City centre and Ropewalks
First-timers and nightlifeBetween the docks and the cathedrals: bars, Bold Street, the Cavern and most of the beds.
Liverpool city guide
Things To Do In Liverpool
Two cathedrals, the most successful band in history, a waterfront built on Atlantic trade, and a city that will start a conversation with you at a bus stop.
11
Hostels in the city
6.9
Average, from 10,770 reviews
2
Cathedrals, half a mile apart
£4.50
A pint away from the centre
1846
Albert Dock opened
A port city with an unusual amount to say for itself
Liverpool made its money on Atlantic shipping, including a central role in the transatlantic slave trade that the city now confronts directly in the International Slavery Museum on the dock — one of the few places in Britain that does.
The waterfront is the legacy: the Three Graces, the Albert Dock warehouses and a skyline built to be seen from the water.
The Beatles are unavoidable and mostly worth it — the Cavern, the Beatles Story, and the childhood homes run by the National Trust.
It also has two cathedrals half a mile apart on the same street, one Gothic and enormous and one a 1960s concrete cone, and the local nickname for the second is not affectionate.
The accent is strong, the humour is relentless, and people talk to strangers. Two days.
Where to stay
A compact centre between the waterfront and the cathedrals.
Albert Dock and the waterfront
MuseumsThe restored warehouses: Tate Liverpool, the Slavery Museum, the Beatles Story and the river.
Georgian Quarter
Quiet and handsomeUp the hill around Hope Street: Georgian terraces, both cathedrals and good restaurants.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 6 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Liverpool
The International Slavery Museum at the Albert Dock is the most important thing here. It sets out Liverpool's role in the transatlantic trade honestly, in the buildings that trade paid for, and very few British cities have done anything comparable.
The Museum of Liverpool and the Walker Art Gallery are both free and both good — the Walker holds one of the best collections outside London.
Walk Hope Street between the two cathedrals. The Anglican one is the largest cathedral in Britain and you can go up the tower; the Metropolitan Cathedral is a 1967 concrete cone with a stained glass lantern, known locally as Paddy's Wigwam.
For the Beatles: the Cavern Club on Mathew Street is a reconstruction on roughly the original site, and the National Trust runs tours of the Lennon and McCartney childhood homes, which are the genuinely moving version.
More on things to do in Liverpool
Free things
Free things to do in Liverpool
Every major museum is free: the Walker, the Museum of Liverpool, the Maritime and Slavery museums, and Tate Liverpool's collection.
The waterfront, the Three Graces and the Albert Dock are free to walk, and the Mersey Ferry runs as normal public transport if you take the commuter crossing rather than the tour.
Both cathedrals are free to enter, with charges only for the Anglican tower.
Bold Street, the Bombed Out Church and the Georgian Quarter cost nothing, and Sefton Park with its Victorian palm house is free.
Crosby beach, twenty minutes out on Merseyrail, has Antony Gormley's Another Place — a hundred iron figures standing in the sand and the tide.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Liverpool
Bold Street is the food street — Middle Eastern, Caribbean, Japanese and a lot of independents, with plates at £9 to £15.
Scouse, the lamb or beef stew the city is named after, is on pub menus and is worth ordering once, particularly in winter.
The Baltic Triangle has street food markets and warehouse bars, and the Georgian Quarter has the smarter restaurants.
A pint is £4.50 to £6, and the Philharmonic Dining Rooms on Hope Street is worth going into for the Victorian gents' toilets alone, which are Grade I listed.
Sunday lunch is a serious event here, and the roast is the meal to plan around.
Nightlife
Going out in Liverpool
Concert Square and the Ropewalks are the loud end — student bars, cheap drinks and a night out that has a national reputation.
The Baltic Triangle has the warehouse venues and the better clubs, and the Georgian Quarter has the quieter bars.
Mathew Street is Beatles-themed and aimed squarely at visitors, with live covers in every doorway.
A pint is £4.50 to £6 and cocktails £8 to £12, among the cheapest of any English city.
Liverpool dresses up more than most British cities on a Saturday, and matchdays for either club fill the pubs from morning.
Getting around
Getting around Liverpool
The centre is walkable and the waterfront is ten minutes from most of it.
Buses are about £2.50 a journey, and Merseyrail's underground loop connects the centre, with lines out to Crosby, Southport and the Wirral.
The Mersey Ferry runs a commuter service at a normal fare and a River Explorer cruise at tourist prices — the commuter crossing gives the same view for a fraction.
The airport is 30 minutes by bus for about £3.
Trains reach Manchester in 50 minutes, London in two hours fifteen, and Chester in 45 minutes.
Costs
What Liverpool costs
One of the cheapest major English cities. Dorms are £16 to £30, a pub main £12 to £17, and a pint £4.50 to £6.
A day is £40 to £75.
Every significant museum is free, which covers the daytime entirely. The paid things are the Beatles Story at about £20, stadium tours at £25 to £30, and the childhood homes tour at about £30.
Trains are the usual variable — book ahead and London is £25 to £45, book late and it doubles.
