Make the most of your trip to Liverpool
Getting around
Public transport in the UK is the way to go (pardon the pun). In Liverpool there is rail, bus and ferry transportation. Mersey rail is the local train service that will take you all around Liverpool. It connects to both John Lennon Airport and Liverpool Lime Street station. There are also taxi’s and ride share services, but make sure you are on the right side of the street to pick them up.
You can get from Heathrow airport in London to Liverpool by train. Take the Heathrow Express train into Paddington station. Take a cab from Paddington to Euston Station. From there you can get a train directly to Liverpool Lime Street (You can also take “the tube” from Heathrow to Euston, but the cab ride is worth doing.)
Here are some useful web links (transportation, accommodation booking, rail system websites etc)
https://www.booking.com/ - based in Europe very good for AirBB
https://www.rome2rio.com/ - good for transportation information
https://www.thetrainline.com/en-us – great for booking train tickets.
The Waterfront
Liverpool is a very compact and walkable town. The focus of the town is the split into two separate areas The Waterfront and then on a sandstone ridge the two Cathedrals and slightly further back Anfield itself.
The Waterfront is also known as The Pier Head (this is where you can get The Ferry Cross The Mersey)
Three beautiful early 20th Century buildings including the Liver Building - it has played a role as sites in Gotham City and New York (find out more at the Museum of Liverpool) and you can see the famous Liver Birds perched atop it as found on Liverpool FC shirts of course. Called Bertie and Bella - Bella looks out to sea to ensure the sailors get home safe - Bertie looks inland to see when the pubs are open! Want to learn more click here Pier Head & The Three Graces
From here walk up Dale St past the beautiful Town Hall - The Beatles stood on the balcony to a crowd of over 100,000 when they came here for the Northern Premier of A Hard Day’s Night
Museums
The Walker Art Gallery is recognized as the best Art Gallery in the UK outside of London. From early medieval pieces through to a superb collection of Pre-Raphaelite art it is well worth a visit. Like most national museums in Great Britain it is free of charge as well. Originally founded by a Beer Magnate it now hosts one of the most important Art competitions in the UK every two years.
Down on the Waterfront you can find the white modernist building which houses The Museum of Liverpool - this has a fascinating insight to Liverpool and of course some Beatles related items on the top floor. Did you know baseball used to be incredibly popular in the UK and you can see a massive trophy that was competed for every year!
You have heard of the Beatles, but what about the rest of the British music invasion and the history of British music. You can visit the British Music Experience, a short walk from the Museum of Liverpool.
Albert Dock
Next to the Museum of Liverpool is the most visited attraction in Liverpool, the beautiful Royal Albert Dock. A great place for food and drink it also houses The Beatles Experience which is well worth an hour or two.
Liverpool transformed world trade when the first wet dock was opened in 1715 – it reduced the time to unload a ship from two weeks to two hours and was the basis of the city’s wealth.
The Royal Albert Dock was opened in 1846 but only flourished for about a decade it was designed for smaller wooden ships and the new metal hull ships could not get into it! To get a great view of the waterfront visit the Wheel of Liverpool.
Pubs
Liverpool is famous for its pubs and here are a few well worth seeking out.
The Philharmonic
A Magnificent Pub the Philharmonic Dining Rooms to give it its full name is a sight to see.
Famous for its men’s toilets made of Connemara marble – they allegedly gave Adam Ant the inspiration for his stage name – ladies can pop in provided the coast is clear.
John Lennon said ‘the price of fame is not being able to pop into the Phil for a pint’
Ye Cracke
This is a back street pub where John Lennon and his friends plotted how they would become famous and put Liverpool on the map. It is very atmospheric and welcoming with a hidden beer garden in the back.
The Vines
Yet another opulent pub this time near Lime St Station. The interior was intended to allow the working man to enjoy the same comforts as a first-class cruise passenger.
The Clink
A back street pub that used to be a police station and you can still see the Victorian cells and have drink in them!
Charles Dickens came here and had himself enrolled a special constable so he could see what went on in the port of Liverpool at night.
If you want a bigger list of popular pubs, click here
Want to get out of town on a quick day trip
Chester
Chester is a Roman city about 45 minutes away by train from Liverpool Lime Street. Chester station is about ½ a mile from the city but you can see the Cathedral tower as soon as you exit and just follow your nose.
It has a wonderful Cathedral dating from 1092, the best set of medieval walls in the UK which are about 2.2 miles in circumference and a wide variety of great shops including a Harrod’s beauty store and a Liverpool shop if you need to bring something nice home to cover your trip!
Then there are the Rows. The world-famous, 700-year-old galleried walkways are Chester's great architectural curiosity, a double-decker street scene found nowhere else on earth. All along are cafes, restaurants and pubs to check out.
Chester also has the remains of a Roman amphitheater and a selection of great pubs. For example the Brewery Tap on Lower Bridge St is where Charles 1 spent his last night in Chester and is a beautiful Jacobean Hall with excellent beer inside.
Manchester
Manchester was the destination of a lot of raw cotton shipped to Liverpool from the USA then via canal to the city. The Science and Industry Museum has a lot of exhibits following the industrialization in the 18th and 19th century. There is even a working exhibit of how the raw cotton was turned into linen, it is very loud.
If you have not had your fill of football (the British word for soccer) Manchester is a short train ride from Liverpool. Again about 45 minutes by train from Liverpool Lime street.
It has the National Football Museum where you can learn a lot history about the sport. After your visit get lunch at the Old Wellington in Shambles Square. Built in 1552 it is one of the oldest buildings in Manchester.
In case you still have shopping to do, or need a last minute gift, there is the Manchester Arndale shopping center. As well as the shopping center, there are pedestrian streets that also have lots of specialist shops.