For Alex’s birthday, I booked us a night stay in Liverpool as we have been talking for months and months about ticking the city off our list. We knew we were going to love it and we really did. The city centre was smaller than I thought given that Liverpool is the 7th most populous urban area in the UK1. However, it is the residential and suburbs I imagine that give the city its sprawling nature. Therefore, you can see plenty of the sights within 24 hours. These are my top recommendations of things to see and do in Liverpool.
The Cavern Club
Perhaps the most well known spot in Liverpool is The Cavern Club. This is a bar and music venue that hosted The Beatles in their very early music days. The club originally opened in 1957 and began as a jazz club before moving onto rock and roll in the early 1960s. The current building that acts as The Cavern Club is actually at a 90 degree angle from where the original stood as it was demolished in 1973. There was plans to excavate the site and rebuilt it however, there was too much structural damage to the site from the demolition to remove much of the original. It is still worth a look though as the bricks are imprinted with the names of performers and there is a statue of John Lennon outside.
Liverpool Town Hall
Liverpool Town Hall is also a very impressive building and worth a look as you’re walking around the city. The building is home to the Lord Mayor of Liverpool and was built back in 1749 so it has seen much of the city’s development. As well as a Royal Visit from the Queen in 2016, the Hall is also a filming location for popular media including Chariots of Fire and, more recently, Jack Ryan2. This is a very easy one to tick off as you navigate the city but you can also book tours on the website if you want to have a better look.
Liverpool One
If you want to do a little bit of shopping or eat out during your trip to Liverpool then you should definitely head over to Liverpool ONE. This is the very newly built shopping quarter in the city which is home to shops like John Lewis, & Other Stories, Apple and Build a Bear. As you can see, the price tag and audience varies so there is bound to be something for everyone. Restaurants include Zizzi’s, Byron, Cosmo, Cosy Club and many more eateries and bars.
Royal Albert Dock
Another of the more iconic sights in the city is the Royal Albert Dock. Liverpool was already dominating in trade when the Docks were opened in 1946, however, it revolutionised the safety and speed in which business occurred. The Docks are fairly magnificent in size, spanning three football fields and cost the equivalent of £41 million pound to build3. In 1976, the Council decided that the area should be preserved after there was talk of the site being demolished when it was no longer used for trade. However, in the 1980s it had a large redevelopment to make it the area it is today3. It is lovely to walk around and have a coffee or buy some sweets from the shops that now span the sides of the water.
The Beatles Statue
Liverpool is proud of its history with The Beatles. There are many tours that operate around the area showing you the many iconic spots such as The Cavern Club as well as The Beatles Statue. There is also a museum in this area too. The Beatles Statue was surrounded by people taking photos but I was lucky enough to get a snap with nobody it in. Naturally, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison are all depicted in a statue that plays homage to the influence they had on the music culture within the city. The statue is one of the more recent editions on this list as it was erected in 2015.
The Titanic Memorial
As well as The Beatles, Liverpool is remembered as the city where the company that owned the Titanic was based. I’ve now visited a lot of cities that were part of the Titanic’s journey, including Belfast, Cobh and now Liverpool. I was glad to learn more about its history during the trip. Just further along from The Beatles statue is a memorial to all those that were killed when the Titanic sank, specifically those that were in the engine room. This statue was built in 1916 but was not dedicated as a memorial until later due to the war.
Maritime Museum
The best place to find out more about the Titanic as well as RMS Lusitania is the Maritime Museum. The museum is dedicated to teaching visitors more about the maritime industry of the city. I didn’t know about the sinking of Lusitania after it was torpedoed by a German Navy U-Boat in 1915 until this visit. The sinking ship had many Americans on board so it contributed to America finally joining the war effort. It was such an interesting museum to visit and I actually came away thinking that I had learnt a lot. Usually, I’m not much of a museum person either. This one is free to enter which is always a bonus.
Liver and Cunard Buildings
After learning about the company in the Maritime Museum, you should have a look at the Liver and Cunard buildings which are located near the museum. Cunard was the company that owned the RMS Lusitania that was sunk during WWI. It’s more recent editions to its cruise line include the Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Mary and Queen Victoria. The Liver building on the other hand was named after the Royal Liver Assurance company and 360 degree tours/view experiences are now available. These buildings definitely mean more after you have visited the museum.
St George’s Hall
St George’s Hall is a slight walk outside the of the city centre as it is just on the outskirts of it however, it is not too far to take a look. In December, this area also hosted the Christmas markets. The Hall is one of the three halls in the city; this one was built during the Victorian period and is now a Grade II listed building. It now acts as a conference and events centre, hosting weddings and other exhibitions.
Queen Victoria Monument
Given how many of the buildings were built during the Victorian era, it is somewhat unsurprising that the city is home to a Queen Victoria Monument. The statue was erected in 1906 on the site that was formally Liverpool Castle. The design is based on Beaux-Arts which was made popular in Paris during the 1830s and into the 19th century4.
The Drumlin’s SuperLambanana
Perhaps the most unique of the areas/buildings listed here is the SuperLambana which is a bright yellow structure which is intended to be a banana crossed with a lamb. Currently, the statue is painted half blue and half yellow in support of Ukraine in the war with Russia. There are also a couple of similar structures in front of the Museum of Liverpool on the waterfront. The original Lambanana (the yellow one) was created in 1998 as part of an ArtsTransPennine exhibition within the city as lambs and bananas were two of the things transported during the trade in Liverpool. The design also acts as a warning about the effects of genetic engineering. It is a really interesting concept and message that you can learn more about in this informative video provided by the National Museums of Liverpool.
As well as these features, I did want to mention the places that we ate and went for a drink whilst in Liverpool as I think these were really great.
First up, for dinner I booked a table at Byron Burger which is the restaurant where we had our first date so we often go to a Byron in a city when there is one. We went to the new Byron at Liverpool ONE. I will always recommend the burgers from here although, they have stopped doing their unlimited fries unfortunately (NB: they are bringing them back for January 2024). I had the Christmas burger on this occasion and didn’t stop talking about it all weekend. It was beautiful; one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. Who doesn’t love gravy on a burger?
Before going to dinner we went for a drink at Pump House which is just your usual Greene King pub on the inside however, it is the outer building that is really very cool. As the name suggests, it is in an old Victorian Pump house which provided solutions for drinking water as well as sewage systems during the period. These buildings drastically improved the people’s health as water borne diseases were a huge problem during the early part of the Victorian era. I highly recommend having a look at this building, even if you don’t go inside for a drink.
Finally, the next morning we had our breakfast at an unusual but fabulous cafe. Moose Coffee is a American and Canadian themed cafe which has a couple of branches within the city. We were actually lucky to get a table as there was soon a queue of people waiting; it must be a popular one. I can see why as the food was different to what you would usually expect from a breakfast menu and was also yummy. It had so much flavour and you actually got very big portions for the price. Usually, we just go to JD. Wetherspoons for a cheap and cheerful full English however, I’m glad we decided to branch out this time. I would go back in a heartbeat.
I hope you have found this post informative and useful. Let me know if you visit any of these spots in Liverpool.
Amie x
1https://citymonitor.ai/environment/infrastructure/where-are-largest-cities-britain-1404
2https://www.liverpooltownhall.co.uk
3https://albertdock.com/history/
4https://www.britannica.com/summary/Second-Empire-style
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