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Liverpool ideas


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What are you most hoping to see or do in Liverpool  

245 members have voted

  1. 1. What are you most hoping to see or do in Liverpool

    • St George's Hall
      21
    • Mersey River and Ferry
      52
    • Maritime Museum
      44
    • Albert Dock
      54
    • See a soccer game
      7
    • Visit the surrounding countryside
      31
    • Beatles stuff
      135
    • Shopping
      22
    • Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour
      73
    • Williamson Tunnels
      6
    • Research Family History
      10
    • Other - Please post details
      17


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My husband and I have booked a Princess Cruise which includes a day in Liverpool. I stumbled upon this thread and WOW - lots of great information. I have read most of the 37 pages and have taken lots of notes. Looking forward to a great day in August.

 

Thank you ALL for the time devoted to answering questions on this site.

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My husband and I have booked a Princess Cruise which includes a day in Liverpool. I stumbled upon this thread and WOW - lots of great information. I have read most of the 37 pages and have taken lots of notes. Looking forward to a great day in August.

 

Thank you ALL for the time devoted to answering questions on this site.

 

It's a pleasure to help. If you have any questions then don't hesitate to ask. Let your fellow cruisers know about our thread if you are on any roll calls :)

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Thank you so much for such amazing information! We leave on the June 13 Princess cruise. Are there any vintage or antique shops you suggest? I also want to make a stop at Liverpool One for the Radley shop (I have a scottish terrier). I am so excited to visit thanks to this thread!!

Cheers!

Carrie

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Which is the best Beatles tour...planning on 3 hours for that and then city sightseeing.

 

I used http://www.pooloflifetours.com for a Beatle's tour, a great tour, would recommend. He had a lot pictures and stories to go with the building we were seeing. They had been recommended by past Cruise Critic members.

Edited by phabric
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Thank you so much for such amazing information! We leave on the June 13 Princess cruise. Are there any vintage or antique shops you suggest? I also want to make a stop at Liverpool One for the Radley shop (I have a scottish terrier). I am so excited to visit thanks to this thread!!

Cheers!

Carrie

 

I'm not really into antiques so couldn't recommend anywhere especially. If I were you, I'd just google whatever it is you're looking for and see what's nearby. Liverpool One is a ten minute walk from the ship, so it's really easy to get to. Enjoy your day in the Pool! :)

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Can you recommend a place close to the dock for dinner? Since we will be overnight in Liverpool thinking of eating off the ship. A pub maybe?

 

Wow. There are SO many places to eat within half a mile of the ship. There's somewhere to suit every pocket. If budget isn't an issue, my personal favourite is the Panoramic, which has views to die for, especially at twilight. If that's not to your taste, there are lots of places on the Albert Dock. :)

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Which is the best Beatles tour...planning on 3 hours for that and then city sightseeing.

 

I shy away from recommending particular tours, mainly because I've never done one! The recommendation from phabric sounds good though :)

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I'm not really into antiques so couldn't recommend anywhere especially. If I were you, I'd just google whatever it is you're looking for and see what's nearby. Liverpool One is a ten minute walk from the ship, so it's really easy to get to. Enjoy your day in the Pool! :)

 

Thank you for getting back to me! I'll be using your walking tour and then visit Liverpool One.

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I posted this on another thread to help with some ideas when visiting Liverpool for a day. As Liverpool is becoming an increasingly popular cruise destination I thought I'd give it its own thread. It's my home city and I'm very proud of it. I'll be glad to answer any questions concerning Liverpool as best I can. In the meantime, here are some suggestions:

 

First of all, I am not a tour guide. I’m just someone that loves the city of Liverpool. I have lived and worked here virtually all of my life. I am also passionate about cruising and hope to help some of my fellow cruisers to enjoy my city. There is a good informative website at http://www.visitliverpool.com/

 

I am working on the basis that your ship docks at 7am, but that you won’t come ashore until at least 8.30 to 9am. Remember that Liverpool is a working city and that you’ll be arriving on a normal work day. The Pier Head where you dock is in the business district, so when you come ashore there will be lots of people arriving for work.

 

I am pretty sure that the first ferry tour is at 10am (before then it’s just a working ferry) and the Maritime Museum doesn’t open until 10am. I’d suggest that you enjoy the waterfront, which is a world heritage site and hopefully the building work that has scarred it during the whole of 2008 will be completed by July.

