Short breaks in Liverpool

From the Beatles to the Rooneys, Liverpool is home to talent aplenty – and full of fun for the city breaker on the hunt for music and culture

When is the best time to visit Liverpool?

You may like to plan your trip around one of the many cultural festivals that take place in the city throughout the year. These will help you navigate the place – and provide just the excuse you need to book a train ticket.

Summer breaks in Liverpool

International Beatleweek is a light-hearted affair that sees more than 70 bands from across the globe gathering to celebrate the Fab Four in venues city-wide. It’s great fun for Beatles fans of all ages and nationalities, and typically takes place in August. Beatlemaniacs may also like to go fruit-picking in the many strawberry fields in Claremont; not only will you get a tick on your Beatles bucket list, you’ll also go home with a basket heaving with all manner of delicious fruit… that won’t last forever!

Also taking place in summertime is the UK’s largest contemporary arts festival, Liverpool Biennial. The festival spans across 10 weeks (normally during the summer through to early autumn) and introduces incredible artworks, performances and exhibitions to venues in and around the city.

Autumn breaks in Liverpool

A romantic break in Liverpool could be built around one of the most dazzling night-time activities in the UK – the annual British Musical Fireworks Championship. Typically running from the end of September until around 3rd October, this is one of the UK’s few fireworks competitions and it will blow your socks off, topping anything you’ve seen before in terms of pyrotechnic displays. Synchronising fireworks with orchestral music makes the experience truly magical and if this festival doesn’t cause a spark in your weekend, perhaps nothing will… book well in advance, though, as the event is justifiably popular.

Liverpool

Winter breaks in Liverpool

A shopping trip to Liverpool makes Christmas shopping as breezy as a trip on the Mersey Ferry. The Liverpool One Centre has its own fab four – a quartet of shopping districts that cater to all retail tastes from designer to discount, trendy to traditional. While you’re feeling festive, take the family to see a pantomime. Liverpool’s theatres are fantastic, with the Liverpool Empire normally pulling in a powerhouse panto dame! This being Liverpool, there’s also a rock’n’roll panto at the Everyman Playhouse.

Spring breaks in Liverpool

One Liverpool institution that’s nearly as famous is the Beatles is the Grand National. Get dressed in your most towering millinery for this horse-racing extravaganza held every April. In total, 600 million people watch on television – but you could be watching the action unfold live from the Aintree stands. Alternatively, spend a long weekend in the city in May, to coincide with LightNight Liverpool, a one-night arts and culture festival that sees all the galleries, museums and public spaces open late, and offering free entry. It’s a fabulous way to see the city, with giant projections onto the city walls and late openings at lots of bars and restaurants.

What are the best attractions in Liverpool?

There are lots of things to do in Liverpool but museums are top of the bill for most visitors – outside the capital, nowhere in the UK has more cultural institutions and galleries to visit. They are mostly focused on or near to William Brown Street, a magnificent Georgian avenue with museums and libraries lined up cheek by jowl. The Beatles’ presence is unavoidable in the city – you may like to opt for the National Trust’s own tour, which incorporates the childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney – both now NT owned. The docks themselves are a must-see, and the Merseyside Maritime Museum is one of the best museums in the UK – offering a fascinating education in the trading history of Liverpool, as well as the role the sea has played in the identity of the city throughout its long lifespan. Finally, no footie fan should leave the city without fingering the grass at its great stadiums, Anfield and Goodison Park.

So if you are a fan of The Beatles or just fancy a trip across the famous river, then take a look at our hotels in Liverpool and see what this city has to offer.