Liverpool Staycation Guide: Where to Stay, What to Do and Where to Eat

Liverpool is built for a weekend away. The waterfront, with the Three Graces, the Royal Albert Dock and a string of free national museums, sits within a short walk of the Cavern Quarter, the two cathedrals and the Georgian streets around Hope Street. Add the Beatles, two famous football clubs and the Mersey ferries, and a trip to Liverpool has plenty to fill two or three days without needing a car.

How long to stay

Two nights covers the waterfront museums, the Beatles sights and an evening in the Ropewalks bars. A third night gives time for the parks and historic houses in the suburbs, or a day on the coast or in Chester.

Where to stay in Liverpool

The city centre is small, so almost anywhere between Lime Street and the waterfront works. Compare the full list on the Liverpool hotels page.

On the waterfront

Titanic Hotel Liverpool fills a converted rum warehouse at Stanley Dock, north of the centre, with unusually large rooms, vaulted ceilings and a spa. Closer to the Albert Dock, Pullman Liverpool overlooks the Mersey at Monarchs Quay, and Crowne Plaza Liverpool City Centre at Princes Dock has a pool, sauna and spa.

In the city centre

Beatles fans can book Hard Days Night Hotel, in a listed 1884 building next to the Cavern Club. The Resident Liverpool on Seel Street is rated 4.7 from over 1,700 Google reviews and gives every room a mini-kitchen, and Hope Street Hotel is a stylish base in the Georgian quarter between the two cathedrals that accepts dogs. For a budget stay that also takes dogs, try easyHotel Liverpool City Centre.

Things to do

Many of the city's big museums are free. See the full list on the Liverpool attractions page.

The waterfront

The Royal Albert Dock is the obvious starting point, a Grade I listed group of red-brick warehouses now filled with museums, cafes and bars, rated 4.7 from over 56,000 reviews. Here you will find The Beatles Story, which traces the band's rise through memorabilia and recreated venues. Next door, the Museum of Liverpool tells the city's own story in a striking modern building. From the Pier Head, a Mersey Ferry Explorer Cruise gives the best view back to the skyline.

The cultural quarter

Up by Lime Street station, St George's Hall is one of the finest neoclassical buildings in the country. Across William Brown Street, the Walker Art Gallery covers art from the medieval period to Hockney, and World Museum has five floors of natural history, world cultures and a planetarium, which makes it a good choice on a wet day.

Parks and historic houses

Sefton Park in the south of the city has a lake, a Victorian palm house and plenty of room for dogs. Further out, Speke Hall is a Tudor timber-framed house with woodland grounds near the river.

Where to eat

Bold Street and the Ropewalks area have the city's best spread of independent cafes and restaurants. Casa Italia is a long-standing Italian with checked tablecloths, Elif Turkish BBQ serves open-fire grilled sharing plates, and Heavenly Desserts is the place for waffles and sundaes. Browse more on the Liverpool restaurants page.

A two-day plan

Day one

Spend the morning at the Royal Albert Dock with The Beatles Story and the Museum of Liverpool, then take a Mersey ferry cruise from the Pier Head after lunch. In the evening, walk up to Mathew Street and the Cavern Quarter for live music.

Day two

Start at St George's Hall and the Walker Art Gallery, then walk along Hope Street between the Anglican cathedral and the Metropolitan Cathedral. Spend the afternoon in Sefton Park and finish with dinner around Bold Street.

Day trips from Liverpool

Chester is under an hour by train, with its Roman walls and the medieval Rows. Manchester is just as easy, and Blackpool makes a classic seaside day. For something wilder, drive into North Wales for Conwy, with its medieval castle and town walls, and the Victorian resort of Llandudno beneath the Great Orme.

Camping and cottages near Liverpool

For countryside camping, head across the Dee estuary into Flintshire. The Little Bitty Farm and Campsite near Mold has tent pitches and glamping with free-roaming farm animals, and Haulfryn Caravan Park near Holywell takes tents, caravans and motorhomes. Browse all campsites near Liverpool or Liverpool cottages.

Practical tips

Liverpool Lime Street has direct trains from London Euston and frequent services from Manchester, and Merseyrail runs north along the coast to Crosby, where Antony Gormley's Another Place figures stand on the beach. See our guide to staycations without a car. With so many free indoor museums, Liverpool is one of the best rainy-day staycations, and UK city breaks without flying compares it with other cities.