England’s most famous port city, Liverpool is a supremely friendly, singular city that buzzes with art, heart and soul. Its global flexing and maritime and mercantile history is immortalised in its stunning architecture, from Georgian to Brutalist. Its innovative docks and canal system on the river Mersey are matched by Pier Head, with its iconic Three Graces, and the red columns of the elegant Royal Albert Dock – home to today’s cultural quarter that includes Tate Liverpool and the International Slavery Museum (closed for a major redesign) and the Beatles Story Museum – the Fab Four’s legacy lives on in this walkable city’s legendary bars and clubs, some destination restaurants in the mix. Pack your party shoes.. Pack your party shoes.
Friday 3pm: Check in The Halyard Hotel is set amidst warehouses and clubs in the central Ropewalks district. Contemporary and good value, swish balcony suites overlook Concert Square.
5pm: Go glam Dress up, do your hair (you’re in Liverpool!) and put the civic splendour into happy hour with cocktails at the dramatic Palm Court Bar in the five-star Municipal Hotel, a former city council building whose Grade II listed features (and a new bronze spa extension) are now on show. Tip: book a table in the more low-key Library area.
7.30pm: Dine out on the view Soak up 360-degree views of the waterfront and the Welsh hills at glitzy Panoramic 34 on Princes Dock and splash out on the seven-course taster menu., as well as charming service and a seven-course taster menu or afternoon tea. Don’t miss the Salt Baked Celeriac.
11pm: Keep the night going Nurse a nightcap or signature hot chocolate at the sultry French bar Petit Café du Coin back on Berry Street: there’s live jazz Thursday to Sunday - but arrive early, or try to find speakeasy Little Hardware on Renshaw Street.
Related articles:
Saturday 10am: Explore historic Liverpool Head to the historic Waterfront and join a walking tour (see visitliverpool.com) that takes in the Three Graces or, if the Beatles have brought you to the ’Pool, book a tour of the Casbah Coffee Club out in West Derby, where they played (as the Quarrymen) in 1959.
1pm: Tuck into a new Nordic lunch Nordic cuisine and Northern produce meet in Nord on Old Hall Street. Expect retro-funky interiors and mouth-watering sharing plates.
3pm: Mix old and new Old Masters rub shoulders with moderns at the Walker Art Gallery or, for vintage finds, try Pop Boutique and Soho’s on Bold Street, or to 69A on Renshaw Street.
6pm: Listen and lounge For a high-fidelity sound system and cocktail perfection, head to Simone’s bijou Cocktail Club on Queens Avenue..
8pm: Dine on disco cauliflower Maray on lively Bold Street’s Middle Eastern fusion serves divine sharing plates, the ‘disco cauliflower’ is the star.
10pm: Toast the night Join a glam crowd at Sister Ray, an airy spot on Wolstenholme Square for sharp cocktails, peachy interiors and chatty banquettes.
Sunday 9am: Visit the Georgian quarter Breakfast at the Quarter by Hope Street and the Anglican and Catholic cathedrals.. For an outing, head out to Crosby Beach to see the Antony Gormley Another Place iron men statues or visit Port Sunlight model village, a 15-minute train ride away, for a glimpse of a worker’s paradise.
1pm: Finish with Sunday lunch Polish off a seriously good roast and cherry crumble at Little Leaf in the Cotton Exchange building, then walk it off with a stroll through Exchange Flags city square, behind the city’s splendid Georgian town hall, designed by John Wood the Elder.
In brief
Stay The Halyard Hotel on Duke Street is a cool, quiet haven moments from the city’s bars and clubs.
Eat Liverpool is all about living it large and enjoying the high life: enjoy both at Panoramic 34.
Don’t miss The Victorian collection of Old Masters and contemporary exhibitions at the Walker Art Gallery.