Liverpool: the seafairing Beatles loving city

All of the cities that are located near rivers or seas have a special sparkling. This one has even something more called Beatles! There are lots of things to see in this lovely city but if you don’t want to get into museums you could check the entire city in only one day. Let me give you some tips about what you can’t miss from it!

St. George’s Hall Liverpool

It was built to provide a place for the triennial music festivals. However now it is mainly a place for conferences and weddings so I only saw it from the outside and I was amazed from its grandiosity.

Walker Art Gallery

This gallery houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. The admission is free except for special exhibition

World Museum

An astonishing museum which reveals millions of years of the Earth’s history through thousands of exhibits and hands-on activities. The entrance is free just like Walker Art Gallery except for special exhibitions.

Liverpool Town Hall

A majestic architecture that is easily missed if you’re not looking for it because it is in the middle of other buildings so you need to pay special attention for this one! Like St. George’s Hall it is mainly a place for weddings and conferences. If you check the picture below you'll see that the flag is not the United Kingdom's one but the USA...I don't have an explanation for that.

Gold Reserve Plaque (Liverpool’s historic Martins bank)

An incredible art-deco bank set to become a luxury hotel which was once the hiding place for the most of Britain's gold during World War II.

Liverpool Parish Church

A church with so many history to offer to all of you who are into this type of tourism. It is easy to notice that has been associated with the Royal Navy and the Merchant Navy.

The original chapel of St Mary Del Quay, believed to be situated near to the present day Maritime Chapel, is first mentioned in records in 1257. It had several names and it was built and rebuilt during the times until the 21st of December 1940 when it was hit by incendiary bombs during an air raid and in the blaze which followed. At this time the church was destroyed, remaining only the tower and the administrative block. Many interesting memorials from the early history of Liverpool were lost along with a set of stained glass windows, many of which also had historical links. However there's The Liverpool Blitz Memorial just in front of the Church which commemorates the civilians in the Liverpool and Bootle who lost their lives in the bombing of the city between 1940 and 1942.

Liverpool Waterfront

Titanic Memorial

A Memorial in honor of all heroes from the Marine Engine Room of the Titanic who lost their lives on the 15th of April of 1912. They had remained at their posts in the stricken liner, supplying electricity and other amenities for as long as possible so that others could survive. Despite Titanic departed from Southampton en route to New York and Halifax, she never came to Liverpool but was owned by the Liverpool-based White Star Line, had many crew and passengers from Liverpool and bore the name of the city on her stern.

Pier Head Village

From the 14th of July to the 9th of September you can check this place from 11h00 to 23h00. Here you can enjoy thrill rides, inflatables, Liverpool Art Fair & Gallery, Village Food Court, Beach Club with Urban Beach and an Artisan Market. It is a really nice place to have brunch, lunch or dinner because there are lots of different food-trucks to eat so there’s a huge variety of food for each one of you at cheap prices! If you’re just like me and you love Fish and Chips there’s a truck with the same name where you can eat one for £8,00.

Royal Liver Building

This building was opened in 1911 with the purpose-built home of the Royal Liver Assurance group which had been set up in the city in 1850 to provide locals with assistance related to losing a wage-earning relative. Also it was one of the first buildings in the world to be built using reinforced cement concrete.

Today it is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city of Liverpool and is home to two fabled Liver Birds that watch over the city and the sea.

British Music Experience

A museum which tells the story of British Music through costumes, instruments, performance and memorabilia from various artists such as Beatles, Bowie, Adele, Oasis, X Factor and so on.

The ticket admission is £14 (£10 for students) and there are prices for family ticket

Museum of Liverpool

At this museum you have an exhibition telling John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s story, a display marking 60 years since the Liverpool’s last tram and lots of other objects regarding Liverpool’s history. You can enter for free and if you’re lucky (like I was!) you can listen to a group of men singing some marine’s songs.

