Liverpool - Complete City Tour Guide - England Travel Advice & Tips - Bucket List Ideas!
Hi guys, welcome to another episode of Ultimate Bucket List, and this is your complete guide to the city of Liverpool. Where to go, what to do, how to get steaming drunk on a budget, and how to have the best time of your life here in the glorious north of England! Ladies and gentlemen; welcome to the capital of culture! Liverpool is one of the most historic cities in England, and at one point was the biggest and most important port in the world. You'll see remnants of its former Maritime power everywhere you go in the city. Nowadays it's a modern city of culture, so if you're into music, art, history, sports or just partying the night away; Liverpool's got everything that you could possibly want and more.
Let's have a look at a map of Liverpool, and you'll notice that everything is contained within this rectangle. It's very easy to get around the city, and everything is within walking distance. Believe it or not you could see literally everything that Liverpool has to offer by walking in a square, and we'll start right here next to the water at a section of the city called Pier Head. Where you'll find the three most important buildings in Liverpool. They are known as The Three Graces, and they dominate the Liverpool skyline.
But probably the most famous out of The Three Graces - the Royal Liver Building. Formerly home to the Royal Liver company it's the most famous building in all of Liverpool and certainly it's most recognizable. With its twin towers and its two Liver Birds guarding the top, this building can be seen from miles away. You can pay for a tour of the Royal Liver Building, admittedly some of the history can be quite boring if you're not into that sort of thing/ But the highlights of a tour of the Royal Liver Building is actually getting to climb up the clock towers, looking around the inside of the clock mechanisms, and you get these wonderful views of the city of Liverpool from up here. The views themselves are probably worth the price of admission. Whilst we're up here actually let me tell you about the story of these two Liver Birds.
The two Liver Birds guard the city of Liverpool. The male at the back over there, known as ‘Bertie’ watches over the inhabitants and the female looking out at sea, known as ‘Bella’ looks after all the sailors’. There's a superstition that states that if these two birds were to ever leave, the city of Liverpool will come crumbling down. So even though these birds are made of stone and can't move by themselves; they literally chain them to the towers just in case! The second of the Three Graces is known as the Cunard Building. Traditional headquarters of the famous Cunard cruise liners, is now home to the British Music Experience. If you're a big fan of British music, this interactive display would be actually quite good. It's got
a lot of history, musical artefacts, you can sing and dance along if you want to, and overall if you're a musician or somebody who's into music - it's actually pretty good! The third of the Three Graces is the Port of Liverpool Building. Traditionally, this would have been the administrative centre for the entire Port of Liverpool. But nowadays, I believe it's mainly offices and residences. But if you ask security nicely - they'll actually let you into the ground floor where you can experience some of the wonderful architecture of this building.
Please note that this isn't actually a tourist attraction, it is a working building and a working residence, so please bear that in mind. So outside the Three Graces you'll find the famous statue of King Edward VII. It provides an amazing photo opportunity … even with a seagull on his head! As mentioned before we're in the Pier Head area of the city, which up until recently was a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and when you walk around you can literally see and feel the history at every turn. What you'll also find at Pier Head is the famous statue of Liverpool's most famous band: The Beatles. You'll find Beatles stuff everywhere around the city,
but the statues here provide an excellent photo opportunity. Hang on a minute, why is that lady looking at John Lennon's butt?!? Well, I guess there's something for everyone. If you're a Beatles fan - you'll notice opposite the statues the Fab4 store. Where you can buy Beatles themed paraphernalia. But trust me, there's better places around the city to buy that
stuff. It's here at Pier Head that you can also catch a boat to the Isle of Man if you want to. And go on one of the most famous boats in the country. These are the Mersey Ferries and they'll take you on a boat ride and a sightseeing tour around Liverpool's waters. These boats are so famous, that there's even a famous pop song named after them. And you do get some wonderful views of the city from here.
