Things to Do in Liverpool
Prices, opening hours, best times to visit and the stuff nobody tells you, everything you need for a first trip to Liverpool, England, plus one pigeon's opinions on all of it.
Right, Liverpool. Bring an umbrella, and a decent playlist, a historically significant maritime city that also happens to have launched the best-selling band in history from a small basement club. This is the proper, no-nonsense guide to things to do in Liverpool: what things actually cost, when to go, what to skip, and which bits are worth the walk. Five main stops below, plus a quiz elsewhere on this site to see if you were paying attention.
The Cavern Club
The Beatles formed in Liverpool in 1960, going on to become one of the best-selling acts in history, and the Cavern Club, the small basement venue where they played hundreds of early gigs before international fame, remains open today, live music most nights, an essential stop for anyone with even a passing interest in the band's history.
The wider Cavern Quarter, surrounding streets packed with Beatles-themed pubs, shops, and murals, is worth an hour or two beyond just the club itself, a proper, if commercially enthusiastic, tribute to the city's most famous cultural export.
Hours Daily, roughly 10am–late
Address 10 Mathew Street, Liverpool
Albert Dock
A restored Victorian dock complex, now full of museums and bars, sits on Liverpool's waterfront, Albert Dock, good docks for gulls, less good for pigeons if I'm honest, territorial lot, an impressive piece of maritime industrial architecture, now housing the Merseyside Maritime Museum, Tate Liverpool, and the Beatles Story exhibition alongside restaurants and bars.
It's a good full day, allow proper time for at least one or two of the museums, the Maritime Museum in particular covers Liverpool's significant, and at times difficult, history as a major port, including its role in the transatlantic slave trade.
Hours Daily, roughly 10am–5pm for most museums
Address Albert Dock, Liverpool
Anfield & Liverpool's Football Culture
Liverpool FC plays its home games at Anfield, the other lot play at Goodison Park, a short and occasionally tense walk away, a genuinely significant piece of Liverpool's civic identity, football here runs considerably deeper than casual fandom, the city's two clubs and their rivalry are woven into daily life.
Stadium tours at Anfield, including the dressing room and the famous 'This Is Anfield' sign players touch on their way out to the pitch, are worth booking ahead, particularly on match days when access is more limited.
Hours Tours run on a set schedule, check current times
Address Anfield Road, Liverpool
International Slavery Museum
Part of the Albert Dock museum complex, this museum covers Liverpool's role in the transatlantic slave trade with real, careful depth, an essential, sobering visit given how significant Liverpool's docks were to this trade historically, worth engaging with seriously rather than treating the city's maritime history purely as a nostalgic, romantic story.
It's a proper couple of hours, allow real time and reflection, this is heavy, important history presented directly.
Hours Daily, roughly 10am–5pm
Address Albert Dock, Liverpool
Liverpool's Two Cathedrals
Liverpool holds two major cathedrals, one Anglican, one Catholic, both striking in completely different architectural styles, the Anglican Cathedral among the largest in the world, and the Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral's distinctive modernist crown-like design nicknamed 'Paddy's Wigwam' by locals.
Both are worth visiting, and Hope Street, connecting the two, makes for a good, quietly meaningful walk between them, allow an afternoon to see both properly.
Hours Daily, roughly 8am–6pm
Address Hope Street, Liverpool
Best time to visit Liverpool
May through September gives the most comfortable weather for the amount of walking this list involves, mild without the region's more persistent autumn and winter rain. For the full month-by-month breakdown, see our Best Time to Visit Liverpool guide.
Liverpool's museums and Beatles heritage sites work well year-round, worth visiting even outside the warmer months if the weather isn't your priority.
Getting around Liverpool
Central Liverpool, including Albert Dock and the Cavern Quarter, is easily walkable. Merseyrail covers anywhere further out, including reaching Anfield. If you're mapping out exactly how to spend your time, our 24 Hours in Liverpool and 2 Day Liverpool Itinerary guides lay out an hour-by-hour and day-by-day plan.
Keeping an eye on costs? Liverpool on a Budget covers what's free and where the tourist markup actually is. Travelling as a couple? Liverpool for Couples covers Albert Dock at sunset and the Liver Building's tower. And once your dates are set, Where to Stay & Eat in Liverpool breaks down the neighbourhoods.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Liverpool worth visiting?
- Yes, easily, the Beatles heritage, Albert Dock's museums, and the city's real football culture together make it one of England's most rewarding regional cities.
- How many days do you need in Liverpool?
- Two days covers the Cavern Quarter, Albert Dock, and the cathedrals comfortably.
- Is Liverpool expensive?
- No, refreshingly affordable, generally cheaper than London for dining, drinks, and accommodation, and several of the best museums are free.
- What is Liverpool famous for?
- Being the birthplace of The Beatles, its historic Albert Dock waterfront, and Liverpool FC, one of English football's most significant clubs.
That's everything I've got.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
