I moved to Liverpool almost a decade ago and, in the beginning, I visited as much as I could in Merseyside, as it was a new place for me. Today I’m going to share my 2021 Travel Inspiration ideas by talking on what people can do in Liverpool and Wirral, because I want to visit these places again, as I’ve seen most of them only once. Soon the travel restrictions within UK will diminish and by the summer, if everything goes to plan, will be scrapped, which is amazing. So I think a UK holiday is a much better and safer option this summer, as the vaccine rollout is not great in many countries abroad and the risk of having to self-isolate at home or in a hotel are big and they might spoil the whole holiday. Today I’m making the case for Liverpool*, link to where you can find hotels.
I made three compilations, for families with children, for vegans, and for history lovers, with places I’ve been to. As I mentioned earlier, I plan to visit many of these places again, as soon as we are allowed to. Of course visiting UK will provide much needed funds to both tourist attractions and local businesses. Because Liverpool and the Wirral are such amazing places to visit, it’s worth keeping them in mind. Also, this is just a small selection of things you can do in Liverpool.
2021 Travel Inspiration – Liverpool – For families with (older) children:
The pictures are from: Knowsley Safari Park – Cat Café – The Beatles Story – Liverpool Cathedral – Tate – Palm House – West Kirby Beach – U-boat.
I picked a few different locations which would be great for families with older children. First of all, Knowsley Safari Park is amazing, you can easily spend a day there. I already booked our visit for the 12th, exactly when the restrictions for outdoor attractions are going to be lifted. We have a membership and visit them each month.
The cat cafe is delightful, the staff are great and the cats are lovely to be around. They do not accept smaller children because the cats’ welfare needs to be prioritized and young children might scare them.
Another amazing place to go to is the Beatles Story, the museum has some fun things for children too, so all the family is cared for there.
Liverpool Cathedral offers self-guided tours and one can climb the stairs to go on the roof, to see a spectacular view of Liverpool. I think teenagers would love the opportunity to snap some Instagram pictures from the rooftop.
Tate might be an odd choice for families, but, in fact, it’s only one of four free museums on the docks. There are three more free museums in about 30 minutes walk from there. The museums are about Liverpool, there is a Maritime Museum and so on. Also, because this museum is free, one can pop in and out if they are not happy with what’s on display. Please consider making a donation if you’ve enjoyed it though.
Palm House is located in Sefton park and it’s lovely to walk. This would be appropriate for younger children too.
West Kirby Beach and U-boat are in Wirral. To get to Hilbre Islands one needs to walk for about 2 hours, one way, on the beach, so this is suitable for older children. The views are spectacular and seals are happy to pop their heads from the water to see the people on the rocks. It’s fun. U-boat is, as the name says, a German U-boat from WWII, transformed into a tourist attraction. It’s really interesting.
2021 Travel Inspiration – Liverpool – For vegans:
The pictures are from: Down at the Hatch – Frost Burgers – Veggie Republic – Sanskruti Restaurant
Every vegan knows that Brighton is the place to go to if you are vegan or veggie. Well, in the last years many new places opened in Liverpool. I picked 4 of them for this post. Down at the Hatch and Sanskruti are vegetarian, while Frost and Veggie Republic are 100% vegan. I had amazing vegan food from all these places. I’ve been to all of these more than once and I was happy every time.
As you can see there is a wide selection of foods, Down at the Hatch offers deep fried food and burgers, alongside some pretty amazing cocktails. Frost Burgers offer burgers, of course, onion rings, and also shakes and desserts. Veggie Republic have a mix of foods, from “fish” and chips to pizza, and delicious cheesecakes. Sanskruti is an Indian restaurant. They have so many different types of food, it’s pretty amazing.
2021 Travel Inspiration – Liverpool – For history lovers:
The pictures are from: War Museum – St Anthony’s Church – Old Docks – Mersey Tunnel – The Philharmonic Dining Rooms –
International Slavery Museum – Birkenhead Priory
The War Museum is close to the museum I mentioned previously, when I talked about what is suitable for families with older children. Of course, all those museums are suitable for history lovers too, but I’ve decided to include only “grown-up” places.
I picked St Anthony’s Church because it is an old church, pre-Victorian, and it has no pillars inside, which is unusual and very interesting.
The Old Docks can be visited with a guided tour and that might not be suitable in the near future, but, even so, it’s worth keeping in mind. Liverpool’s importance in the trade, including slave trade, was made possible by things like this, the old dock, the oldest wet dock in the world. It is underneath L1, a shopping centre where tourists can have some refreshments and enjoy a bit of shopping too. The International Slavery Museum is also unique and close by. It’s in the Maritime Museum and free, so do not miss it if you visit the city.
Mersey Tunnel can be visited with a guide, so this too might be delayed, but it offers a pretty fascinating insight into the city’s transport links and how it was made. Mersey tunnel is underneath the water and links Liverpool to the Wirral. Williamson tunnels are Victorian, they too can be visited with a guide, and why they were made is still a mystery. I would suggest booking, if possible, and have a look for yourself.
The Philharmonic Dining Rooms and the Cavern Club are well known places in Liverpool due to their Beatles connections and all of them worth a visit.
If you are going to the Wirral, the Birkenhead Priory is a place to go to. It’s almost 1,000 years old, so a must see for history lovers. Port Sunlight is a must too, as it was built for the people working in the Lever soap factory (the one that became Unilever). There is a small museum and an art gallery, so plenty of things to do there.
*In collaboration with Hotels.com, but all views are my own. All the pictures were taken by me or my husband.
I can’t wait to get out exploring again and as a vegan this is really helpful!
Such a great post! I wish I could visit Liverpool again. I only spent one day there and spent much of it finding our way to Speke Hall by bus but the time I did walk around the city was wonderful- I really loved the Catholic cathedral. I did pass the Philharmonic dining rooms but didn’t go in.
I thought I’d be all-in on the history one initially and I still am — but I also was really impressed with the families/older children tour, with the Tate, Beatles and of course — wait for it — the Cat Cafe! Of course I must go to the cat cafe! (I haven’t been to ours here but that’s because it opened in the winter and six weeks later, Covid. I think they may be reopening soon.)
This is a terrific overview and makes me more inclined than ever to add Liverpool to the list. I hope it happens next year. A wonderful post, Anca — thanks!
The Cat Café sounds like a lovely place to visit. I understand why they don’t allow small children. We have a saying here and that is that only a kitten isn’t afraid of an infant. Every grown up cat will run away as soon as she sees a small child and keep its distance. Infants are never gentle with animals, not their fault as they don’t know any better and don’t know what they are doing, so it is better to keep them separated.
The War Museum sounds like a great place to visit. I always say that local travel is the best travel. I think in pandemic, this is especially the case. Great proposals.
You are right about children, they need to learn how to interact with animals and cats are easily scared. This is why I am so pleased with the people from Cat Cafe, they are looking after the cats first, so I recommend them.
I’ve never been to Liverpool but Knowsley looks very similar to Longleat, which is down the road from us. But I love the sound of a Cat Cafe, although I’d never want to leave! Such a vibrant and interesting city though, Anca, no wonder you love it here 🙂
The Cat Cafe is amazing, even if the cats are sleeping, it’s still very nice and relaxing. Liverpool is really great, I fully agree.
There are so many places featured here that I’d like to visit! Maybe someday I’ll get back to the UK. In the meantime, I’ll just live vicariously through your posts.
We sometimes forget how many amazing places we have close to where we live. This is why I am looking at travelling more as in places to go to, but less in terms of distance. 🙂