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A Blue’s Guide to Visiting Liverpool

Paul October 8, 2022

If you are reading this, congratulations, because it means you are visiting Liverpool for the first time and need to plan your trip, or you are returning to Merseyside with some boxes left unchecked. Either way, good for you!

Liverpool is a city known for its music, architecture, food, history (Did you know the American Civil War ended when the last Confederate war ship surrendered in the Mersey? It’s true), and of course, for being home to one of English Football’s founding members – Everton Football Club.

It’s a relatively inexpensive city to visit, and extremely walkable, with friendly people willing to direct you toward the best chippies and pubs.

This guide is not meant to serve as an alternative to https://www.visitliverpool.com/, or other helpful travel sites, but as ground-level, real-life experience to help you feel less like a tourist in this fabulous city. Cheers!  

Things to Do Around the City

When people ask if you visited the cathedral in Liverpool, be prepared to correctly answer which one. Yes, there are two. Liverpool boasts the largest Chinese arch outside of China. The Pier Head along the banks of the Royal Blue Mersey has picturesque docks and museums. And of course, there are the famous streets: Bold, Castle, Hope, Concert, and Mathew. Lace up your walking boots!

Where to Drink

It’s a common joke among the locals that there’s a church and a pub on every block in Liverpool. It’s not far from the truth! There is a vast array of pubs here. This list is a mere blip on the map. Bottom line: You won’t have to venture far for a few bevvies. Here’s a list to get you started.   

Music

If you are a music fan, you’ll feel at home in Liverpool. Music can be found everywhere in the city, from street buskers to arenas, blues to punk, indie pop to classic rock. The city is renowned for its variety of musical styles and of course, abundance of Beatles cover bands. Be sure to follow Liverpool Music on Twitter https://twitter.com/lpoolmusic in advance of your trip. Here are a few of the best live music venues and clubs in town:

The Beatles

You might already be aware that the Beatles are from Liverpool. No? Well, you will be by the time you leave. Reminders of the Fab Five are pretty much everywhere.

The Magical Mystery Tour Bus is a can’t miss. The two-hour tour begins at Albert Dock, and takes you on a journey to Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, the Beatles’ childhood homes and other landmarks that have significance in the band’s history. There’s plenty of singing on the bus and you finish up at The Cavern for more Beatles tunes and beer.  

https://www.cavernclub.com/the-magical-mystery-tour/

Here are some popular Beatles destinations around town:

Shopping

Liverpool One is a massive outdoor mall in the center of town where you can find just about anything: https://www.liverpool-one.com/

The Strand is a shopping centre in the borough of Bootle, Sefton. It has more than 100 shoppes and restaurants. https://www.strandshoppingcentre.com/

Where to Eat

Liverpool is an underrated foodie town with numerous great restaurants and a variety of cuisines. For American visitors, you can find plenty of hamburger joints (there’s even a McDonald’s if you care to ruin your trip), some great pizza, and of course the best fish and chips you’ll ever have. Here are just a few options for good “Scran”.

Travel

Rumor has it, Liverpool has an airport. Apparently, it’s named after Beatles legend John Lennon. I’ve only seen the outside of Lennon Airport because I have never managed to find an affordable or reasonable flight from America that lands there. If you are traveling to Liverpool, your best bet is Manchester Airport. You can get flights from the U.S. into Manchester from a variety of destinations. There also are options into Dublin, Ireland which is a very short flight over the Irish Sea.

https://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/

Manchester Airport is very easy to navigate and there are around 25 trains from the airport to Liverpool Lime Street Station every day. If you don’t fall asleep from the jet lag, the scenery is wonderful, with views of the English countryside and quaint villages.

https://www.raileurope.com/en-us/destinations/manchester-airport-liverpool-train

Another option, of course, is flying into London with high-speed trains that take roughly two hours to Liverpool. Many North American Blues choose to experience the capital city as part of their trip then take the train north.

https://www.raileurope.com/en-us/destinations/london-liverpool-train

Where to Stay

You’ll find hotel rates in Liverpool to be at or below those of most major U.S. cities. As mentioned earlier, Liverpool is a walkable city and transportation is easily accessible, so find a place in a good location, preferably Centre City. Ask for an early check in if you have an early arriving flight. You don’t want to be stuck wandering around the Pier Head like an extra from the Walking Dead.