The Beatles Statue

The iconic statue of the Fab Four in their hometown! It's located in the middle of the Liverpool Waterfront and I'm telling you, you don't want to miss this popular selfie spot (or for an amazing picture if you're not a selfie fan)!

Pilot Cutter Edmund Gardner

This pilot cutter can be found in the dry dock opposite to the Maritime Museum. There are some free guided tours but only every Tuesday and Wednesday from June until September.

The Royal Albert Dock

A complex of dock buildings and warehouses that were requisitioned by the Admiralty serving as a base for boats of the British Atlantic Fleet during the Second World War and was damaged afterwards during the May Blitz of 1941 air raids on Liverpool.

Today this Dock is a major tourist attraction with lots of restaurants, bars, cafes, food on the go, shops, culture, attractions and hotels. If you want to buy souvenirs (like I always do from all of the places I go!) you have lots of shops with cheap prices. Sometimes you need to dig a bit better to find the best price but where don’t you? The main culture and attractions that you find here are:

Tate Liverpool

A modern and contemporary british and international art museum.This museum was created to exhibit work from the Tate Collection (national collection of British art from 1500 until the present day) and international modern art. The admission is free also except for special exhibitions.

International Slavery Museum

As the name says this museum focuses on the history and legacy of the transatlantic slave trade, on the lives of people in West Africa, their eventual enslavement and their continued fight for freedom and additionally discusses slavery in the modern days as well as topics on racism and discrimination. You also need to know that the admission is free!

Merseyside Maritime Museum

The city’s seafaring heritage is brought to life here. The museum’s collections reflect the international importance of Liverpool as a gateway to the world, including its role in the transatlantic slave trade and emigration, the merchant navy, the RMS Titanic and the sinking of Lusitania, one of the most horrific incidents at sea during the First World War. The admission is also free from 10h00 to 16h30.

Victorian Carousel

A beautifully-reconstructed vintage-style carousel where you can enjoy a ride for £2,50.

The Adventure Dock Co

A waterfront attraction that has jumps, slides and plenty of water based fun. However, there are lots of jellyfishes all over the Dukes Dock and that was the reason why I couldn’t get into this water! If you’d like to enjoy 50 minutes in this nice attraction it is opened from May to October and it costs £20.

Magical Mystery Tour

In this two hours tour you’ll visit Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields, Mathew Street’s legendary Cavern Club for a peek into the pasts of the Fab Four. It also includes the early homes and schools of the city’s most famous sons and St Peter’s Church Hall in Woolton where John first met Paul. Just for you to know, the ticket costs £18,95 and you can book on the available times online!

The Beatles Story

The world’s largest exhibition dedicated entirely to the Fab Four. It costs £16,95 (£12,50 for students) and it only closes at 7pm!

The Wheel of Liverpool

I consider this a wheel like the others you can see in lots of other cities and countries and the tickets cost £10 (£7,50 for students).

Liverpool Cathedral

A majestic cathedral that stunned me either from the inside and the outside…you can’t miss it in your Liverpool tour! It is the 5th largest cathedral in the world and the largest cathedral in the United Kingdom.

The Cavern Club

The place where the Beatles musical identity was formed. A lot of other musicians played here like Queen, Artic Monkeys, Adele and so many others. The atmosphere is incredible with plenty of messages written on the walls. The entrance costs only £2,50 and it is a really nice place to grab a drink with some friends (a cider or a pint cost more or less £4,50) at the same time you enjoy the live entertainment. You can’t really leave this city without visiting the most famous club in the whole world!

Now that I wrote my entire trip you are thinking that it looks impossible to check all this sightseeing points in one single day but trust me it is actually possible! I went by feet to and from each one of it, starting at 11h30 am and finishing at around 18h00 and I could do it but you can’t check all the museums from the inside as you can imagine. If you are a museum fan you should really spend more time in this city!

I hope all this information is helpful for you not only to check most of the sightseeing points of this city but also for you to know some of the history behind them. In this way you can make your itinerary regarding your preferences!

Safe travels! ❤

Written by: Kiawa