Liverpool is a port city on the River Mersey that was granted city status in 1880. The Pier Head, with the Three Graces, and the Royal Albert Dock were part of the Maritime Mercantile City World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2004 and removed in 2021. The Albert Dock now holds the Maritime Museum, the International Slavery Museum, Tate Liverpool and The Beatles Story.
The Cavern Club on Mathew Street is the center of the Beatles trail, and the Anglican and Roman Catholic cathedrals stand at either end of Hope Street. Soccer is part of the story too: Liverpool play at Anfield, and Everton have moved from Goodison Park to the new Hill Dickinson Stadium. Crosby Beach, Southport and Port Sunlight are all on the Merseyrail network.
Areas
Each area has its own mini guide with 123 sights, places to eat and drink, and where to stay across the city.
Warehouse docks, museums and the Three Graces on the Mersey
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Beatles history, independent streets, Chinatown and the William Brown Street museums
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Converted warehouses and street art, then Georgian terraces and Toxteth's Victorian churches
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Two cathedrals, a concert hall and theaters on one street
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Two clubs, two stadium stories and the park between them
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Cafés and bars on Lark Lane beside the city's largest park
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A Georgian square, a medieval priory and Paxton's park across the Mersey
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Fort, lighthouse and promenade at the mouth of the Mersey
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Where the trains arrive, with the university quarter and Edge Hill beyond
Open the mini guide →Sights
A sight from each area. Every area guide lists the rest, with directions and official links.
Dock of 1846 whose warehouses were the first UK structure built from cast iron, brick and stone without structural timber.
Music venue on Mathew Street that opened in 1957 as a jazz club and became a center of Liverpool's rock and roll scene.
Creative and leisure district south of the center, bounded by Liver Street, Park Lane, St James Street, Hill Street, Sefton Street and Wapping.
Church of England cathedral and seat of the Anglican Bishop of Liverpool.
Home of Liverpool Soccer Club since the club formed in 1892. Stadium tours are listed on the club's booking site.
The largest public park in Liverpool and the Liverpool City Region, in a conservation district of the same name.
Georgian square designed by James Gillespie Graham; Wikipedia says it has more Grade I listed buildings than anywhere outside London except Trafalgar Square.
Grade II* listed fort built in the 1820s to defend the Port of Liverpool, now a museum and visitor attraction.
1 / 12Animal attractions, railways, science centres, beaches and caves from our Liverpool guide, grouped by type. We hold no age ratings or child prices: check each place’s own site for age limits, height rules and family tickets.
New Brighton beach and promenadeBeach, New Brighton & Wallasey
Williamson TunnelsUnderground excavations, Lime Street & the Knowledge QuarterPractical help: travelling with children and where to stay in Liverpool.
Theater
8 theaters and performance venues across 2 areas: see where each one is, how to get there and where to find what is on.
Filter 8 venues by area, type of show and step-free access.
Open the directory →One link to each venue's own program page, plus seasonal highlights.
See what's on →The Hope Street producing theater in a building that reopened in 2014, programming new and classic plays, family shows and a Christmas production.
Venue page →Itineraries
Short routes that stitch the areas together.
Getting there
Liverpool has an airport south-east of the center, a main-line station at Lime Street and Merseyrail stations across the center. Always check the operator for current times, fares and disruption.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport is about 7.5 miles (12 km) south-east of the city center, according to Wikipedia. Liverpool South Parkway station, which has Merseyrail Northern line trains and City line services, is linked to the airport by bus routes. Check the airport's website for current options.
Liverpool Lime Street is the main-line station. Avanti West Coast's route page says London to Liverpool takes just over two hours. Wikipedia lists six train operators at the station, and Merseyrail trains run underneath on the Wirral line.
Merseyrail has two lines, the Northern line (including Southport, Ormskirk and Hunts Cross) and the Wirral line (including West Kirby, New Brighton, Chester and Ellesmere Port). The city-center stations are Moorfields, Liverpool Central, Lime Street (Wirral line) and James Street. You can tap in and out with a bank card, smart device or MetroCard.