Just some thoughts:

Goodison Park

If it’s your first visit to Goodison, doing the stadium tour is a great way to see the Grand Old Lady for the first time and get a feel for the history and the ambiance prior to your first matchday experience. Here are some details:

https://www.evertonfc.com/tickets/stadium-tours/goodison-tours

Tip: Set aside time before or after the tour to explore the neighborhood around Goodison Park. Shop at Everton One, or stroll around the neighborhood. Be sure to check out the amazing views of Goodison from inside Stanley Park, and of course, the Dixie Dean and Holy Trinity Statues.

Whether you are driving or arriving by bus or train, there are plenty of convenient ways to get to the Grand Old Lady. https://www.evertonfc.com/matchday/directions

Other Everton related sites:

Bramley Moore Dock – site of Everton’s new stadium where construction is well underway.

Bramley Moore pub – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bramley.moore.5 or Twitter: https://twitter.com/BramleyMoorePub

Prince Rupert’s Tower at 19 Netherfield Rd S, Liverpool L5 4LS. Also known as the “Lock Up”, the tower is featured on Everton’s badge and branding.

Everton Two team shop at Liverpool One (Cleverly named because it’s next to LFC’s shop — Liverpool “One”) https://www.liverpool-one.com/store/everton-two-shop/

Matchday

St Luke’s Church

Run by the Everton Heritage Society, the upstairs at St. Luke’s, directly adjacent to Goodison Park on Goodison Road is a treasure trove of matchday programs, kits, memorabilia and Everton themed items for purchase.

Fans Supporting Foodbanks

Look for the Fans Supporting Foodbanks truck on matchdays at the end of Goodison Road near the Fanzone. Stop by, say hello and thank them for everything they do for the community. If you can, make a donation or drop off a tin of soup. Anything helps.

Homebaked Bakery

Stop by the Homebaked Bakery in the Fanzone and grab one of their famous Scouse Pies, the award-winning Vegan Scouse Pie, or a Trinity Pie, of course, named in honor of Kendall, Harvey, and Ball.

Matchday Pubs

Getting Around

  • Ubers are easily accessible to most areas of the city. You’ll hardly wait more than 10 minutes in most parts of City Centre. Your Uber mobile app should fine. If you want to hail a cab, that’s easy too. Look for the black Hackney cabs, the other ones are for private hire.
  • Merseyrail is another convenient way to traverse the city, including on matchdays. There are 68 stations including four underground stations in city centre. The closest station to Goodison is Kirkdale on the Northern Line, approximately one mile from the stadium.   https://www.merseyrail.org/about-merseyrail.aspx
  • Be careful crossing the street. If you think I’m joking, don’t. Cars come from all directions, and pedestrians are sitting ducks. Remember when your parents said to look both ways before crossing? In Liverpool, look at least five ways.

Helpful Hints

  • Not sure where this “Don’t tip your bartender in England” thing started, but it’s dead wrong. If you see this on the internet, ignore it. Please tip your servers and bartenders in Liverpool. And if you want to feel like a native, just set your pounds on the bar and say “Take what’s yours”. Trust me, they will.
  • Don’t bother paying fees to get a pocket full of pounds before your trip. Credit cards work everywhere and ATMs are abundant. Check with your bank about fees.
  • Call your network provider and get an unlimited data, call, and text plan. Verizon has one for $10 a day. Nobody wants to come home to a $500 cell phone bill, or worse yet, not be able to post their photos of Goodison on Facebook.
  • Buy a power adaptor on Amazon. Don’t think you can use the one from your trip to France and Germany. It won’t work. In the UK and Ireland, you need one of those weird 3 flat rectangle pronged outlets

SCOUSE

The dialects in England vary from city to city, region to region. But there’s nothing quite like Scouse. Few people outside Liverpool can decipher it, so don’t be that tourist who tries. Warning: you will end up in a loud pub with a fast-talking Scouser. It will happen, so just nod politely. But as a backup, here’s a beginner’s course on Scouse slang: https://signaturesliverpool.co.uk/blog/scouse-slang/

Categories: Travel, Uncategorized
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Paul

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