From the popular attractions of the City Centre to breezy docklands and leafy Sefton Park, Liverpool belies its small size with plenty of interesting areas and activities. We have sized up all the best areas of the city for you, so you can choose the right spot for your next trip to Liverpool.
1. Liverpool City Centre
Liverpool City Centre is the beating and buzzing heart of Liverpool itself. Spread over several subdistricts, it covers the whole area from Liverpool Lime Street Station to Royal Albert Dock. Delve into the streets between and you’ll discover a whirlwind of shopping, entertainments, energy, and urban life that’s bound to enthral from the get-go.
Liverpool City Centre might seem like a modern shopping and entertainment precinct today, but it’s been around for a very long time. Its history can be traced back to the early 1200s, which is when the town was granted official status. All of the streets that existed then still exist today, but they’ve been joined by all sorts of other iconic monuments.
One of the most important historical parts of the area is the UNESCO-designated Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City. It encompasses 6 inner-city districts, going from the grand old port buildings of Pier Head to the former warehouses of the Ropewalks. Together, these parts of the town formed one of the engine rooms of British Empire trade and manufacturing.
2. Liverpool Chinatown
Liverpool Chinatown is one of the largest of its kind in Europe. Thanks to the ship trade, it is recorded by many as the first such Chinatown in England. Here, you will find a great selection of Chinese restaurants serving a wide range of dining experiences, from modern interpretations of Asian cuisine to old-fashioned eateries that have changed little in generations.
Found just a few minutes’ walk from the Liverpool Docks, the neighbourhood is easy to identify thanks to a 50-ft-tall Chinese gate that was imported from Shanghai as a gift between the 2 twin cities. In fact, this ceremonial arch is the largest of its kind outside of China – certainly worthy of a selfie!
The first Chinese sailors settled in this area of northwest England in the mid-1800s. In those days, Liverpool was one of the main ports for trade between the UK and China. Many Chinese sailors’ first experience of England would have been the bustling port town of Liverpool.
The area now known as Chinatown was the first home of the Chinese sailors, around Cleveland Square. In total, 12 streets make up Liverpool Chinatown, between the Baltic Triangle and Ropewalks.
3. Georgian Quarter
A beautiful neighbourhood with period architecture. The Georgian Quarter, also known locally as Canning, is a rhombus-shaped cut-out of downtown Liverpool that’s famed for its handsome houses, big cathedrals, and charming 1800s architecture. It sits just to the south of the buzzing and sleepless Liverpool City Centre, but is very much the antithesis of the happening nightlife quarters, think hearty pubs, redbrick rowhouses, and leafy streets galore.
The Georgian Quarter now stands on what was once a vast area of peat bog known as Mosslake Field. It was planned as a bedroom quarter for the upper-class merchants and innovators that flooded Liverpool at the start of the Industrial Revolution. Construction started around 1801, with the choice of architecture being grand redbrick façades with big paned windows and tall chimney stacks.
The main reason a visitor to Liverpool would want to stray down to the Georgian Quarter is surely the grand outline of Liverpool Cathedral. It crowns St James Mount and Gardens, which is the main green space off of Hope Street. It’s hard to miss – the cathedral is the 5th largest on the globe, with a length of 188 metres and a height of 35 metres.
4. Sefton Park
A huge expanse of green in the south of Liverpool. Sefton Park is a relaxed suburban district in Liverpool as well as one of Liverpool’s most iconic open spaces. The mostly Victorian-era terraced houses and more modern apartments are a great place to get away from the crowds of central Liverpool. Just a few minutes south of the city centre, you can take the train from Liverpool Lime Street to St Michael’s station to reach Sefton Park or you could even rent a bike and cycle here.
The 235-acre park the area takes its name from is home to a stunning Victorian-era conservatory palm house, a granite obelisk, fountains and numerous statues. At the heart of the park, you’ll find a large boating lake. Popular with music fans, Penny Lane is easy to walk to from here. This suburban street was immortalised by The Beatles in their hit record.
The park’s bandstand has been popular with the people of Liverpool since Victorian times. Local lore holds that the Beatles took their inspiration from this iconic landmark when they wrote Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
5. Anfield
Anfield is one of Liverpool’s most iconic and well-known neighbourhoods, thanks largely to the presence of the cathedral-like football ground with which the area shares its name. Home to Liverpool FC since their founding in 1892, Anfield Stadium towers over the neat rows of red brick terrace houses that make up the local skyline, and the area has undoubtedly benefited hugely from the arena’s imposing presence.
On match days, Liverpool FC routinely welcomes a packed house full of some of the sporting world’s most loyal and colourful fans, singing their hearts out to the club’s rousing You’ll Never Walk Alone anthem. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the beautiful game dominates the neighbourhood.
Even when no footballs are being kicked, the stadium opens its doors to those wishing to take a closer look at the behind-the-scenes workings of the world-famous club. Tours allow supporters the opportunity to walk in the shoes of Liverpool’s illustrious players past and present. It includes a visit to the home and away dressing rooms, as well as the chance to step through the legendary players’ tunnel onto the hallowed Anfield turf.
The tourism and international interest that The Reds generate has also helped breathe new life into the local vicinity, which has undergone a huge amount of regeneration in recent years with the opening of new retail spaces, bars, restaurants and street food stalls.
