*This is a collaborative post with Hotels.com. The spending money was gifted, but all views are my own.*
When it comes to the weekend in Liverpool, the city comes alive. If you took a shot for every hen party and stag party you saw walking around the city, you’d be in bed within an hour. It’s famous for hosting the best parties, home to best football team and the best people ever – Scousers.
I was challenged to do a little excursion of the city and to see what I could come across over the weekend and recommend places and things that I found. So if you’re new to Liverpool, thinking about staying or just fancy even a day trip here, below are five things that you can enjoy and get up to. Believe me, there are plenty more than just these five but I’ll be writing more great things about Liverpool before it’s time for me to leave in a few months. If you are planning on making the trip, you should check out some great and affordable hotels in Liverpool to spend a few days to really appreciate the city.
You all know how much I love Liverpool and call it home, so there’s nothing I love more than writing about this city and letting you all know about the wonderful things to do here.
1. Where to eat
After living here for three years, it’s safe to say that I’ve ate just about everywhere. There are so many different cuisines here that you will be sure to find something that will suit your taste buds.
If you’re an avid brunch-goer like myself then you’ll like the list of breakfasts and brunches that I have already compiled on my blog which you can find here. For great coffee and food, I would recommend Root Coffee, which I thought was a well-kept Liverpool secret but each time I visit with my laptop in my hand, I’m finding it harder to grab a free seat so the secret must be out! For great brunch food and atmosphere, I love Leaf on Bold Street (even if they have removed Eggs Avocado from their menu) or The Little Shoe just a few doors up, both on Bold Street.
For a later evening meal, there are so many places in Liverpool that I couldn’t list the best. My absolute favourite restaurant in Liverpool is Mowgli and I always keep it for special occasions (I’ve just booked my graduation meal there). It’s an Indian restaurant and before coming to Liverpool I had never actually eaten Indian food not made by my parents and I’ve never looked back. If you do go, make sure to order the Sticky Wings – the best thing on the menu, and I never order wings at a restaurant except for these.
If Indian isn’t your thing, I would suggest Almost Famous for a delish burger and fries (make sure to order bacon mayo) or good ol’ McCooley’s for a Chicken Stack (something I used to eat on a weekly basis in my second year of university).
2. Culture trail
If you come to Liverpool for the weekend, you can’t get away with just eating and drinking. There’s so much culture in this city that there’s something to do or see around every corner.
The Albert Docks is a must see and only a two minute walk from the Liverpool ONE shopping district. Walk the full lap, around the M&S Bank Arena (formerly the Echo), behind the docks themselves along the waterfront, then through the docks, around the restaurants, shops and museums and then down towards the Pier Head to take in the three Graces (including the famous Liver Building) and finish with a photo of the Fab Four themselves.
Like any other city, there are many museums to peruse and Liverpool has a lot of great free ones that are worth visiting. The World Museum, Museum of Liverpool and Tate Museum are three that I would recommend to spend some time in. Other than museums, one thing I would really recommend doing is going to see the Liverpool Cathedral. It’s visible from just about everywhere in the city, but to see it up close is something else. Better than that, pay £5 to get to the top of the Cathedral which is one of the highest points in the city to take in the amazing views from every side of the cathedral – they’re breath-taking.
3. Where to drink
The drinking aspect of Liverpool is what the majority of people come to this city to do. But we’ll get on to the partying section in the next few points. For now, I’m going to take you through places that are best for a sophisticated cocktail or two, or with nice views and great atmosphere.
For ‘gram-worthy views, you should head to Matou on the Pier Head which boasts amazing views of the Liver Building as a backdrop, or Oh Me Oh My that has the same backdrop a little higher and from a different angle. Cocktail in one hand, Liver Building in the other – what more could you want?
For drinks that come with a side of great vibes, Concert Square is somewhere you’ll want to be. On a sunny day, you can guarantee it will be ‘chocker’ – that’s Liverpool slang for ‘really busy’ – and populated with students and groups of men or women on birthday trips or the usual stag and hen party trips.
For a quieter, chilled out drinks vibe there’s Kazimer Gardens on Seel Street which plays a mix of jazz music and just about anything else but I wouldn’t head there on a rainy day. Be At One bar also on Seel Street also has a great outdoor area, as does Constellations if you’re in the Baltic Triangle area.
4. The Baltic Triangle
If you want to visit the Shoreditch of Liverpool, head to the Baltic Triangle. It’s just five minutes outside the city and where all of the creative magic happens. You’ll find lots of street art, creative hubs and places like the Baltic Market and Ghetto Golf.
The Baltic Market is somewhere I’d definitely recommend as it’s very like a London food market where you can grab food from any of Liverpool’s independents on display that month, grab a tasty cocktail from the bar and stay on into the night where they usually have a DJ.
You’ll also find a few more funky bars around the Baltic area including the Peaky Blinders Bar (something to see if you love the TV series!) and Punch Tarmey’s, an old Irish distillery-like bar.
For something fun to do, I would definitely recommend Ghetto Golf which is a fun, alcoholic take on mini-golf with the coolest interior and craziest holes to play, it’s something that you will want to start your night out with or just something to do to have fun. Birdie’s bar has also recently opened as a connection to Ghetto Golf and is a great place to have drinks prior to or after your round of golf.
The Baltic area is walkable from town, but cheap enough in a taxi too. It’s worth the walk to see all of the street art along the way, including the famous Liver wings and Jurgen Klopp murals that you will want to take a picture of.
5. Where to party
I’ve previously written a post on partying in Liverpool, but it was very much student orientated. But this will be my well-rounded, suitable for all ages suggestions on where to party in Liverpool.
Personally, I spend my weekends in the same two places. Religiously. From about 11pm, you’ll find me in Lanigans Irish bar on Hanover Street which is definitely somewhere to go on a Saturday night if you’re Irish, or even if you’re not (but they mostly play Irish music). Then from about 1.30am onward, you’ll find me in McCooley’s. McCooley’s isn’t as good as it used to be, but at least it’s not Popworld. It’s usually extremely busy at the weekends since it’s the biggest club right in the middle of Concert Square, and it’s free entry so I would definitely recommend a trip inside for a few drinks.
If Concert Square isn’t your vibe, then I would recommend Seel Street. There’s many a good club on Seel Street to visit including Heebie Jeebies, Lago’s, Peacock, Alma de Cuba and the Raz. Although, don’t blame me if you end up in the Raz at 5.30am.
Not to be ageist, but if you find the Concert Square/Seel Street area to be a little bit too young for your liking, then the place for you would be Matthew Street. Only about ten minutes away from Concert Square itself, you’ll find another McCooley’s – yes, really – and plenty of other clubs themed around The Beatles (SGT Peppers, The Cavern Club, Lennon’s Bar). The best thing is that most of the places are connected and so once one closes, you’re pushed through to the one next door that’s opened a little later until you find yourself in the last club – Heaven ’til 7 (you can guess what time it closes).
So there you have it, five (or fifty) things to get up to in a weekend in Liverpool. To me, it’s the best city in the world and I wish everyone could experience a weekend in Liverpool. Let me know if you get up to any of the things listed above or if you have your own suggestions to add!
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