 

If you look around you will see the Titanic memorial, on which can still be seen signs of bomb damage. It doesn’t have Titanic named anywhere on it. http://www.titanic-titanic.com/titanic_memorial-liverpool_engineers.shtml

 

The three buildings you see are called the ‘Three Graces’ and I believe that you can access the entrance hall of each. Don’t worry in case they are not open to the public. This is England. If they ask you to leave they’ll be very polite. The Liver (pronounced Lie –ver) building is my favourite. Check out the Liver birds on top. Legend says that if they fly away then a great catastrophe will befall the city. They’re still there despite Hitler’s best efforts.

 

For anyone, like me, with an interest in history, there’s an interesting plaque, built into a wall on the left of the Pier Head as you look towards the buildings. It commemorates more than a million American soldiers who passed through the port during the second world war on their way to free Europe. We owe those boys an immense debt and I often wonder how many of them didn’t make it home. The plaque is relatively small and you may have to look for it, but stop by, take a photo and remember what we owe them.

 

Although the Maritime Museum doesn’t open until 10am the buildings surrounding it are worth a visit themselves. This is the Albert Dock area. For anyone interested there is the Tate Art Gallery in the dock. This is one of the finest modern galleries outside London, so I’m told. Admission is free, but again it doesn’t open until 10am. Those of you more interested in art can substitute the Tate for the Maritime Museum. Or do both! http://www.tate.org.uk/liverpool/information/

 

After taking a look around the Pier Head and Albert Dock buildings, it should be time for the Maritime Museum to open at 10am. Again, admission is free, and inside you can find information and exhibits tracing the maritime history of this great city from its earliest beginnings right up to the present day. My favourite exhibit is the Titanic exhibition (remember Titanic was registered in Liverpool, the home of the White Star Line) or the ‘Liverpool in WW2’ area. You can spend up to two hours in here quite easily. There are also outside exhibits such as the Harbour Master’s house and many boats are open to the public. I suggest you stay here for an hour or so. For those who like the Beatles there is a Beatles Museum (entry fee applies) at the Albert Dock. There are also tours which leave from around here. Be aware that this is a tourist area so it will get busy in July. You can get more info, and even book a tour online at

 

http://www.albertdock.com/

 

After you have finished at the Maritime Museum, you should walk back to the Pier Head (you’ll only be a couple of hundred yards away) and take the Mersey Ferry tour. Check out the timetable, so you’re not waiting too long. You can find this and even buy your (cheap) tickets online at: http://www.merseyferries.co.uk/

 

The tour will take you about an hour. You can get a snack lunch onboard. After the tour you can then head up into Liverpool proper. Don’t forget you will still be right in front of your ship, so you can even go back on board, freshen up, have lunch and still have a full afternoon ahead.

 

A taxi up into the city centre will cost very little, as it’s only half a mile or so right up to say Lime Street Station. However, it’s much more interesting on foot. Remember that you are walking in the footsteps of your forefathers when you walk through Liverpool, as something like nine million people passed through the port en route to the new world.

 

Also look around you and try to imagine it as it was in 1941 after the German bombing campaign reduced the city’s buildings to rubble, but couldn’t crush it’s spirit. Just google ‘Liverpool blitz’ and you’ll see what I mean.

 

For an interesting walk into the city you should walk up Water Street. On your right you can see India Buildings, which housed the offices of some of the world’s biggest shipping lines. At the top of the hill, just before Dale Street, you can see the Town Hall. This is an interesting building. I’m not sure if it’s open to the public or not, but I don’t think so. Worth a photo, as it was built in 1754.

 

Carry on up Dale Street until you get right to the end. Stay on the right hand side of the road so that you can navigate your way across the roads around the entrance to the Mersey Tunnel. You want to cross over to the bottom of William Brown Street to see the magnificent buildings there. If you want more art galleries or museums then you have two of the best here. The World Museum would take you hours to get around as would the Walker Art Gallery (entry to both is free). Visit these if you wish, but DO NOT MISS St George’s Hall, which stands proudly at the top of the hill. The entrance is actually at the other end of the building in St John’s Lane. Go into the Heritage centre and follow the (free) guided tour through the law courts and the magnificent hall itself. It’s a real unmissable building. See what I mean at: http://www.stgeorgeshall.eu/

 

By now it will be mid-afternoon and I think your ship sails at 7pm. You can now decide between two alternatives. Those of you who enjoy shopping can head into the centre (a couple of hundred yards away) and visit the shopping centres in Church Street, Lord Street and the new ‘Liverpool One’ Centre.

 

Those of you still craving culture should jump a cab up to the Anglican Cathedral (no more than £2-3) and visit the first of our two cathedrals. After visiting the Anglican Cathedral, take a walk back along Hope Street to see the magnificent Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ The King (Paddy’s wigwam to the locals). This was finished in 1967 and mass was said here by Pope John Paul II in 1982.

