Liverpool is a city like no other. From world-famous architecture and magnificent museums, to music legends that revolutionised popular culture, Liverpool has always been a place of creativity.
Through spectacular festivals, dramatic sporting attractions and unique art, the city continues to be at the heart of UK culture, attracting millions of visitors every year.
Find out how studying in Liverpool can enhance your university experience, and why there is truly something for everyone in the UK’s friendliest city.
Art and Museums
Liverpool’s art scene is extensive, with pop-up pieces appearing throughout the city all-year round. Liverpool’s Biennial Festival, which runs for 11 weeks each year, includes exhibitions and performance art pieces from contemporary artists. There’s something for everyone with the Walker Art Gallery, TATE Liverpool, The Bluecoat and FACT to choose from.
There are also four free museums in the city. The Museum of Liverpool tells the global story of Liverpool’s people and heritage through interactive exhibitions. The Maritime Museum’s exhibits relate to Liverpool’s nautical heritage, including an interesting exhibition about the Titanic, while the International Slavery Museum is very emotional, but crucial if you want to learn about Britain’s past and the British Empire. Last on the list is the World Museum, which has exhibitions that include an aquarium and insect cave.
Theatre
The city has lots of performances to offer through its seven theatres. Musical fans should visit the Empire Theatre for feel-good popular musicals, while the Playhouse and Everyman Theatres show everything from Shakespeare’s classics, to plays by local writers such as Willy Russell. Both have tickets for £5 with a student ID card.
The smaller Unity Theatre has a variety of shows and more experimental theatre, while the Epstein and Royal Court theatres are the place for comedies and pantomimes.
Chinatown
There’s a large China Town that has great restaurants, but also shops if you want to recreate your favourite Chinese food at home. I’d recommend going during Chinese New Year, as the celebrations and decorations are fantastic.
Parks
There are lots of beautiful parks and gardens that are free to explore. Bring a picnic in the summer, or a flask of hot soup or tea in the winter.
Not far from the Hope Park campus is Calderstones Park, while next to Aigburth is the beautiful Festival Gardens with Chinese and Japanese-inspired gardens. Sefton Park is a huge green haven with a Palm House, and across the road from the Creative Campus is Everton Park.
Liverpool Central Library
Liverpool Central Library is a great place to visit, the building itself is amazing, as is the inside. It houses rare books that can be viewed in its archives, and a little secret spot in the form of a roof terrace on the fourth floor. With breathtaking panoramic views of the city centre, this perfect lunch spot offers a look at the Liverpool skyline not to be missed.
Liverpool is full of amazing cafes, bars and restaurants. As well as the main chain restaurants you find in most large cities, Liverpool has some very exciting independent gems.
The Tavern Co.
If you’re in halls of residence outside of town, the Tavern is close and easy to get to. It does great burgers, even better Mexican food, and an incredible breakfast. The Tavern beats anywhere and everywhere on the breakfast front. The wait is worth it, the staff are friendly, and it feels like a traditional American diner, where the staff walk around with pots of tea and coffee.
The food is unreal and it’s not even expensive - you can have the best breakfast of your life for less than £8. That screams ‘great idea’ to me.
Amalia
Just off Argyle Street, Amalia is a hidden treat. If you're a fan of Man vs. Food and fancied taking on your own challenge – but maybe a little less extreme - Amalia’s 5lb calzone pizza challenge will be right up your street!
The chicken burger is raved about, as well as the spaghetti and meatballs. Again, not too pricey and there’s a really good atmosphere in the restaurant.
Nolita Cantina
Nolita Cantina is really quirky and original and you get that feeling as soon as you walk through the door. The staff are all really friendly and they serve up some of the best Nachos around. Nolita is the go-to place for hangover food and is always worth the trip. The prices are good and there is loads of choice.
As the birthplace of The Beatles, Liverpool is famous for its music scene. Each year, the city hosts a range of eclectic events, including renowned festivals such as Sound City, LIMF and Liverpool Music Week.
The Zanzibar Club
Located on Seel Street, this is a great spot to listen to a bit of live music. Zanzibar has a weekly showcase of great talent from all across the country. Every Friday night, you can see great artists perform from many different genres of music.
