Liverpool – a city that cannot be experienced, defined or summed up in just 48 hours. We tried anyway.
DAY ONE
8.30AM – Arrive
You’ve just stepped off the train at Lime Street – what a sight. So much excitement for the couple of days ahead, we recommend heading immediately over to St George’s Hall for a look around. St George’s Hall is widely regarded as one of the finest neo-classical buildings in the world and is a Grade I listed building. No matter what room you wander in to, it’s guaranteed to take your breath away.
9.30am – Central Library
BBC Culture’s readers recently submitted Central Library as one of the top 10 most beautiful libraries in the world. Take one step inside and you’ll see what they’re talking about. Throughout the building there are many crevices where you can take refuge but none are more sublime or inspiring than the reading room. Head there and bury yourself within the walls cascading with books.
10AM – Brunch at Moose Coffee
Brunch is breakfast for the late bloomers and Moose Coffee, to many, is the place to go. The pancakes come stacked sky scraper high and you’ll spend the remainder of the day wanting to bask on a couch like a woozy sea lion but you can’t, there’s lots more to do. (6 Dale St, Liverpool L2 4TQ)
11.00am – Follow Your Art And Museum Tour
Within one small city Liverpool boasts excellent art galleries. We’ve got The Tate, Victoria Gallery The Bluecoat, The Walker Art Gallery and Open Eye Gallery, just to name a few. All are equally ambitious and beautiful in their own way and provide an insightful respite away from the humdrum of the high street. If you fancy something out of the city, head to Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight. Don’t forget to check out the incredible museums on offer, too! The view from the window of Museum of Liverpool was recently voted the most stunning in the UK.
12.00pm – Holy Bagel
Have you heard the news? Liverpool has an entire shop dedicated to the wonderful world of bagels called The Bagelry. There’s a blueberry flavour, jalapeño and cheddar flavour and more. The fun doesn’t just stop at bagels, there’s some pretty epic desserts in the form of a homemade Belgian waffle sandwich filled with gooey lemon meringue. Not for the faint hearted. (42 Nelson St, Liverpool L1 5DN)
1pm – Cuppa Tea At Leaf
Where there’s tea there’s hope. Offering over 40 loose leaf teas, LEAF on Bold Street has answered consumers’ calls for a space to enjoy the nation’s favourite drink. From morning until night, LEAF is one of the busiest places in the city yet you can still enjoy a quiet drink. Go for the camomile or if you’re feeling a bit adventurous, try the Champagne Cassis. (65-67 Bold St, Liverpool L1 4EZ)
2pm – A round of Ghetto Golf
Good old fashioned fun but not as you expect it. Liverpool just got a new crazy golf place that you need to check out. They’ve reimagined the historic Cains Brewery into an eighteen hole urban wonderland. You may want to leave the visors, linen trousers and frightening jumpers at home for this one. (Stanhope St, Cains Brewery, Liverpool L8 5XJ)
3.30pm – Botanical Garden
An urban wonderland where sun worshippers and juniper lovers unite. The quintessential British garden but nothing like you’ve ever seen. Liverpool’s premiere pop-up gin garden that is only open for the summer is the place to be for post-work beverages. (49 New Bird St, Baltic Triangle)
5pm – Head To Cains Brewery Village
Although the taps may have ran dry from the old brewery the former buildings have seen new life and you can find craft beer bars, vintage shops and a street food market that we opened. From halloumi fries to wood-fired pizzas – there’s something for everyone. Even your pooch. (Stanhope St, Cains Brewery, L8 5XJ).
7pm – Climb Vestey Tower
Fancy panoramic views of Liverpool 500ft above sea level? We know just the place. Vestey Tower is at the top of the equally stunning and iconic Liverpool Cathedral. Climb the 108 stairs and feel as if you’re on top of Liverpool. You’ll see the whole city like never before. (St James Mt, Liverpool L1 7AZ)
photo by www.visitliverpool.com
8pm – A Night Of Theatre
Liverpool is blessed with a plethora of award-winning theatres and buildings pumping out performances that’ll either make you laugh or cry. Whether you’re embracing the award winning orchestra at Philharmonic Hall, watching a local production at the Stirling award-winning Everyman Theatre or you’re at one of the only autism friendly productions at Unity Theatre – there’s something for everyone.
9.30PM – Maray Supper
Maray is a restaurant where falafel, small plates and cocktails of the highest quality take centre stage. They’re open a little bit later than most restaurants and it’s one of the most wonderful and intimate restaurants to sit down and have a bite to eat by candle-light. Romance isn’t dead, it was just hiding here. If you get one thing make sure it’s the cauliflower. Trust us. (91 Bold St, Liverpool L1 4HF)
11.59pm – An Old Fashioned At Berry & Rye
Completely blacked out, no signs and no directions, Berry & Rye is arguably Liverpool’s best kept secret. The bar effuses an eclectic mix of whiskey, Blues & Jazz. It’s an intimate space that brings a touch of the Deep South to the North West. Ultimately though it’s the nostalgic, bluesy atmosphere and clandestine, underground feel that keeps the people coming back. (48 Berry St, Liverpool L1 4JQ)
2AM – A Trip To Chinatown
A Chinese banquet after a night out in Liverpool is a must. There’s a huge Chinese community in Liverpool, one of the oldest in Europe, and the restaurants stay open until the sun comes up to feed patrons whilst they fight over the last spring roll and piece together the night out. Jumbo City is the place we often gravitate towards but all offer their own unique charm.
Sleep (optional)
DAY TWO
6AM – Sunshine and Cycle
Set your alarms to capture sunrise. There’s some particularly lovely places to view the morning sunshine but we recommend along Otterspool Prom. There’s just something about a silent and tranquil Mersey motion with a Liverpool sky in the background. There’s lots of bicycles around the city due to City Bike so one shouldn’t be hard to find. Sefton Park isn’t far either, cycle over and see the daffodils sprouting.
