Address
Birmingham Hilton Metropole, Pendigo Way, Marston Green, Birmingham, B40 1PP
Booking accommodation
We have a discount of 20% on listed prices.
At the moment the hotel rooms outside of our reserved block appear to be sold out. Other rooms may be released if there are other events with reserved blocks, but prices are unlikely to fall.
We have a Bursary fund which you are welcome to apply to if you struggling with finances, but this depends on donations from others (individuals and organisations) to allow us to support as many people as we would like to.
Accessibility
We have an accessibility policy and have previously done an accessibility audit for this venue.
Getting to the convention
Please take the time to plan your journey to Fantasycon carefully, and in advance of your departure. All methods of transport can be expected to be very busy.
Airports
The nearest airport is Birmingham International Airport, (IATA code BHX) branded as ‘Birmingham Airport’.
The airport is located next door to the NEC Campus. Follow the directions for ‘Air-Rail link’ or ‘NEC & Resorts World’ to use the free shuttle facility to travel from the airport terminal building to the NEC.
Birmingham Airport has numerous flights to cities across Europe, and some flights from further afield, including India and the United Arab Emirates. The airport is particularly well served for flights to the island of Ireland, including to and from Dublin Airport, which has United States border preclearance services for US-bound passengers.
If you choose to fly home from Birmingham, we advise leaving sufficient time to pass through the airport’s security checks – the queues can often be lengthy, and very slow moving.
Other airports:
Other members arriving by plane may arrive into any of the London airports at Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton or Stansted.
Connections from any of these airports to the convention site are available by train, or coach, or you may choose to hire your own vehicle.
Some members may choose to travel from any of these airports, to Birmingham, via central London. Please see the ‘domestic (UK) Train services’ section below for important information about train services over the convention weekend.
Train services
Domestic (UK) train services
The nearest railway station to the convention venue is Birmingham International (National Rail Code: BHI). It is located immediately to the west of the NEC Campus, and the two facilities are linked by a covered walkway.
Platforms at Birmingham International are accessible by lifts, escalators and stairs. There are ticket control barriers, including wider gates for passengers using wheelchairs or mobility scooters, or who have large items of luggage.
Birmingham International railway station is served by a number of railway operators: Avanti West Coast and London North Western Railway are the two principal operators, with the station also served by West Midlands Railway, and some Cross Country trains. As of early 2026, the station is also served by the overnight Caledonian Sleeper service.
Long distance ‘Inter-city’ services
Avanti West Coast operates long-distance high-speed rail services from London to Birmingham International. Services from Edinburgh and Glasgow, via the West Coast Mainline, also call at Birmingham International.
To check for any planned engineering works on your route, click on this link, and choose your proposed date of travel. You can also search for planned works impacting specific train operators, if you wish.
Alternative rail options
There are various other rail options available to members travelling from London or South East England, who would otherwise travel from London Euston. All of these options involve at least one change of train.
Chiltern Railways depart London Marylebone, and serve locations in the Midlands, terminating at either Birmingham Moor Street or Birmingham Snow Hill. From either of these stations, it is either a short walk, or, if preferred, transfer by Metro (tram) to Birmingham New Street, where there are frequent train services to Birmingham International.
This is the most straight-forward, and probably quickest, alternative rail route from London to Birmingham. As at the time of compiling this guide, there are no planned works impacting the direct London Marylebone to Birmingham route.
Members who have mobility concerns, or who will be travelling with significant quantities of luggage, may prefer to change at Leamington Spa, for the once-per-hour Cross Country Trains service which serves Birmingham International. It is our understanding that this transfer would involve no change of platform. Please be advised that Cross Country Trains services are often extremely busy.
A further option is to catch a Great Western Railway (GWR) service from London Paddington, changing at Reading for the same once-per-hour Cross Country Trains service serving Birmingham International. Reading is also the western terminus of the Elizabeth Line, for any members travelling from east London, Abbey Wood or Essex.
Members arriving into London Heathrow airport may find it convenient to use the Rail Air coach from Heathrow, to Reading railway station, to then catch the Cross Country Trains service directly to Birmingham International.
Local train services
West Midlands Railway provides a network of local train services, connecting Birmingham International with Birmingham New Street, and other destinations throughout the West Midlands area.
For assistance in planning any rail journey within Great Britain, please use the National Rail website.
