The most convenient way to get to Birmingham from London Heathrow airport (LHR) is by coach, from Heathrow Central Bus Station (CBS), using the main national coach operator, National Express.
They have a desk at the CBS which will help put you on the correct bus (and change your ticket for the next one if you miss the bus you’re aiming for).
The Central Bus Station is open 24 hours a day and there is a Travel Centre open from 06:00 to 22:30.
Tickets for all coaches can be bought from the Travel Centre, or booked in advance with the operator.
You may also be able to buy a ticket from the bus driver, subject to availability.
However – IMPORTANT NOTE: You will arrive during a Bank Holiday (national holiday) weekend, so coaches may be fuller than usual.
So we recommend that you book in advance, using this National Express page:
http://www.nationalexpress.com/coach/airport/heathrow-airport/index.html
(for your Birmingham destination, choose “Coach Station”)
Where to catch your coach depends on which of the five LHR terminals you arrive at:
Terminals 1 and 3: All coach services call at the Central Bus Station, which is a short walk from the terminals and has lifts, escalators and moving walkways to help with the journey.
Terminal 4: Coaches arrive and depart from Stops 13 and 14 outside the terminal, at Arrivals level.
Free transfers to the Central Bus Station from Stop 7.
Terminal 5: Coaches arrive and depart from Stops 13-16, outside the terminal at Arrivals level.
Free transfers to the Central Bus Station from Stops 8 and 9.
On arrival at Birmingham Coach Station, please find a taxi and ask for University Edgbaston campus, and specify your lodging (either Conference Park, or The Vale, Mason Hall).