To celebrate the opening of the newest Tune hotel in Liverpool available for bookings from 7th September 2015, we’ve scoured the city to bring you the top must see attractions all within walking distance from your accommodation.
A former European Capital of Culture, Liverpool is a city of deep and intriguing contrasts. On one side its obsession with football mingles with a love for the Beatles – Liverpool’s favourite rock and roll export. And on the other there is the city’s cultural heritage: it has the biggest collection of museums outside of London and is home to the beautiful Pier Head Waterfront – a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004.
In short, there’s a lot to see in Liverpool: so for now we’ll dispense with the obvious choices like the Beatles Museum and the football hot spots and concentrate on some of our favourite cultural, historic and architectural finds around the city.
Read on for our 5 must-see attractions in Liverpool…
Liverpool Town Hall from Castle Street | Photo: Tony Hisgett
When you step outside of Tune Hotel Liverpool on Castle Street, you are already in historic company. Part of the Maritime Mercantile City UNESCO sites, Castle Street is dominated by a stately collection of architecture, including the imposing Town Hall, which sits looking over the neighbourhood from the end of the road.
Together with Victoria Street, Water Street and Dale Street, Castle Street makes up the commercial quarter of Liverpool – all of it housed in a grand collection of Grade 1 & 2 listed buildings. We suggest you walk from the far end of the street, taking in the town hall, the Bank Of England building and the Norwich Union building before heading to the waterfront.
The stunning Albert Dock is on the riverside of the River Mersey, just a short stroll from Tune Liverpool and is housed inside the largest collection of Grade I listed buildings in the UK. The dock is our favourite place to walk, drink and eat in Liverpool – and the entire area is accentuated by commanding Victorian Architecture.
Sail boat at Albert Dock | Photo: Ian
You’ll find wonderful old warehouse buildings that have been converted into shops, apartments, restaurants, pubs, galleries and museums, and in the water, a small collection of boats that add to the ambience and maritime aesthetic of the area. The selection of museums here is enviable – from the Tate Liverpool through to the Merseyside Maritime Museum and The Beatles Story. And for afterwards, you can relax in the most eclectic selection of waterside cafés available anywhere in the north of England.
The Museum Of Liverpool displays its varied exhibitions in four large gallery spaces comprising four main themes: The Great Port, Global City, People’s Republic, and Wondrous Place. Displays inside the museum look at things such as the city’s urban, industrial and technological evolution, the changes in the British Empire, Liverpool’s identity as one of the world’s great port cities, as well as migration, and the various communities and cultures which contribute to Liverpool’s diversity.
However, our favourite part of the museum is the wonderful modern architecture, built within the confines of a World Heritage Site and respectfully intertwined with the existing architecture of the Three Graces – the three great Edwardian commercial buildings that define the city’s waterfront area and the surrounding waters of the docks.
Those standing across the River Mersey see a skyline dominated by antique architecture – though behind Pier Head and the Three Graces – the awe-inspiring Liverpool Cathedral stands – not as old or even as pretty as those architectures by the waterfront – but just as important.
The cathedral was built over the course of 74 years – beginning in 1908 and finished in 1978 – and on completion was the largest cathedral in the UK and the 5th largest in the world. Another world record is the church’s wonderful pipe organ – the Grand Organ – said to be the largest operational pipe organ in the world with 10,268 pipes inside. There are exceptional pieces of contemporary religious art within the walls of the cathedral – including Adrian Wiszniewski’s The good Samaritan and Tracy Emin’s For You – a comment on how the church is a place not just of faith and theology but of love. Take a look at the events page for the cathedral to see the list of upcoming events and exhibitions.
The Three Graces | Photo: Elliot Brown
This august collection of neoclassical architecture – The Royal Liver Building, The Cunard Building and the Port of Liverpool Building – along Liverpool’s Pier Head riverfront has defined the city for almost a century. Conceived as symbols of Liverpool’s international prestige, each stands with a certain majesty awaiting those new to her shores.
Our favourite is the The Royal Liver Building, which stands with a protector-like grace watching over the ships as they come into port. Look to the top of each of the clock towers (made thus so passing ships could see the time) to see the mythical Liver Birds that stand above – legend has it that while one giant bird looks out over the city to protect its people, the other bird looks out to sea at the new sailors coming in to port. Although a slightly less romantic tale exists too, in which one of the Liver Birds is male and he’s looking inland to see if the pubs are open, whilst the other is female and she’s looking out to sea to see if there are any handsome sailors coming up the river….
Our top 5 Liverpool attractions are all within easy reach of Tune Hotel Liverpool – so book now for the lowest rates in Liverpool’s newest and most central budget hotel.