Eurostar
Eurostar is an international train service, linking the UK directly to France, Belgium and the Netherlands by a high-speed, cross-border railway service, which utilises the channel tunnel to cross the English Channel. From the stations at Brussels, Lille and Paris, there are connections to other cities, most notably throughout France, but also to Germany and Switzerland.
In the UK, Eurostar trains arrive at London St Pancras station. That station is served by domestic train services, as is London Kings Cross, which is situated immediately adjacent to St Pancras.
A short walk away is London Euston (see the above ‘domestic (UK) trains’ section for important information). Other London termini can be reached by utilising London Underground (‘tube’) services, buses, or taxis.
Sail-Rail
Members travelling from the island of Ireland, may wish to use rail and ferry services. ‘Sail Rail’ is a scheme which offers combined tickets.
Further details of this service are summarised on the Man in Seat 61 website. Please note the restrictions regarding how tickets are issued, especially within the Republic of Ireland. The linked website discusses travel between the island of Ireland and London – but journeys to Birmingham are available.
Coaches & Buses
Long-distance coach services run from cities and towns across Great Britain to Birmingham Airport, where they stop outside the airport terminal building. From there, the ‘Air-Rail link’ shuttle detailed in ‘airports’ above will provide a transfer to the railway station, and the covered walkway to the NEC Campus.
Generally, tickets on coach services must be booked in advance. The links below are to the various operators’ websites, showing full details of their routes and timetables.
National Express operates services to Birmingham Airport from numerous locations, including many of the London airports. They also run services from a very wide number of locations to their coach station in Digbeth in central Birmingham, from where you may transfer to the NEC campus via either a local train service (see above), or local bus service (see below).
Flixbus are also an operator of long-distance coach services, operating from various locations across Great Britain to Birmingham. They also provide services to Europe from London, where transfers to services to Birmingham can be made.
BlaBlaCar also operates coaches from Europe to London, where transfers can be made to other operators’ services to Birmingham.
In London, all three of these operators use the facilities at London Victoria Coach Station. It should be possible to transfer from one service to another without leaving the building. Please be advised that the Coach Station is very large, and it is possible that you may have to walk for some distance to change services.
Victoria railway and tube stations are a 300 metre walk from the coach station.
There is a service offered by Bus Éireann which operates from Dublin to Birmingham. This runs from Dublin on Fridays and Sundays only, returning to Dublin on Saturdays and Mondays only.
Local Bus Services
General information concerning buses in the West Midlands can be found on the Transport For West Midlands website.
Various bus operators provide services in the Birmingham and West Midlands area. Local services at the airport and Birmingham International railway station are provided by National Express West Midlands.
The X1 runs from Birmingham to Coventry, via both the airport and Birmingham International Railway Station. This is a 24 hour service, with one journey per hour between Midnight and 4am. Some journeys, especially those in the early hours of the morning do not cover the full route. Please see the linked information page for a route map and timetables.
The X12 runs from Birmingham to Solihull, via both the airport and Birmingham International Railway Station. The service runs from around 5am to midnight each day. Please see the linked information page for a route map and timetables.
The 17A and 97A both run from the Bus Interchange at Birmingham International Railway Station / NEC to Birmingham, on different routes. Both services run regularly from around 5am to around 11pm, with the 97A offering some night services.
Tickets for bus services are bought at the point of travel. A single journey costs £3, and can be paid for using a contactless card or cash. If using cash, please be aware that drivers cannot give change, so you must have the correct coins available.
Using your own vehicle
Some members will wish to drive to Fantasycon. We draw your attention to the car parking charges at the convention hotel.
Given that the Fantasycon venue is located within the NEC Campus, we anticipate that all hotels will charge for their car parking. Please check costs using the website for your hotel if you are not staying at the Metropole.
The NEC Campus is very easy to reach, being located near to the junctions of the M6 and M42 motorways.
The M6 Toll
The M6 Toll bypasses the M6 / M5 interchange, as well as the complex and often slow moving interchange at Junction 6 of the M6, known as ‘Spaghetti Junction’. The M6 Toll is therefore useful for members travelling from the North of Wales, North West of England, and Scotland.
There is a charge for using the M6 Toll. The charge varies depending on how much of the Toll Road a vehicle travels along, and what sort of vehicle is being driven.
Details of costs can be found here. As an example, a car (Class 2 vehicle) travelling the entire length of the Toll Road, would have to pay £12.
These costs are per journey – i.e. they must be paid twice if a ‘return’ journey is undertaken.
Payment can be made at the central toll plazas by contactless card. Further information and FAQs are shown on the M6 Toll website.