6 reasons to visit Liverpool beyond the Beatles
Go beyond the Fab Four and discover Liverpool's cool night spots, thriving independent restaurants and a robust theatre scene.
“Dust off those dancing shoes Liverpool. We’re going out out”, read banners from Liverpool’s successful Eurovision bid. And in May 2023, the northern city known for its love of a good time will be in the spotlight as it hosts the 67th Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine.
The UNESCO City of Music has an undeniably rich musical history with The Beatles often taking centre stage for visitors. And while you could easily spend a whole weekend here devoting your time to Fab Four-related sights, there’s much more to discover.
Here are six great reasons to visit Liverpool that will help you understand what makes this friendly and dynamic city tick – beyond The Beatles.
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1. Its architecture is fantastic
Liverpool has more listed buildings than any other UK city outside of London – there are more than 2,500. Its imposing Three Graces (The Royal Liver Building, The Cunard Building and the Port of Liverpool Building) in Pier Head were built in the early 20th century to show off Liverpool’s wealth. Look up to the top of The Royal Liver Building’s clock towers to see Bella and Bertie, the 18-foot (5m) tall copper Liver Birds, who are the city’s symbol.
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As sung in the folk song ‘In my Liverpool Home’, “if you want a Cathedral, we've got one to spare”, and both of Liverpool’s cathedrals are worth a visit. Its grand Gothic Revival-style Anglican Cathedral is Britain’s biggest, with modern touches such as a hot pink neon sign by Tracey Emin underneath its vast stained-glass West Window. Around half a mile away, the giant cone-shaped Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King (pictured) is flooded with coloured light through the stained glass in its lantern tower, and it has an enormous vaulted crypt underneath by Sir Edwin Lutyens.
You’ll also spot several other knockout buildings while wandering, in areas such as the Victorian Royal Albert Dock and the Georgian Quarter.
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2. The independent food scene is thriving
Liverpool’s dining scene is having a moment. Big name steak restaurants Hawksmoor and Gaucho have recently opened, and London’s Boxpark will open its first food and entertainment venue outside of the capital in late 2023.
It’s worth seeking out some of the city’s excellent independent restaurants. Central Bold Street is a good place to start, where you can choose between everything from Indian street food and Mexican bites to Italian cuisine. A stand-out option is Maray, which also has a restaurant at the Royal Albert Dock. Here punchy small plates inspired by the flavours of the Middle East are served, including its crowd-pleasing Disco Cauliflower (pictured).
The Baltic Triangle is a solid area to eat too. Find Cains Brewery where you can share halloumi fries or wood-fired pizzas with friends in foodhall Baltic Market. Or try its neighbour Lu Ban, which serves food inspired by the Chinese region of Tianjin.
For a real treat, take a cab up Smithdown Road to find the friendly and relaxed neighbourhood bistro, Belzan. Here you can enjoy small plates with big flavours such as a zingy grilled aubergine with XO sauce and plums.
3. There’s culture galore
Liverpool has an impressive selection of cultural institutions old and new, with more museums and galleries than any other UK city outside of London. At the Royal Albert Dock, Tate Liverpool holds avant-garde exhibitions tackling themes including colonialism and democracy, and includes works by big contemporary names from Anish Kapoor to Hew Locke. Outside you’ll want to take photographs of the colourful Liverpool Mountain sculpture by Ugo Rondinone (pictured below).
Look up what’s on at the theatre before a visit too. The Shakespeare North Playhouse, around a half-hour drive from the city centre in Prescot, opened in July 2022 and has a traditional 470-seat timber-framed Shakespearean theatre at its heart. The Everyman theatre, meanwhile, with its striking aluminium exterior on Hope Street, shows innovative performances and holds poetry nights once a month.
Learn all about the city in its dedicated Museum of Liverpool or head to the Maritime Museum to find out how the world-famous port became such a success – on its third floor is the moving International Slavery Museum.
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4. The nightlife is boss
Liverpool has a lively nightlife scene if you fancy going “out out”. For pre-night-out cocktails, head to Present Company on central School Lane to choose a thoughtfully crafted drink from menus on record sleeves: gin-based “Paddington Squared” combines Italicus, dry vermouth, grapefruit and winter-spiced marmalade. Or try the new, petite Burnt Milk Hotel for natural wines and cocktails with a twist at the Royal Albert Dock.
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Manchester favourite Albert’s Schloss is new to Liverpool – the “bier and pleasure palace” is known for its winning combination of live cabaret performances, tankards of beer and schnapps. We challenge you not to end up dancing on its benches.
And there are plenty of other places to dance until late. In the Baltic Triangle, Camp and Furnace holds regular club nights plus “the ultimate bingo rave party”, Bingo Lingo, every Friday. Around the corner in another converted warehouse, District hosts live performances, DJs and comedy shows.
5. There’s more to its music than The Beatles
While first-time visitors to Liverpool will probably want to watch a performance in the world-famous Cavern Club (which is actually a few doors down from the original site where the Beatles made their debut), the Liverpool music scene offers so much more than the Fab Four.
In the Art Deco-style Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, you can watch concerts by the UK’s oldest orchestra, as well as rock, pop and folk music acts. Meanwhile, 24 Kitchen Street in the Baltic Triangle gives a platform to more niche acts, with performances by up-and-coming DJs and rappers, plus reggae brunches.
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Bold Street also has an excellent repertoire of music venues from neon-lit Jimmy’s, which holds live gigs throughout the week, to Leaf, where guest DJs perform in a tea shop. A few roads along, Seel Street is home to the renowned Arts Club, which hosts gigs in its auditorium and smaller loft.
6. You can stay somewhere unique
A good night’s sleep is an essential ingredient on a city break. Luckily, there’s a varied range of places to stay in Liverpool and more than 400 new hotel bedrooms were added to the city through 2022.
Hope Street Hotel, opposite The Philharmonic Hall in the Georgian Quarter, is considered to be the city’s first boutique hotel. Its minimal, Scandi-style rooms have stripped wooden floors, crisp white linen and exposed brick walls. For the ultimate luxury, choose a rooftop suite with a private terrace looking over the city and a spa bath for two. There’s also a spa downstairs with thermal experiences, treatments and a courtyard vitality pool.
Around the corner in a Grade II-listed townhouse is 2 Blackburne Terrace, which is set back from the road up a cobbled drive. There are just four individually designed rooms here, as well as a library/reception room to relax in.
If you’re in the city to party, consider the Baltic Hotel in the Baltic Triangle area. It sells itself as a place “Where punk art meets urban chic, a colourful retreat for hipsters and hippies.” There are “groupy” rooms for four if you’re travelling with kids or friends, and “super groupy” rooms for six.
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Lead image: Alexey Fedorenko/Shutterstock
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