Merseyside

Merseyside centres on Liverpool, a city of grand waterfront architecture, museums and music history, with Anfield close by drawing football visitors year-round. Nearby Bootle and Prescot offer a quieter, more workaday feel, while St Helens sits further inland with its own industrial heritage to explore.

Across the Mersey, Birkenhead and Wallasey provide easy access to the city with a slower pace, and New Brighton adds a proper seaside outing with its promenade and beach. Further along the coast, Southport charms with traditional resort attractions, while Hoylake and Heswall on the Wirral suit those after golf links, sailing and gentler coastal walks. Bromborough rounds things out as a practical base for visiting the wider peninsula.

Liverpool accounts for the bulk of Merseyside's hotels and B&Bs, ranging from characterful conversions like Titanic Hotel Liverpool in the Stanley Dock warehouse district to smaller city-centre guest houses such as Breeze Guest House and the Leicester Hotel, handy for the waterfront, the Cavern Quarter and the two cathedrals.

Southport offers a gentler, seaside version of the same choice, with places like The Braemar Southport and Bowden Lodge Hotel suited to a stay near the promenade, Lord Street's gardens and the golf courses along this stretch of coast. Guest houses such as Vale House and 29 Marine Crescent add a quieter, more personal option away from the main hotel groups.

Beyond the two main towns, farmhouse B&Bs like Church End Farm and independent finds such as the Anelli Hotel and The Norwood Guest House give a feel for how varied the county's accommodation is, so it's worth deciding first whether you want city buzz or coastal calm before narrowing down where to stay.

Liverpool accounts for much of the choice here, from stadium tours at Everton Stadium to escape rooms like Escape Hunt Liverpool and indoor activities such as Challenge Point Liverpool and VR HERE. History runs alongside the newer additions, with the Queensway Tunnel Tour and the Picture House Woolton offering a different pace from the city's laser tag and mini golf venues.

Southport and the Wirral fill out the rest of the county's offer, with family-friendly options like Kidz Fantasy Land and the Southport Treasure Trail suiting a day out with children, while Coverstar Experiences and Mini Golf Adventures give visitors something active to build a visit around.

With attractions spread across all three areas, it's worth deciding whether you want a city day in Liverpool or a coastal one in Southport or the Wirral, as travel between them takes a little planning.

Merseyside's dining scene runs from Liverpool's city centre, where bars and restaurants pack the streets around the waterfront and the Baltic Triangle, out to the quieter pubs and cafés of Southport, St Helens and the Wirral peninsula. Southport's promenade and Lord Street bring a more traditional seaside choice, while Wirral towns such as Bromborough mix long-standing locals with newer arrivals.

Cuisine varies as much as setting: Italian chains sit alongside independent kitchens serving Thai, or street-food style menus, and traditional pubs remain a fixture in most neighbourhoods. St Helens and the smaller Merseyside towns tend towards straightforward, community-minded places, so it's worth deciding whether you want a city night out or a more relaxed local before picking a spot.

Merseyside is more of a base for touring than a camping destination in its own right, but the county still turns up a decent spread of sites, from small certificated locations tucked behind farms to larger holiday parks with fuller facilities. Southport has the strongest concentration, with Willowbank Holiday Park and Riverside Holiday Park both close to the coast and its dunes, while Formby Point Caravan Park suits anyone drawn to the pinewoods and red squirrel reserve nearby.

Elsewhere, sites like Wirral Country Park Caravan and Motorhome Club Campsite make the most of the Wirral's coastal paths and views across the Dee, and smaller certificated sites such as Grange Farm, Arrowe Brook Farm and Bridge Farm offer a quieter, no-frills stay for those touring with a caravan or motorhome. Abbey Farm Holiday Park and Century House Campsite give options further inland, useful if Liverpool itself is the main draw and you just need somewhere straightforward to pitch up each evening.

Self-catering options across Merseyside tend to reflect the county's mix of city and coast. In Liverpool, places like Anfield Haven, Little Marina and Twelve put you within easy reach of the football grounds, the waterfront and the nightlife, making them a good fit for weekend groups or match-day visits rather than quiet countryside breaks.

Over on the Wirral, cottages such as Barnston House, Brackenwood and Home Leigh sit closer to the peninsula's villages and coastline, suiting those after a slower pace with easy access to Chester and North Wales. St Helens properties like Redstones Cottage and Oakthorn House offer a more central base for exploring the wider region without the city prices.

With only a handful of options in each town, it is worth deciding early whether you want Liverpool's buzz, the Wirral's coastal calm, or St Helens' convenient midpoint before booking somewhere like The Hideaway or May Escape.