Mersey Ferries link the Pier Head with Seacombe and Woodside on the Wirral, according to Wikipedia. The operator's website has the current schedule and any river cruise services.
Merseytravel plans public transport in the city region. National Express and other coach operators serve Liverpool; check your operator for the pick-up point.
Journey times on this page are the operators' own headline figures or come from Wikipedia where stated. We do not publish schedules or fares.
The Albert Dock, Pier Head, Mathew Street, Bold Street and Chinatown are all in the city center. Hope Street and the cathedrals lie on its south-eastern side, and the Baltic Triangle to the south.
Tap in and out with a bank card, smart device or MetroCard. Merseyrail says Chester station is excluded unless you use a MetroCard.
Anfield and Goodison Park are in north Liverpool, and Sefton Park is to the south. Merseyrail says Lark Lane is an 11 minute walk from St Michaels station; for the stadiums use a bus or taxi and check match-day arrangements.
Merseyrail publishes station accessibility and assisted travel pages. Individual museums and venues list their own access details.
Merseytravel (Walrus card, now MetroCard)
Best time to go
Liverpool works all year. Museums, theaters and concert halls help on wet days, and the waterfront is open to the weather in any season.
A good time for the waterfront, Stanley Park and Sefton Park before the summer crowds.
The best weather for the Albert Dock, Otterspool Promenade and Crosby Beach. Book popular restaurants ahead.
Quieter streets, and a busy program at the Philharmonic Hall, the theaters and the music venues.
Short days, but the museums, galleries and cathedrals are indoors. Check each site for opening times.
Day trips
Ideas for a day away from Liverpool. Check the operators for times and tickets.
Antony Gormley's Another Place: 100 cast-iron figures along a 2 miles (3.2 km) stretch of beach, made permanent in 2007. Merseyrail has Northern line stations at Waterloo and Blundellsands & Crosby.
visitsouthport.com →
A seaside town with a 1,110 m pier, the second longest in Great Britain, and the wide Victorian Lord Street. Merseyrail runs frequent trains from Liverpool, according to Wikipedia.
visitsouthport.com →
A model village begun in 1888 by Lever Brothers, with the Lady Lever Art Gallery. Port Sunlight has its own station on Merseyrail's Wirral line.
portsunlightvillage.com →
A visitor attraction in the suburb of Woolton, owned and run by the Salvation Army, on the site of a former children's home. The National Trust's Beatles' Childhood Homes are also in south Liverpool.
Strawberry Field →FAQ
Two to three days covers the Albert Dock and Pier Head, the Cavern Quarter, Hope Street and the cathedrals at an easy pace. Add a day for a stadium tour, Sefton Park or a trip to the coast.
Avanti West Coast's route page says London to Liverpool takes just over two hours. Check the operator's schedule for the services on your date.
You can tap in and out with a bank card, smart device or MetroCard. Merseyrail says Chester station is excluded unless you use a MetroCard, so check its Tap & Go page.
Liverpool FC's booking site lists stadium tours and the LFC Museum at Anfield. Everton's website lists tours of the Hill Dickinson Stadium and Goodison Park. Check each club's site for dates.
The Cavern Club is on Mathew Street in the city center. Its website says it is open daily with live music from 11am, and lists what is on.
No. The Maritime Mercantile City site, which included the Pier Head and the Albert Dock, was inscribed in 2004 and removed from the list in 2021.
Merseyrail's Wirral line serves Port Sunlight and other Wirral stations, and the Northern line serves Southport and Crosby. Mersey Ferries also link the Pier Head with Seacombe and Woodside.
The Albert Dock and Pier Head put you beside the museums, the Cavern Quarter is close to Lime Street and Liverpool Central, and Hope Street suits concerts and the cathedrals.
Birkenhead has Hamilton Square, the priory and Birkenhead Park, and New Brighton has the promenade and Fort Perch Rock. Mersey Ferries serve Woodside and Seacombe, and Merseyrail's Wirral line serves both areas. Check each operator's site for times.
Nearby places
Our closest other guides, by straight-line distance between centres. Road and rail distances are longer: check a journey planner.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits
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