The Arts Club
Just up the road from Zanzibar, this Seel Street venue is bursting at the seams, with events on all the time. From slow, chilled out, acoustic gigs, to old-school trance and disco club nights, Arts Club has it all. It’s one of the venues under the Academy Music Group and is a must-go-to venue in Liverpool.
The Cavern
Have you even been to Liverpool without visiting the Cavern Club? The answer to that is no! You can’t avoid the world famous venue. Situated on Matthew Street, this is still the best place to go for rock ‘n’ roll. It was the home of The Beatles, and rumour has it you can still hear them rocking their socks off, now and again, around these parts.
M&S Bank Arena
Time to move on to the big guns! The M&S Bank Arena (formerly the Echo Arena) hosts the biggest names in world music and is used by many of the top musicians and artists of today’s music scene. Keep an eye out for your favourite artists’ name popping up on the bill of this venue so that you can get yourself a ticket and get down there.
Football
Home to two of the Premier League’s original members, Merseyside has the longest-running top-flight football derby in England. Everton Football Club and Liverpool Football Club have been members of the Premier League every season since it was founded in 1992, and share a friendly rivalry.
With Goodison Park and Anfield not far from the city centre, football fans can get tickets to watch a game, or book on a tour of the stadiums to get a sneak-peak at the changing rooms and gawp at the huge trophies.
Golf
World-class golf is regularly played at the region’s three Royal Links courses – Royal Birkdale, Royal Liverpool and Home of Stableford - including the Open Championship and Ryder Cup. Known as England’s Golf Coast, Merseyside has seven courses in the Top 100 Courses of the UK and Ireland.
Tennis
Each year, the Liverpool Hope University International Tennis Tournament brings world-class players to the city for the biggest tennis exhibition in Europe. The tournament has welcomed legends including John McEnroe, Martina Hingis, Greg Rusedski, Aljaz Bedene and the Skupski brothers.
Gaelic Football
Gaelic football is one of Ireland’s four major traditional Gaelic games and is extremely popular and successful in Liverpool. Here at Hope, the men’s Gaelic football team has been the most successful sporting organisation for the past three years, with an unbeaten record throughout all of Britain. This includes regional league games in Merseyside, All-Britain league games and most importantly, the All-Britain Championship.
During recent years, not surprisingly, the city has become a major competitor in these games due to its huge influx of Irish students every year. Hundreds of male and female Irish students from all three of the city’s universities flock to both Greenbank and Wavertree Parks just off the student area of Smithdown on Saturday and Sunday mornings to take part in the Higher Education Gaelic sports.
Liverpool is bursting with shops: vintage, fashion, music, books - you name it - Liverpool has it. Not only does the city have two huge shopping centres featuring designer and high street brands, but it's also home to hundreds of independent shops selling anything and everything you could possibly want.
Liverpool One
Probably the most popular shopping centre in Liverpool, it has both high street and designer stores, a food court and a collection of boutique shops. It’s famous for having four districts in one place. St Peter’s Lane is home to some of the most well-known designer labels, while South John Street has two whole floors of high street favourites; and Paradise Street and Hanover Street also have lots of shops. With so many shops at Liverpool One - there’s something for everyone.
Bold Street
Home to a wide variety of independent stores to suit all tastes, whether you’re looking for vintage clothing or one-of-a-kind pieces.
St. John's
The shopping centre is right in the heart of the city and has over 100 shops. Popular high street brands and specialised stores can be found at St John’s, making it a cheaper place to shop compared to Liverpool One.
Allerton Road and Smithdown Road
These bustling shopping hubs are close to Hope Park campus and famed for their student-friendly shops. Alongside a number of exciting charity shops, you'll find small independent stores, as well as lovely cafes for when you need to take a break from shopping.
Lark Lane
Previously described as Liverpool's answer to Portobello, Lark Lane hosts a number of independent, quaint shops, as well as some great cafes and bars. It's only down the road from our Aigburth Park campus and the beautiful Sefton Park.