7AM – Morning Rave
Whilst some revellers of the night might be raving from the night before, we recommend starting your day with Morning Gloryville. Release endorphins, let loose and make sure you have your dancing shoes with you. There might be no booze, but you won’t care. Catch them at various places around the city.
8.30am – Start Your Day Right at Tavern Co
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and there’s a breakfast in Liverpool that people will queue up for a couple hours. It’s that good. We recommend there getting early to avoid the masses but even if you do have to wait you won’t be mad. With free refillable coffees you’ll leave well caffeinated enough for the whole day. (621 Smithdown Rd, Liverpool L15 5AG)
9.30AM – Coffee And People Watch
Coffee is the most important meal of the day. Head to Cow & Co Cafe, well known for one of the best cups of coffee in the city. Grab yourself a flat white and a window seat and embrace the morning bustle. Check our other coffee places here. (15 Cleveland Square, Liverpool L1 5BE)
11.00am – Pie At Homebaked Anfield
The match-day pie shop with an incredible story. Brick by brick, loaf by loaf they built themselves up and now run an incredible cooperative right opposite the Anfield ground. Grab a pie, have a natter and then wander around the ground if you like. It’s the best pie you’ll ever try and an insight into the true Liverpool spirit. (197 Oakfield Rd, Liverpool L4 0UF)
12.30PM – Bookshop Tour
There’s no better feeling than sinking your teeth into a good book. A unique portable magic that allows you to escape from the world, into another world, far more interesting than your own. Liverpool loves its literature and there are many bookshops you need to visit. Along the way you’ll people with stories more interesting than you could buy. Read it here. If you do grab a book head to The Bluecoat Courtyard to read.
1.30pm – Have Your Cake And Eat It
There’s nothing in this world a big slice of cake and spoon can’t fix. There’s so many incredible domestic bakers in the city pushing the boundaries of the world of cake. Head to Dafna’s Cheesecake Factory on Smithdown Road to see why they’ve been in business nearly forty years or to Filter + Fox for a slice of Laura’s Little Bakery. All will make you moan out loud.
3.00PM – Ferry ‘cross The Mersey
Some traditions are still alive for a reason. Made famous by Gerry and The Pacemakers but kept alive by hundreds of thousands of people a year, you’ll never see Liverpool like you will on the ferry. There’s an old saying that says sometimes you have to leave to appreciate what you’ve got and on this ferry and the sentiment has never felt so true.
photo by www.merseyferries.co.uk
4PM – Drinks At Kazimier Gardens
One step into this garden and it feels as if you’ve stumbled upon some sort of secret paradise. The unavowed space is a refurbished car park and you could quite easily blink and miss it. That, in a sense, is what makes it so special. The natural light during the summer brings this place alive but it is underestimated during the winter months. Pull up a seat next to the fire and grab a cider. (32 Seel St, L1 4BE)
5PM – Punk Afternoon Tea At The Baltic Social
We’re lucky that there are lots of places doing afternoon tea right in Liverpool and some mavericks testing the boundaries of tradition – it is Liverpool after all. A carousel of cakes, finger sandwiches and a pot of beer. What? Beer? Head To The Baltic Social if you want to find out more or read our list of the best afternoon teas in Liverpool here. (27 Parliament St, Liverpool L8 5RN)
6.43pm – Sunset At Oh Me Oh My
Four Beatles, Three graces, two football teams equals one boss city. Oh Me Oh My is the closest you’re going to get to the best view of Liverpool. The Liver Birds are a stone’s throw away and provides the perfect place to watch a sunset with a drink in your hand. (West Africa House, 25 Water St, Liverpool L2 0RG)
photo by www.visitliverpool.co.uk
7.30pm – Georgian Quarter Pub Crawl
The beautiful Georgian Quarter is a legacy of Liverpool’s former wealth. The area Liverpool boasts one of the largest collections of terraced Georgian town houses outside of London. As well that, there’s some pretty awesome places to drink. From old school boozers to hops headquarters – there’s something for everyone. Check out our special pub crawl here.
11PM – Bottle of Red at Keith’s
You can’t have a weekend without visiting Lark Lane – a stretch of Liverpool largely independent from start to finish. It also leads to Sefton Park, not bad eh? Keith’s is absolutely legendary in Liverpool. Famed for its shabby-chic and extensive range of wine, grab a bottle and soak in the atmosphere. (107 Lark Ln, Liverpool L17 8UR)
1AM – Hide Away At El Bandito
Still standing? You’ll be glad to know that amid Liverpool’s effervescent drinking scene there’s an underground dive bar called El Bandito you just have to visit. Inside you’ll find a wonderful microcosm of people who just aren’t ready to call it a night. Ask Brendan behind the bar to whip you up something special. (41b Slater St, Liverpool L1 4BX)
2AM – Botans Kebab
No, seriously. This isn’t just any kebab, this is award winning and you don’t have to be double figured pints in to enjoy it. The meats are grilled to perfection, the salad is crisp and they have a homemade chilli sauce that’s so good you’d replace your taps with it. (24 Berry St, Liverpool L1 4JF)
If you get some extra time to take a trip out the city centre we’d recommend getting to Woolton Village to visit Liverpool’s cheese shop. The Liverpool Cheese Company is a cheese lovers paradise.
Out of every blog we’ve ever done, this was the hardest. The amount of stuff we had to leave out was so hard for us and truth be told, we could have written another ten lists at least. This will be a new seasonal series so look out for summer. We regularly keep people up to date with the alternative and independent culture Liverpool possesses so make sure you check our website regularly to be in the know of the good.
Special thanks to Geoff Drake for the featured image.