You'll notice when you're walking around the city these strange things. These are Super Lambananas, a kind of cross between a lamb and a banana - hence the name! But there's apparently about 125 of them dotted around the city, and this one looks like it's been sat on quite a lot! Once you get bored of looking at Super Lambananas, you'll find this oddly shaped building - the Museum of Liverpool. It's a free of charge museum that you can go into to learn the history about the city of Liverpool. It's actually quite a decent exhibit and you'll get to learn a lot about the history of the city. Especially about the actual size of the Port of Liverpool
which is huge! And is connected by several railways. Inside you'll also find another Super Lambanana. (Let me just pick the nose of this one …. okay good, now we can go!) On the top floor you also get this amazing window view of the Three Grace,s so it's an excellent photo opportunity. The city of Liverpool is named after this thing here The Liver Bird. But it's actually a mythical creature and people debate all the time as to what kind of bird a Liver Bird is. I personally believe it's a Cormorant, which is this thing here, but a lot of people may say different things. Once you leave the Museum of Liverpool, you'll come across more Super Lambananas, you know … just because?! But you'll also notice that the super modern is mixed with the super ancient. So everywhere you
go around the city, you'll find old stuff mixed together with modern architecture. And it's pretty cool just to walk around and experience some of the history that this city has to offer, and then disappear into a modern eatery and enjoy a nice drink in the sun. Everywhere around Pier Head is very historical, and there's lots of things to explore and take pictures of. It's also now home to all of these ‘love locks’ that adorn most of the dock. So very similar to what you'll find in Paris; people declare their undying love, lock it up and literally throw the keys into the River Mersey. And you'll find this pretty much all the way along the docks here.
Whilst we're speaking of docks, Liverpool is home to some very famous docks. The Prince’s Dock, the King's Dock, but possibly the most important and most famous of them all is this one - the Royal Albert Dock. Traditionally this is the place where all the goods would enter from overseas, and this particular dock was known as the fastest dock in the world. With goods and services being exchanged at three times the speed of any other dock in the world. It is effectively the 1800’s version of Amazon Prime. And it's here at the Royal Albert Dock that you'll find the Tate Modern, which is a modern art gallery. Modern art is generally not my thing, so I've only ever been in this one time. It's a nice
place to walk around and just feel the history. You'll come across some very quaint looking shops that'll sell you various trinkets and traditional things like English toffee and English sweets. You'll also find places that will serve World Famous Fish and Chips, and it's nice to just walk around have a look at the boats and have a look at the architecture of this historic dock. It's also home to The Beatles Story. So if you're a fan of the “Fabulous 4” this is the main Beatles attraction here in the city. It definitely comes highly recommended especially if you're into the Beatles. But across the way from the Royal Albert
Dock you'll find this giant white monstrosity. This is known as the Wheel of Liverpool. It's basically a big giant Ferris wheel is nowhere near as big as some of the other ones that you'll find in the world, but if you're a tourist and you kind of want to go on it it's definitely worth a go. Me personally, I've never ridden this thing before, but apparently it does come recommended. The one thing that I do recommend that you see though is this grey building right next to it.
This is none other than the M&S Bank Arena. this is the modern concert venue of the city of Liverpool. Where you can catch music concerts, shows, performances, live sports such as boxing, it's definitely a nice venue to take in all of that stuff.
But if you walk down the street from the M&S Bank Arena you'll eventually come across an area known as the Baltic Triangle. Now on first instance, it looks kind of like a bit of a ghetto. With graffiti everywhere and wall art. The buildings are a little bit rough and even the coffee shops are a little bit quirky. They are called ‘caffeine dealers’ around here for some reason? But that's what makes this place cool. It's just a little bit ‘out there’, and it's definitely worth exploring.
