Travel and Venue Information
The NEC is located in the heart of England and is very easy to access by road, rail and air.
Book using the NEC plus and receive a number of different perks with your trip to The Festival of Quilts, including 20% off selected Avanti West Coast advanced fares* to the event, up to 15% off Avis van or car hire, pre-paid parking includes exclusive food & drink vouchers and helpful information on the venue.
For more information click here
The NEC
Halls 6, 7, 8 & 9
North Ave,
Marston Green,
Birmingham,
B40 1NT
By Car
Visitors from any direction can travel to the NEC directly using the following motorways – M1, M5, M6, M6 Toll, M40 and M42.
The postcode for your SATNAV is B40 1NT.
Parking
The NEC has 16,500 car park spaces available. Once you’ve parked you can either take a free shuttle bus or walk to the halls 7, 8 and 9 using our sign posted footpaths. Please note that the North car parks are likely to be the ones used for The Festival of Quilts, all car parks are signposted.
Please note the NEC have recently increased their parking fees, so we strongly advice you book your space in advance.
The advance parking prices is £12.85 and visitor express parking is £21.50.
Visit www.thenec.co.uk/visitors/parking for more information and to book.
Gold VIPs will be able to park at North 1b (and overflow to N1).
By Rail
There will be rail strikes on Thursday 18th and Saturday 20th August, please check your journey to see if your route will be affected. Check if your journey will be affected here.
If you are unable to attend the show due to the train strikes, we will accept admission tickets on an alternative day. No action is required, simply attend on the alternative day of your choice.
The NEC a five minute (covered) walk from the adjacent Birmingham International rail station. Avanti West Coast run frequent, direct services from London and the North.
London Northwestern Railway also run services to the NEC from London, the Midlands and the North West. Visit www.londonnorthwesternrailway.co.uk to book train tickets for any national rail journey with no booking fees
Many services run direct to Birmingham International. If yours doesn’t, you can catch a connecting train at Birmingham New Street. There are regular services, and the journey only takes 10-15 minutes. Buses to the NEC can be caught at Birmingham Moor Street and Solihull stations. For further information call National Rail enquiries on 08457 484950 or visit the National Rail website.
London Midland runs frequent services to the NEC from London, the Midlands and the North West. Visit www.londonmidland.com to book train tickets for any national rail journey – there’s no fees and their ‘cheapest fare finder’ will help you get the best deal.
Many services run direct to Birmingham International. If yours doesn’t, you can catch a connecting train at Birmingham New Street. There are regular services, and the journey only takes 10-15 minutes. Buses to the NEC can be caught at Birmingham Moor Street and Solihull stations. For further information call National Rail enquiries on 08457 484950 or visit the National Rail website.
By Coach
Click here to see the list of local coach companies that we know that are organising a trip to The Festival of Quilts.
Other coach services are operated by National Express and Megabus, with over 120 daily services from across the UK to Birmingham Airport. From there you can get to the NEC in minutes on the free air-rail link.
Local bus services also run every 30 mins throughout the day to Solihull (service 966) and Coventry (service 900). For more information please visit the National Express or the Network West Midlands websites.
View our coach providers or if you’re a coach company who would like to offer your services, please click below to be added to our Coach list.
By Air
The NEC is just minutes away from Birmingham Airport (BHX) – which is very handy for international visitors and those on UK internal flights!
By Shuttle Bus
The shuttle bus picks up from:
- Ibis Styles Birmingham NEC & Airport
- Birmingham International Train Station
- Premier Inn
- Crowne Plaza
- Holiday Inn Express
- Moxy Hotel
- Hilton Hotel
*Must be booked 3 days in advance. Up to 20% off Avanti West Coast – price varies on time of travel and train line.
Travel with Virgin Trains the official travel partner of the NEC and get 20% your train fare. This discount is exclusive to customers attending events at the NEC. Simply book your journey to the NEC using the link below and a 20% discount will be automatically applied to your booking. Read the full terms and conditions here.
