Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery is a wonderful place for a day out. It was opened in 1885. It has over 40 galleries and the world's largest public collection of paintings. Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery building is a master piece and it's free entry. Sitting in the heart of Birmingham city, makes it more accessible. Love the round gallery and its highlight centre statue of Lucifer. The exhibits are well laid out and cover a lot of topics. There’s something for everyone. There’s a nice cafe inside and good for a short break after exploring a lot. Definitely worth a visit if you’re around in Birmingham.

For some years we had been looking forward to re-visiting the museum, and we found the new exhibitions extremely good. The show-casing of the industrial history of Birmingham stood out as especially interesting and informative, and well-presented. The play spaces and interactive possibilities for young children showed how much imaginative thinking had gone into the planning of the new design - they were obviously very welcome and well-used by the families we encountered. Friendly and helpful young assistants were also very welcome. But there were some sad disappointments. Like other recent visitors we were dismayed to find the painting galleries still closed - that fact does not seem to be clearly stated on the website, and we were particularly hoping to see again some of our old favourites among the paintings. We live nearby but others were not so fortunate and said they had come quite long distances, so felt very let down. Perhaps some amendment to the website information could make the situation more explicit. Far more disappointing was our experience in the tea-room! The room itself is still the same lovely place, a pity that the fare offered for lunch was so dire! Every item on the menu was encased in gross wodges of tasteless white bread with very sparse filling, of which all the ingredients were stuffed together in a messy sludge. Hardly any diversity in the food - nearly all heavily spiced, with little let-up for any other type of diet. Healthy eating? Forget it. The so-called crunchy salad was a few soggy items in there along with the oozing hummus. Halfway through our attempt to enjoy our meal I noticed someone having a bowl of soup. Was it on the menu? Had I missed it? I asked the waiter. Oh, the soup was served down at the far end in the corner. 'But it isn't on the menu. Nor is it among the meals displayed above the serving counter. Why not?' Well, perhaps it was because the soup differed from day to day. 'Then why is it not down as Soup of the Day, as is usually the case?' He didn't know. After all this, the meal was partially saved by the coffee, the tea and the cakes which were absolutely delicious. So I would heartily recommend going only for afternoon tea. And for the museum, perhaps a trip down to London for whoever is in charge of catering and a visit to the galleries there to see what they offer. The Tate Modern is one good place.

Went with my family to the exhibition. We all really enjoyed seeing the art!! The layout in the gift shop was excellent really looked like an art studio, I brought a few items the staff were really friendly and helpful well done everyone involved fantastic experience well worth a visit

The artwork here was fascinating to look at and read about, we spent ages looking at each piece. There was also an award winning poet writing free poetry for people on a typewriter which was great to see. Looking forward to visiting the museum when all of the exhibits are reopened.

Not much art on display here, thought there had been some mass robbery...but no, the gallery has been closed for 4 years of refurbing and still isn't fully open (you can go on an empty galleries tour!) I went because there's a great collection of Pre-Raphaelites and a number of Laura Knight pictures (did manage to see one of hers...) But I was a little disappointed... BUT things aren't all bad, the building is a work of art in itself with stunning architecture, features, marble, mosaics and spaces...doesn't take itself too seriously and gives the visitor a sense of place (unlike some other city galleries) with it's 'Made in Birmingham' exhibition, works scattered around like Benny's (from Crossroads!) Babbies a big photo-montage by Cold War Steve presenting Brum's many popular cultural exports...The official ratcatcher to the City of Birmingham by local lad Arthur Charles Shorthouse, and Joe Lycett's Mona Lisa Scott Lee... Edwardian tea rooms are stunning...as is the round room, I'll be back...PS loved the 6 exquisite William de Morgan tiles on display (see my photos) Open Wed - Sun 10am - 5pm.

Took our nine year old grandson especially to see the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition (we had seen it previously) and he was enthralled. Some great photographs, excellently displayed and each with a brief description as to who the photographer was, were the photo was taken and a little about the subject. Only on until mid April. Make sue and catch it.

This was my first visit to the gallery after many years. It’s obviously not fully open, but my first impressions were very positive. The building itself is stunning, and the paintings and sculptures on view in the round room were very interesting and pertinent to the City. I didn’t have time today to see the Victorian Radicals exhibition, but did visit the restaurant, which is refreshingly old fashioned (orders are taken by a human being, rather than on a screen!) and serves delicious cakes, sandwiches and hot drinks etc. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit, and look forward to future developments.

The Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery is a wonderful mix of art and history. The stunning Pre-Raphaelite paintings were a highlight for me, with their rich detail and emotion. The museum also offers engaging exhibits on Birmingham's history, making it a well-rounded experience. The staff were friendly and helpful, adding to the visit. It's a must-see for anyone looking to explore art and culture in the city.

I have to say I was disappointed. There are a lot of steps on the way up! A seat at the top and some lockers that cost you £1.00 no refund if you wanted to put your belongings in! There is the round room a walk away, Benjamin Zephaniah, a room with a video about the riots in the 1980s, some stuffed rodents. A lovely gift shop as you walk through into a lovely room (look upwards) a few iron statutes of queen Victoria with masks on! You have to walk up to that! It’s not great for those with mobility issues. A cafe area and I think that’s it! It’s small if that’s all it is- there are some areas for children to play which helped- crayons/ pencils and paper for kids to draw! I think there is another entrance that is about the victorians! I didn’t get chance to go in there. I last went 25 years ago and it’s hard to compare what it was like a few years ago! I’m struggling to grasp what they have done! The Irish community seems to have been forgotten about! Without the hard Labour spaghetti junction wouldn’t exist! I can understand why some people may say it’s woke, that’s not a word I would use but if I was from Bham I would struggle to see where I am represented- better get back to the Black Country Museum for that!

Great venue now it is reopened. We came to see the Victorian Radicals exhibition and it was excellent. Very clearly laid out and with good context going through the pre-Raphaelites to the Arts and Crafts movement. Staff were friendly and helpful. Only let down by no soap in the toilet!