This is especially the case at the old Cain’s Brewery. The best way to describe this place, is that it's like a theme park - but for alcoholics! So literally everywhere around the former brewery, you'll find lots of drinkeries, lots of themed bars. There's even a Peaky Blinders themed bar around here, it looks pretty authentic and it's very popular with hen do’s like this one over here. But overall at every corner you'll find a great place to drink, hang out and party. And the
prices for alcohol here are cheap - very cheap! You can even do fun activities whilst drinking yourself to death, such as play Crazy Golf in the quirkiest mini golf course that you'll ever see. So you can play golf at the set of Jeremy Kyle, in the middle of a toilet, in a carnival, on the side of a disused plane. It's all very cool especially if you're with a group of friends - trying to play golf whilst your stone drunk is a lot of fun! And this man is currently committing a felony?! But once you leave the Baltic Triangle and walk north, you'll probably come across the stone lions,. and the sides magically turn from English to Chinese. That's when you know that you're in Liverpool Chinatown. This is the oldest Chinatown in all of Europe, and where the first Chinese immigrants settled when they came to Europe. Admittedly it's not the biggest or most exciting Chinatown in the world. You'll
probably see all of this in about five minutes or less, but it's definitely worth exploring anyway. Even the parking meters are Chinese?! This video is not sponsored by a Wong Lo Kat! Once you exit Chinatown you'll come across the longest Cathedral in the world. This is Liverpool Cathedral and from the outside, it's super imposing! I mean look at this place, it looks like the Tower of Mordor! And when you walk into the entrance the size of the place just hits you. This place is massive, almost to the point where it's scary. And when you walk inside well that's when you'll notice all of this … It's like something out of a movie. It definitely is worth having a look at, especially given that the entry fee is free.
I particularly like this sign here: “I felt you and I know you loved me” which is very very nice. Take some time to explore this place because in all of its, splendour - it is amazing. If you find that's a little bit overwhelming, visit the Lady Chapel on the side of the Cathedral here. It's definitely smaller than the main part of the Cathedral, but it's definitely worth looking at. It's also the place where you'll come to write in the book of condolence for our dearly departed Queen. Rest in peace ma’am, we love you dearly! Officially this is the fifth largest Cathedral in all of the world and is the second largest Anglican Cathedral in the country after Saint Paul's in London.
But believe it or not Liverpool isn't home to just one Cathedral, it's home to two. Because down the street from Liverpool Cathedral is the similarly named Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral. It's more colloquially known as ‘Paddy's Wigwam’, mainly because it kind of looks like a wigwam. And this is the Catholic Cathedral in the city. Unlike most Cathedrals that you'll ever come across, this one is super modern. With a super modern layout and even the bells are exposed to the elements, which I think is pretty cool. And when you walk inside (entry is free, of course) you'll come across the most neon looking church that you'll ever see in your life. With this circular layout, neon lights, it's all
very night clubby. But you're in a church?! Currently you'll notice that big long queue over there. Apparently the relics of Saint Bernadette are here in Liverpool as part of a tour. And the queue to see her remains are pretty massive. So if you do want to touch the ribs of Saint Bernadette, they'll be guarded by these two tough looking women.
But all jokes aside, if you want to say a prayer here you're most certainly welcome to do that. Around this section of the city you'll find lots of outdoor eateries, the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra also plays here. That's a decent night if you like classical music. But if you ever get lost here in the city of Liverpool, look up! Because you'll most likely see this thing - the Radio City Tower. It’s primarily used as a transmission tower for Radio City, but it also denotes the middle of the city centre. So, if you're ever lost walk towards the tower and you'll be lost no more.
It's attached to St John's shopping centre and around here you'll also find Clayton Square shopping centre and two of the main train stations: Liverpool Central and Liverpool Lime Street. Right next to those, you'll find world famous Saint George's Hall. It's a Grade One listed building, that nowadays is used for things like weddings, conferences, business meetings, etc. It's definitely worth looking around purely just for the architecture. You'll also find across the street the famous Empire Theatre. The main theatre
here in the city of Liverpool. Oooh Swan Lake is playing - I love that! Opposite the way you'll also find the Walker Art Gallery, which is a lovely free of charge art gallery that you can explore some very fabulous art. You'll also come across the Central Library. Nothing exciting here, it's a library. And you'll also come across the World Museum where you can find literally everything from dinosaurs to Daleks … for some reason? And everything in between. It's definitely worth a couple of hours to explore this area around Saint George's Hall.
As we've almost finished walking in a big giant rectangle, you'll come across the larger shopping district right here in the middle. This is Liverpool One, and it's not just one shopping centre. It's several that's kind of merged together. You've got a mixture of indoor and outdoor shopping outlets, malls, eateries - it's kind of like a maze but I guess that's half the fun?! There's something different at every turn, and you can easily spend an afternoon here just at Liverpool One. Everton Two, Liverpool One - you got to love the humour of the Evertonians!
