The Best Things to Do in Liverpool for First-Time Visitors

This blog post is all about the best things to do in Liverpool for first-timers and first-time visitors to the city from someone that lived in Liverpool for three years.

Since it’s almost time for me to leave this amazing city of Liverpool (the tears are coming), I thought I should start writing some blog posts about the place before I do go.

Even though I’ve lived in Liverpool for three years, I’ll admit it wasn’t until my second year of living here before I visited my first museum.

But I’ve since come to realise that I’m only in Liverpool for a short time and I want to see and do everything possible before I move away for a long time and only visit again on certain occasions.

Some of the best things to do in Liverpool for first-timers on this list I may not have done yet, but am planning to do before I leave.

Most however, are things I have done and would recommend as a ‘Must do’ if you ever find yourself visiting Liverpool, the best city in the UK in my opinion.

RELATED Things to Do in Liverpool for First-Timers blog posts to read:

• The Best 7 Coffee Shops to Work From in Liverpool
• 10 of the Best Breakfast and Brunch Spots In Liverpool
• The Best Things to Do in Liverpool at the Weekend
• Bold Street, Liverpool: The Best 8 Restaurants to Dine At

---

The 10 Best Things to Do in Liverpool for First-Timers

Below I’ve compiled a list of the best things to do in Liverpool for first-timers. No matter if you’re spending a day in Liverpool or visiting for a weekend, you’ll definitely find lots of things to do in this blog post.

From typical touristy things to do in Liverpool to the more unique and local favourites, these are the best things to do in Liverpool for first-timers visiting the city I call home.

1. Visit Some of the Best Liverpool Museums

Is it fair to group them all under one bullet point? Well, I’m going to do it anyway because there are too many museums in Liverpool to list separately and the majority are pretty great.

I’ve been to every museum in Liverpool except for The Beatles Museum. I’ve always wanted to go but it costs around £12 and the other museums are free so until I’m not on a student budget, I’ll be sticking to the free museums in Liverpool.

The best Liverpool museums I would recommend most are The World Museum (which is right next to The Walker Art Gallery by Lime Street Station), and the Museum of Liverpool and the Tate Liverpool which are both located at the Albert Docks.

All of these Liverpool museums are great for kids, especially The World Museum and Museum of Liverpool.

2. Go to a Football Game at Anfield or Goodison Park

I’ve only added Everton here to be nice to the Toffee fans, but if you’re in Liverpool on a match day and somehow miraculously get your hands on some tickets, I would always recommend going to a home game.

Whether that’s watching Everton or Liverpool.

Liverpool FC (in my personal opinion) is the best football team in the world and their fans are even better. Just make sure you get there early enough to hear the crowd sing You’ll Never Walk Alone. Expect goosebumps!

I was lucky enough to see two home games in my first year at university and another in my final year. I was living in Liverpool when we won the Champions League and it was undoubtedly the best weekend I ever had in Liverpool.

If you miss out on catching an actual match, you could do a stadium tour at Anfield instead.

3. Do The Beatles Mystery Tour

This is something that still remains on my own bucket list, as I’ve only recently got into The Beatles and the history they have in the city.

The movie ‘Nowhere Boy’ is one of my all-time favourite movies, especially when I’m hungover, and I recently went to see the movie ‘Yesterday’ which made me realise just how many iconic songs The Beatles did have.

When I worked in a bar on London Road, some of the customers used to tell me about sneaking out of their houses when they were younger to go and listen to The Beatles in The Cavern Club before they were really famous and that their cousins used to go to the same schools as John and Paul, but I never really caught on to just how big the band was.

I guess One Direction was The Beatles of my era.

But since I live in the home of The Beatles, I want to see all the iconic spots including where Paul and John grew up, Strawberry Fields, Penny Lane, Eleanor Rigby’s grave and everywhere else they mention in their songs.

4. Eat Somewhere on Bold Street

Liverpool is very much a city of independent businesses and the people here are very much about supporting local independents and family owned companies compared to national chains.

Bold Street is one of the best streets in the whole city, full of independent and cultural eateries, perfect for a foodie like me.

For a spot of breakfast head to Bold Street Coffee and order a side of hashbrowns, or have a look at my full list of brunch and breakfast places in Liverpool here.

For lunch, head to Elif. It’s a Turkish restaurant on Bold Street that’s been around for years and still serves incredibly tasty food.

If it’s an evening meal you’re after, I always recommend Mowgli on Bold Street, the best Indian food you’ll ever have.

RELATED Things to Do in Liverpool for First-Timers blog post to read: The Best Restaurants on Bold Street in Liverpool to Dine At

5. Have a Night Out in Concert Square or Mathew Street

You can always find me in Concert Square on a night out, but from what I’ve heard, Mathew Street can be a fun location too.