 

After shopping or visiting the cathedrals, you will probably be ready to go back to the ship, hopefully with a hatful of memories of a wonderful city. I should know, I’ve been here over 50 years!!

 

All the activities I’ve scheduled for the morning are within a few hundred yards of the ship and are within easy, flat walking range. Everywhere I’ve mentioned is wheelchair accessible. Have a fantastic visit to my city, then go and tell the world!!

 

We did a British Isles cruise last fall and took the train to Chester, had read about its history and various places to visit in the city. From the cruise terminal we walked to the train station, it was not a long walk and went to Chester for most of the day. We really enjoyed it and the people were great. So much history in Chester. We returned to Liverpool and wandered around the city for awhile.

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We leave on the June 13 Princess cruise. Are there any vintage or antique shops you suggest?

Cheers!

Carrie

 

I agree that a google search could be worthwhile, but you will find some jewellers, (some also pawn shops), selling second hand stuff that you are more likely to find in the older shopping areas near to the port, (Lord/Church or Bold Streets or backstreets around there), rather than the new Liverpool One area. You will find lots of antiques in Chester, including some unusual stuff, but not at low prices. My Mother in law collects antiques, but has never been impressed with Chester for purchases - I assume the number of tourists from places like the US lets them charge highish prices.

 

I have bought second hand jewellery in Birkenhead, that has been cheaper again than in Liverpool and there is a stall specialising in coins and other collectables etc in Birkenhead market. Visiting there would also be an excuse to take the Mersey ferry tour, but Birkenhead shopping area is a bit of an up hill walk and is not a tourist type base as it is a bit run down - hence the lower prices.

Edited by tring
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Will be arriving on Tuesday the 16th, and am planning on printing out all the helpful info you've put into this thread. Thanks so much!

 

Hope you had a wonderful time in our city. The weather was certainly kind to you. :)

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I just returned from a cruise on Oceania Marina. We had one day in port in Liverpool from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm on Friday, August 12. Many people did a Beatles Tour, which they enjoyed very much. We, however, planned a golf day at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake. I booked my tee time several months in advance and requested caddies for each of us. At first it was just DH and I as a twosome, but we met two other couples on the ship whose husbands wanted to join us. I immediately emailed the course and was lucky to add the two guys to our tee time. The course even got two more caddies for them. We got off the ship at 8:15, got in a taxi, and arrived at the course about 30 minutes later in plenty of time for our 10:10 tee off time. Our taxi driver even volunteered to come back at 3:00 to return us to the ship. We had the best day -- one that I will never forget!

 

I have read through some older posts where people were trying to figure out where to play a round while in port, and I guess they didn't have much luck and gave up. So, I just wanted to let everyone know that a round of golf in Liverpool is doable and may just turn out to be the best way to spend your day in port, especially if you are a golfer. Royal Liverpool is an Open Championship venue, and is a real treat to play for any golf fan. Be aware that an official handicap is necessary at the time of booking. I believe 21 for men and 32 for women. However, I would not advise anyone to play this course with a handicap above 21. It is very difficult, especially if windy (which it a certainty).

Edited by phillygirl63
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I just returned from a cruise on Oceania Marina. We had one day in port in Liverpool from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm on Friday, August 12. Many people did a Beatles Tour, which they enjoyed very much. We, however, planned a golf day at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake. I booked my tee time several months in advance and requested caddies for each of us. At first it was just DH and I as a twosome, but we met two other couples on the ship whose husbands wanted to join us. I immediately emailed the course and was lucky to add the two guys to our tee time. The course even got two more caddies for them. We got off the ship at 8:15, got in a taxi, and arrived at the course about 30 minutes later in plenty of time for our 10:10 tee off time. Our taxi driver even volunteered to come back at 3:00 to return us to the ship. We had the best day -- one that I will never forget!

 

I have read through some older posts where people were trying to figure out where to play a round while in port, and I guess they didn't have much luck and gave up. So, I just wanted to let everyone know that a round of golf in Liverpool is doable and may just turn out to be the best way to spend your day in port, especially if you are a golfer. Royal Liverpool is an Open Championship venue, and is a real treat to play for any golf fan. Be aware that an official handicap is necessary at the time of booking. I believe 21 for men and 32 for women. However, I would not advise anyone to play this course with a handicap above 21. It is very difficult, especially if windy (which it a certainty).

 

Well there you have it from someone that's done it! :)

 

As one who has played Royal Liverpool on several occasions, I can confirm that it's a tough test at the best of times, but if the wind blows - it's a beast!:mad:

 

Glad you enjoyed it. :):)

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