And around here this is home to the best cuisine in the city, and you can literally find everything that you want in terms of food and the prices aren't too bad either. Liverpool is famous for its live music, and everywhere you go around the city there's somebody always playing something live. But if you want actual entertainment there's only one place that you'll need to go here in Liverpool: the Cavern Quarter. This is home to some of the best live music venues in the country, it's very popular with things like hen and stag parties, and there's no shortage of places where you can eat drink and be merry. But there's one place that's more famous than all the others combined. This is the famous Cavern Club, a venue where most of the world's most famous musicians have played gigs here. It's incredibly popular but it's also incredibly small. So getting in it especially here
on a Saturday night, is damn near impossible. If you do manage to get in, good for you, but at the time of filming this it was Saturday night, and it was damn near impossible to get in the place. I decided to walk down the Cavern Quarter anyway, where you'll find the famous Wall of Fame. These are the musicians that have performed on this street, and boy there's a lot of household names here. A nice alternative is this place right here the Cavern Pub, which is literally across the street from the Cavern Club.
It's definitely a lot more roomier in here and the music is definitely top drawer. People here really like to have the time of our lives in this pub, and I can attest that the atmosphere in here is pretty damn good. You'll also find musical paraphernalia in this pub and … hey fellas, how you doing, all right?! Hahaha. You'll find live music venues everywhere
in the city but the most exciting ones are right here at the Cavern Quarter. As I mentioned earlier Liverpool is a very walkable city, and you don't need public transport in order to get around all these attractions. There are two attractions that you possibly do need public transport for, and that's if you're visiting the two famous football teams that play in the Northeast side of the city. Goodison Park which is home to Everton Football Club, and their arch rivals Liverpool Football Club, who play literally across the park at Anfield stadium. If you're interested in visiting these two check out my Stadium Tours here, or at this Liverpool Match Day Guide here. Overall guys, I think you'll love the city of Liverpool. If you follow this guide you'll know exactly what attractions to look out for,
and you'll never get lost. It really is an easy to navigate city. Okay Ninh, I'm sold - what do I need to do? Well you need to come here to the city of Liverpool. If you're flying in, the nearest airport is Liverpool John Lennon airport. But for bigger transatlantic flights, you'll probably need to fly into Manchester International and take a train in. Speaking of trains, the city is very well connected it
has several train stations, but the three main ones are Moorfields, Central and Lime Street. When you're in the city you don't need things like buses or trams to get you anywhere, because everything is within walking distance of each other, and it's a very walkable flat city. So you don't need to climb any hills or anything like that. As mentioned earlier the only time you'll need public transport is if you're watching the football at either Goodison Park or Anfield. If you're driving here, parking in the city
centre can be quite expensive. So usually what I do, is I park in an all-day car park for about £3 on the edge of the city and just walk in. The cost? Well believe it or not, most of the attractions I've stated in this video are FREE! So if you're looking for a cost-effective city break, Liverpool is definitely right up there. The food and drink prices are actually pretty reasonable as well, especially if you go to the Baltic Triangle where alcohol is cheap as hell. The only expensive thing that you'll be paying for is if you go to watch the football. The ticket prices can be quite steep, but other than that it's a very cost effective city to visit.
If you're looking for a place to stay, anywhere within the city centre is fine. Because everything's within walking distance and the hotel prices are reasonable enough. Is there anything else I need to know? Yes, whilst Liverpool City Centre is generally considered safe, every area around it is not, particularly at night. So, if you're wandering
around at night, stick to the touristy places and I think you'll be absolutely fine. Please don't venture into any residential areas particularly at night, because then you're asking for trouble. Speaking of trouble, whenever the football is playing in the city you'll notice that the city gets incredibly busy. So be prepared to queue a lot more, be prepared to pay a
little bit more for food and drink, and also be prepared for any kind of crowd violence as it's been known to happen here in Liverpool. So guys if you have enjoyed this Liverpool guide, please be sure to like, share and subscribe. If you've got any questions, ask them in the comment section below - I'll try my best to answer them as quick as possible. And if you've got any other bucket list ideas - tweet them at me. And If I get enough suggestions.
I'll probably make a video about it. But thanks very much for watching and we'll see you in the next episode! Ninh Ly - www.ninh.co.uk - @NinhLyUK
2022-09-30 04:16
