Liverpool, England — Where to Go
Liverpool Sightseeing Overview
Liverpool has an impressive array of museums and galleries, as well as a rich maritime heritage.
The city started life as a small riverside village in the 13th century. Liverpool’s growth as one of the UK’s major trading cities occured when its port boomed during the 17th and 18th century via the slave and cotton trade. After 1807, when slavery was abolished and through to the 1930s, Liverpool was the port from which millions of people set sail for Australia and the Americas.
Many attractions reflect this incredible period on the city’s history. The famous Albert Dock was built in 1846. This cosmopolitan area is packed with bars, restaurants and museums, including the Tate Liverpool, The Beatles Story and the Maritime Museum. Nearby are the Royal Liver Building, the Cunard Building and the Port of Liverpool Building, all built in the early 20th century to impress visitors of the city’s importance.
Today, Liverpool remains a very important port. However in the last 20 years, new attractions have sprung up to showcase the city’s heritage and promote tourism. The development of Liverpool ONE, the remodeled city center, is part of Liverpool’s renaissance.
Liverpool Tourist Information
Liverpool Tourist Office
08 Place, Whitechapel
Tel: (0151) 233 2008 or 0845 601 1125 (accommodation line).
Website: www.visitliverpool.com
There is also an office in the arrivals hall of Liverpool John Lennon Airport, offering advice on the city's attractions and help with finding accommodation.
Liverpool Sightseeing
Buy the Live Smart pass (www.yourticketforliverpool.com) and you get free or discounted entry to many of the city's top attractions as well as unlimited travel on some of the city's transport systems, plus selected deals and discounts. One- and three-day passes are available. Passes are available from the tourist offices or direct from the website.
Liverpool Sightseeing
Buy the Live Smart pass (www.yourticketforliverpool.com) and you get free or discounted entry to many of the city's top attractions as well as unlimited travel on some of the city's transport systems, plus selected deals and discounts. One- and three-day passes are available. Passes are available from the tourist offices or direct from the website.
Key Attractions in Liverpool, England
Albert Dock
When it was built in 1846, this was the first enclosed, non-combustible dock warehouse system in the world and the first structure in Britain to be built entirely of cast iron, brick and stone. It prospered for over a century before finally ceasing to operate as a working dock in 1972, after which it was redeveloped into a thriving museum, bar and restaurant area. The Dock has the largest grouping of Grade I listed buildings in Britain, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is home to many of the city's top attractions.
The Colonades, Albert Dock
Tel: (0151) 708 7334.
Website: www.albertdock.com
Tate Liverpool
Part of the Tate family of museums, the Tate Liverpool is one of the largest galleries of modern and contemporary art outside of London, with works from 20th-century greats from Jean Arp to Andy Warhol. There are tours, lectures, and family events each Sunday afternoon.
Albert Dock
Tel: (0151) 702 7400.
Website: www.tate.org.uk/liverpool
Free admission.
The Walker Art Gallery
Opened in 1877, the Walker Museum was founded by local brewer and alderman Andrew Barclay Walker, and now houses one of the nation's finest collection of sculptures and paintings dating back to 1300 through to the present day, with an especially impressive collection of Pre-Raphaelite art.
William Brown Street
Tel: (0151) 478 4199.
Website: www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker
Free admission.
Beatles Story
A multilingual audio tour guides visitors through The Beatles Story, charting the success of the band from their early days in Hamburg through to international superstardom and their eventual break-up and subsequent solo careers. It includes life-size reconstructions of the Cavern Club and Abbey Road Studios.
Britannia Vaults, Albert Dock
Tel: (0151) 709 1963.
Website: www.beatlesstory.com
Admission charge.
Liverpool Cathedral
A visit to the largest Anglican Cathedral in Britain is worth it if only for the stunning panoramic views available from the top of the tower. Inside, visitors can marvel at the spectacular building, the work of Sir Giles Gilbert, who also designed Bankside in London and the classic red telephone box. The cathedral contains the largest organ in the UK and heaviest bells in the world.
St James Mount
Tel: (0151) 709 6271.
Website: www.liverpoolcathedral.org.uk
Free admission.
World Museum Liverpool
This wide-ranging, entertaining museum covers natural history, science, anthropology, space and technology, and includes an aquarium, free planetarium, and insect colonies.
William Brown Street
Tel: (0151) 478 4399.
Website: www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/wml
Free admission.
Mersey Maritime Museum
Telling the story of Liverpool’s great port and its place in world history, this splendid museum brings alive the story of mass emigration, as well as the brutal slave trade.
Albert Dock
Tel: (0151) 478 4499.
Website: www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime
Free admission.
Further Distractions
Liverpool Football Club
One of Europe’s greatest football clubs, Liverpool won the Champions League in 2005, and the FA Cup in 2006. Visitors can take a tour of the ground and the club museum, including the famous trophy room.
Anfield Road
Tel: (0151) 260 6677.
Website: www.liverpoolfc.tv
Admission charge.
Everton Football Club
The blue team has been overshadowed by the successes of its red shirt rivals in recent years, but Everton is the older club of the two, still a Premiership contender, and was one of the clubs that founded the national football league. Visitors can take a tour of the ground taking in the club's rich history.
Goodison Park
Tel: 0871 663 1878.
Website: www.evertonfc.com
Admission charge.
Croxteth Hall and Country Park
Once the ancestral home of the Molyneux family, the Earls of Sefton, Croxteth Hall and Country Park is one of the main heritage centers in the northwest. Visitors to the estate can tour the historic hall, the Croxteth Home Farm and the Victorian Walled Garden. Access to the 202-hectare (500-acre) Country Park that surrounds the estate is free.
Croxteth Hall Lane
Tel: (0151) 233 6910.
Website: www.croxteth.co.uk
Admission charge.