Safety
Staying safe in Liverpool
Liverpool is a friendly city and the centre is fine, with the usual caution around closing time.
Concert Square and the Ropewalks get very busy and very drunk at weekends, and that is where most trouble happens.
Phone theft and pickpocketing occur in the nightlife streets late on.
Matchdays for Liverpool and Everton fill the city; rival fans are separated for good reason and the pubs near the grounds are not the place to be neutral about it.
Use licensed taxis or an app. Emergency number is 999, or 112.
Day trips from Liverpool
A beach full of iron men, a walled city and the Welsh mountains.
Chester
A complete circuit of Roman and medieval walls, Tudor rows and a Roman amphitheatre.
Manchester
Music, football and the best nightlife in the north.
Snowdonia
The Welsh mountains, with Snowdon itself reachable by train or on foot.
What's on
What is on while you are there
A horse race the whole country bets on, and a Beatles week in August.
Staff pick
8–9 October
Van Morrison
Van Morrison is a Northern Irish record producer and instrumentalist. He is a multiple award winner who rose to prominence in the '60s as…
Staff pick
6 December
Santa Dash Liverpool
The Liverpool Santa Dash transforms the city into a sea of red and blue Santa suits as thousands of participants of all ages run…
Staff pick
3 October
The Amy Winehouse Experience
The Amy Winehouse Experience is a live tribute show that recreates Amy’s distinctive voice, style, and energy through faithful renditions of her greatest hits.…
Staff pick
11 October
Avatar - The Last Airbender
Avatar – The Last Airbender live event features a full orchestra performing music from the beloved animated series, paired with scenes from the show.…
Staff pick
15–25 October
Liverpool Irish Festival
The Liverpool Irish Festival in Liverpool, United Kingdom, is a dynamic celebration of Irish arts, culture, and heritage, connecting communities across Liverpool and Ireland.…
Staff pick
24 October
The Smyths: A Tribute to The Smiths
The Smyths are a tribute band dedicated to recreating the sound and spirit of The Smiths. Their performances capture the energy and emotion of…
Staff pick
12 November
Tony Blackburn
Tony Blackburn is a legendary British radio DJ and presenter known for his long career on BBC Radio and his upbeat, nostalgic music sets.…
Staff pick
14 November
Moving Pictures - Rush Tribute
Moving Pictures is a tribute band dedicated to celebrating the music of Rush. They perform faithful renditions of Rush’s classic songs, capturing the energy…
Hostels
Where to stay in Liverpool
A good scene at low prices, mostly in the centre and around the Ropewalks. Live from Hostelworld.
Sustainable
YHA Liverpool Albert Dock
Dorms from £19 a night
See dates and book
Sustainable
Liverpool International Inn
Dorms from £20 a night
See dates and book
Kabannas Liverpool
Dorms from £28 a night
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Malacuna Liverpool
Dorms from £17 a night
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The Liverpool Pod
Dorms from £18 a night
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Embassie Liverpool Backpackers
Dorms from £35 a night
See dates and book
When to go
May to September for weather, and any time for the museums.
Jan
Cold and wet. Cheapest beds of the year
Feb
Grey. Students back and the bars busy
Mar
Improving. Grand National at Aintree at the end
Apr
Showery and lengthening
May
Excellent. Long evenings on the waterfront
Jun
The best month. Sefton Park and the docks in use
Jul
Warm and busy. Festival season
Aug
Warm, with students away
Sep
Superb. Term restarts and the football season is on
Oct
Autumn and good value
Nov
Dark and wet. Christmas markets open
Dec
Markets on the waterfront and a lit-up city
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs. The Mersey keeps Liverpool mild and windy, and rain is spread across the year rather than concentrated in a season.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in pounds.
Museums are free, so the doing line is Beatles attractions and stadium tours if you want them.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Liverpool travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
Is it all about the Beatles?
They are unavoidable and mostly worth it, but the best things here are the free museums — particularly the International Slavery Museum, which addresses the city's role in the transatlantic trade more directly than almost anywhere else in Britain.
Which Beatles thing should I do?
The National Trust tours of the Lennon and McCartney childhood homes, at about £30, are the genuinely affecting version. The Cavern on Mathew Street is a reconstruction near the original site, and fun rather than historic.
Why are there two cathedrals?
One Anglican, one Catholic, half a mile apart on the same street. The Anglican is the largest cathedral in Britain; the Metropolitan is a 1967 concrete cone that locals call Paddy's Wigwam. Both are free and neither resembles the other.
Is it cheap?
One of the cheapest major English cities. Dorms £16 to £30, a pint £4.50 to £6, every major museum free, and a day around £40 to £75.
What is Another Place?
A hundred cast-iron figures by Antony Gormley standing along two miles of beach at Crosby, submerged and revealed by the tide. Twenty-five minutes on Merseyrail and free.
Can I get a football ticket?
Hard at Liverpool, easier at Everton. Both clubs run stadium tours at £25 to £30, and matchdays fill the city pubs from the morning either way.
When should I visit?
May, June or September. April brings the Grand National at Aintree, which is a citywide event, and August has Beatleweek if that is why you are coming.
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