Concert Square is literally what it says on the tin – a square full of bars and clubs open until 4am and if you walk a few minutes, you’ll find some clubs that are open until 6am if you have the stamina.

As for Mathew Street, not to be ageist or anything, but it is favoured towards the older generation and you can find a lot of hen parties, stag parties and birthday groups in the bars around there.

And even though it seems to have an older clientele, there are a few bars around Mathew Street that actually open until 7am.

RELATED blog post to read: The Best Things to Do in Liverpool at the Weekend

6. Visit Liverpool’s Two Cathedrals

It might sound like a boring thing to do but the Anglican Cathedral and Metropolitan Cathedral are actually both beautiful buildings.

The Metropolitan is the smaller of the two and more modern, with a lot of colour and stained glass windows.

The Anglican Cathedral is something you have to see up close to believe. You can see it from almost every part of the city, but it isn’t until you are standing in the grounds that you can appreciate its true size.

Of the two, I would recommend visiting the Anglican due to its vast size and amazing architecture.

Plus, if the weather’s good, you should climb to the top of the cathedral and see the views of Liverpool from the roof. Just try not to get blown off the top as it can be very windy!

7. Visit the Baltic Triangle

Kind of like the Shoreditch of Liverpool, the Baltic Triangle area is very arty and alternative with lots of street art (like the Klopp mural below) and independent bars, cafes and antique shops.

The Baltic Triangle district is also home to The Baltic Market which I thoroughly recommend, the Peaky Blinders bar (it’s filmed right here in the city) and Golf Fang (a really cool mini golf experience).

The Baltic Triangle is also one of the best places to go in the good weather as there are a lot of bars with great beer gardens, like The Botanical Garden and Punch Tarmey’s.

8. Go for a Walk Along the Albert Docks

Something I do most evenings, the Albert Docks is one of the prettiest areas of Liverpool and you don’t actually realise how far along you can walk until you start.

You can walk (or cycle) the entire way from Dingle to Princes Dock, and on a summer’s evening, it’s one of the prettiest walks to do while the sun sets.

It’s also one of the most picturesque areas of Liverpool too. I always finish my walk off at the Albert Docks, then down along the Pier Head to see the sun set against the Three Graces.

You’ll find the Liver Building and the famous Beatles statue down there too.

9. Eat on Lark Lane then Take A Walk Around Sefton Park

Something I love to do on a nice Sunday morning is to go for a spot of breakfast at a restaurant on Lark Lane, then grab a coffee to go and head towards Sefton Park for a walk.

It’s a stunning park with lakes, fountains, all the ducks you could want (and fear) and the Sefton Park Palm House which is also a must see.

This is particularly one of my favourite things to do in the winter when it’s a crisp, cold but sunny morning. During the year, the Palm House holds different events like movies, jazz concerts and more.

Sefton Park itself has also started become something of a concert venue, hosting Cream Classical and LIMF just last weekend (Liverpool Independent Music Festival).

RELATED Things to Do in Liverpool for First-Timers blog post to read: The Best Breakfast and Brunch Spots In Liverpool

10. Take the Ferry Across the Mersey

Gerry and The Pacemakers sang about it, but it may not be something worth dancing about.

A twenty minute journey that can take you from Liverpool to Birkenhead and back again, but Birkenhead wouldn’t be the most popular of destinations.

I worked in Birkenhead for two years and while I have very fond memories of my time there, I’ll say that the only good thing about Birkenhead is the view you have of Liverpool.

However, the Ferry Across the Mersey is something worth doing to learn a bit about the history of Liverpool and to get some good snaps of the skyline.

---

My Favourite Things to Do in Liverpool for First-Timers

And there you have it, the best things to do in Liverpool for first-timers.

If it’s your first time in Liverpool then I’m very jealous that you get to experience it with fresh eyes and a thirst for exploration.

Liverpool is my home, so of course the novelty of being in this exciting city does wear off from time to time, but I still love that I get to call this place home.

If I had to pick my top things to do in Liverpool for first-timers, I’d tell you to definitely eat on Bold Street, walk along the Albert Docks, go to The Cavern Club and experience the nightlife in Liverpool.

Let me know if there are any other things to do in Liverpool that you’d add to this list!

RELATED Things to Do in Liverpool for First-Timers blog posts to read:

• The Best Places to Spend St. Patrick’s Day
• The 19 Best Brunch Spots in London
• 10 Romantic and Unique London Date Night Ideas
• The Best Restaurants in Edinburgh, Scotland
• Where to Eat At Old Spitalfields Market in London

---