli on the high street. For a buzzy laid-back atmosphere, head to Indian gastropub Soho Tavern.
Berkswell
The countryside around Berkswell is stunning
(Image: Emily Chaplin/BirminghamLive)
Situated between Solihull and Coventry, Berkswell is a charming leafy village with enough going on to easily fill a day out. The Bear Inn pub is a grade II listed building dating back to the 16th century which serves food, while the old village store and tea room is soon to reopen as cosy coffee shop The Nook.
The village green is home to one of Berkswell’s most unusual features – wooden stocks used to punish unruly locals until the mid-19th century, only these ones have five holes instead of four, apparently because one of the village’s most prolific offenders had only one leg.
On dry days, visitors can slip behind the churchyard of St John’s to access walking routes through green fields and bluebell-scattered forests with planes passing overhead as they fly into land at nearby Birmingham Airport.
Kinver
The rock houses at Kinver Edge, Staffordshire
(Image: ©National Trust Images/PJ Howsam)
A large Staffordshire village steeped in history, Kinver is packed with independent shops and stylish eateries. Hit the high street for fresh bakes at Kings Fayre Bakery, lunch at Kinver Deli or a pint at the Royal Exchange pub.
The 400-acre National Trust site Kinver Edge is within walking distance. The tall woodland ridge offers sweeping views, an iron age hill fort and unique homes carved straight into the rock that look like a fictional settlement from the Lord of the Rings, with miles of open countryside, trails and footpaths to explore.
Alvechurch
The Crown Inn at Alvechurch
(Image: Emily Chaplin/BirminghamLive)
Its neighbouring celebrity-loved village of Barnt Green might be better-known, but Alvechurch’s peaceful way of life and old-timey charm makes it a worthy day trip destination in its own right. Tucked away in northeast Worcestershire just a 45 minute drive from Birmingham city centre, the centre of Alvechurch is framed by some great pubs, from the newly-refurbished, cosy Crown Inn to the canalside Weighbridge Inn.
Villagers go all-out for the annual Scarecrow Festival and its location in the valley of the River Arrow mean it’s full of scenic spots for leisurely weekend walks.