48 Hours in Liverpool
Getting Here
London to Liverpool by one of Mr Branson’s super fast Pendolino
trains takes just two and a half hours. It’s just as easy from
other parts of the country: all main line services from Scotland,
the North East and Midlands run to Liverpool via either Manchester
or Crewe. To make life even easier, Liverpool’s John Lennon airport
is just 8 miles outside the city centre and has a number of
low-cost airlines operating cheap flights inbound from most UK
airports.
A place to lay your head
If style is your thing then head for Hope Street Hotel,an
independent boutique hotel where all the luxuries are provided with
great fl air and fantastic service. Not that you’ll be stuck for
alternatives as fab new hotels seem to be opening practically every
week as the city gears up for the Capital of Culture. For a room
with a view there’s the new Malmaison or the four star deluxe
Radisson SAS down at the waterfront. If you want to be
closer to the night life action then try 62 Castle Street, or The
Print. both contemporary refurbishments of old Victorian buildings
at the heart of the city.
Shaken or Stirred
Start off with a cocktail or two at the latest place to be seen.
Alma de Cuba is an ultra cool refurbishment of a 200-year-old
Polish Catholic church that’s been transformed into a funky bar and
Caribbean-themed restaurant. Another buzzing option is Mosquito,
sister bar to the stylish Living Room franchise, with a cocktail
list as long as the Beatles back catalogue. For a more chilled
dining experience, choose Ziba at the Racquet Club for
exquisitely-done modern British food.
Cultural Enlightenment
After breakfast, you can wander round The Walker –
effectively the National Gallery of the North – with its fantastic
collection covering everything from Holbein to Hockney or you can
visit World Museum Liverpool whose fascinating exhibits cover
all the cultures of the globe that have been touched by Liverpool’s
sea-faring past. But the pièce de resistance has to be the
refurbished St George’s Hall, a magnificent piece of Victorian pomp
considered to be one of the finest neo-classical buildings in the
world.
A spot of lunch
If you’ve worked up an appetite you can give it a good seeing-to
with a rib-sticking lunch at The Monro, Liverpool’s latest gastro
pub, or for something lighter try Delifonseca for fabulous
deli sandwiches and the best chunky chips in town. Alternatively,
head up to Hope Street to the Everyman Bistro, a Liverpool
Institution set in the atmospheric basement of the Everyman
theatre.
Retail therapy
With such a high WAG quotient, Liverpool has never been short of
designer outlets, most of them located in and around the Cavern
Walks shopping centre. But the recently opened Metquarter, a
transformation of the city’s old Post Office into a new retail hot
spot has seriously upped the ante. If you prefer your shopping with
a more bohemian bent, then head for Bold Street where you’ll fi nd
quirky fashions and cool homewares in shops like Microzine and
Utility.
Soul food
In the evening, head up to Hope Street where you’ll be spoilt
for choice with top class eateries, including the eponymous 60 Hope
Street, the London Carriage Works or The Lower Place, situated in
the basement of the city’s wonderful art deco Philharmonic Hall. If
you’re lucky enough to be around on a concert night, it’s
definitely worth catching the Liverpool Philharmonic, currently fl
ying high under their fabulous new conductor Vasily Petrenko.
All that Jazz
To be where the action is, head down to Albert Dock where you’ll
find the glammed up crowd flitting between Babycream, the
bar-restaurant offspring of super-club Cream, the Pan American
Club and Blue Bar and Grill – all within a stiletto’s
totter of each other. For hip live music, try Korova, part owned by
Liverpool band Ladytron, where you can brush shoulders with musos,
catch the latest bands or simply chill out in individual booths
watching the performance on your own TV screen.
Out to brunch
Start off your Sunday with a trip to the jaw-dropping Anglican
Cathedral, a monumental gothic edifice at one end of Hope Street.
Heading back towards the Philharmonic Hall you’ll pass the hidden
Georgian gem that is Falkner Street, which has a couple of great
Sunday brunch options to while away an hour or so with the Sunday
papers – try Number Seven Deli or Quarter. Alternatively,
mooch down to the Ropewalks area, where FACT – the Foundation
for Art and Creative Technology – is another good bet.
Park life
Take a fi ve-minute cab ride outside the city centre and you’ll
find yourself in the leafy surroundings of Sefton Park, with the
added attraction of Lark Lane, Liverpool’s answer to the King’s
Road, just a two minute stroll away. The park also has a fantastic
Victorian Palm House, now renovated and home to exotic afternoon
jazz performances as well as equally exotic plant species. Lark
Lane itself has a quirky vibe with independent cafés, bistros,
retro clothing shops and craft outlets as well as Liverpool’s best
French restaurant, L’Alouette.
Take in the view
Liverpool’s probably got the world’s second most famous
waterfront view after Manhattan and the best way to see it is to
take a trip on the famous Ferry out towards Birkenhead. From the
river you can take in the full glory of the Three Graces – the
triumvirate of magnificent buildings that are testament to the
city’s historical standing as one of the world’s greatest sea ports
and are now officially declared a World Heritage Site. While you’re
down at the river make sure you visit Tate Liverpool at Albert
Dock, the UK’s largest modern art gallery outside London, and home
to the 2007 Turner Prize.