Visiting Liverpool and Manchester

Riding high on the hips of the United Kingdom, the neighboring cities of Manchester and Liverpool are both familiar names; yet they’re complete travel mysteries to many. Often overlooked in favor of London, Manchester and Liverpool are both smaller and more approachable than the capitol city, offer packed itineraries, and have the added benefits of being both easy to reach and relatively inexpensive.

Manchester: An Less Expensive Gateway to the UK

With regular flights to/from a number of US cities (Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles, Washington, Philadelphia, etc.) and a host of other European, Middle Eastern, and Asian hotspots, Manchester Airport is a great choice as either a final destination or a European waypoint on a longer trip. 

It’s a large and efficient airport with easy rail connections into Manchester proper (and on to Liverpool). Additionally, tickets in/out of Manchester are often cheaper and easier to book at peak times than they would be with direct flights to London or other destinations.  As a result, making the most of a reduced fare and planning a 1-2 day stopover or short getaway in Manchester/Liverpool is a great way to get to know this vibrant, but often overlooked corner of the U.K.

Things to Do in Manchester

Manchester is a delightful city for museum fanatics, foodies, live music aficionados, and sports fans. A central core with commuter rail access, museums, restaurants, shopping, and major sports and entertainment venues ensures that visitors can get there, stay, and play with little or no logistical hassles.

On the west side of downtown (an easy chip shot from Deansgate Station), The Science and Industry Museum offers a glimpse of technology from the old to the new.  Exhibits run the gamut from early rail travel and rocket technology to the cutting edge of future science.  This massive museum in the heart of the city is a great anchor attraction for a day’s exploration. Likewise, a visit to the People’s History Museum, also known as the “National Museum of Democracy”, is a great way to get acquainted with downtown Manchester and learn about the U.K. struggles for democracy, worker’s rights, and the development of all those political parties that keep popping up on the BBC.

Food in Manchester

And after a long morning of museum trawling, when the urge to feed hits hard, Manchester’s taste in food, like most of the U.K., has come a long way from pub grub.  While the pub classics like fish and chips, roast, fried, or grilled beast are always available, they’re no longer a grim necessity.  There are a host of excellent dining options throughout the city. 

Mowgli Indian Street Food offers a delightful small plate alternative to typical U.K. Indian curries, and is conveniently located near Manchester Victoria Station, the National Football Museum, and Manchester Arena.  It’s also located in the historic Corn Exchange building which is home to a variety of upscale shops and other excellent restaurants like Cabana Brazilian barbecue, Alston Bar & Beef, Salvi’s Italian, Tampopo (fresh Eastern Cooking), and others.

Manchester for Sports Fans

Sports junkies should must check out the National Football Museum in the heart of downtown Manchester.  The museum boasts exhibits on everything from the evolution of the sport, rules, history, classic rivalries, famous players and teams, to jerseys and program designs.

Sports buffs be warned,  it may be hard to tear yourself away from this one.  That said, if you are a closet Man United fan, you’ll need to tear yourself away early enough to allow at least 30 minutes to get to the Manchester United FC stadium if you plan to catch a match.  It’s located well outside of the city’s central core, and will take a bit of logistical finagling to get there.

For travelers who like to spend their evenings watching live performances, or sports other than soccer, Manchester Arena offers a year-round slate of concerts, fights, wrestling, and touring theatrical productions. Additionally, proximity to Manchester – Victoria Station also makes the arena relatively easy option (a 40-minute train ride) for visitors opting to base themselves in Liverpool.   

Things to do in Liverpool

Before heading to Liverpool, all I knew was that it was the original, and spiritual, home of The Beatles, and offered tours for the musically curious.  And, while that’s all certainly true, modern Liverpool is far from the English working class town of John, Paul, George and Ringo’s (and Pete’s) youth.  It’s now a vibrant modern city with interesting museums, good bookstores, a cheery waterfront development, and good food.

For music buffs, and the culturally curious, there are several good Beatles tours, including some self-guided, which are logistically more difficult, but make it easier to move at your own pace.  The Magical History Beatles Museum offers a range of artifacts, timelines, historical accounts, rumors, and paraphernalia for hardcore fans and the gift-minded.  Additionally, the legendary Cavern Club is open daily, oozes Beatles history during the day, and offers live music at night. And down at the Royal Albert Dock waterfront development, the Beatles Story exhibition is a permanent museum dedicated to the lives and work of Liverpool’s favorite sons.

Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool

Quite apart from its musical history, Liverpool’s UNESCO World Heritage status is due in part to its role in the development of maritime trade, dock operations and technology, and seafaring culture.  And nowhere is Liverpool’s role in maritime evolution more evident than in two other museums on Albert Dock.

The Merseyside Maritime Museum offers a soup to nuts look at British maritime ventures from Titanic to the tea trade.  This is the place to go for British maritime artifacts, special exhibits, archives, and Royal Navy souvenirs. 

Unwilling to let anyone accuse them of glossing over the grotty bits, the Royal Albert Docks development is also home to the International Slavery Museum, which sits right next to the Merseyside Maritime Museum, and recounts the gruesome tales of slaves, slavers, and those who profited from the enterprise.  With multiple floors of artifacts, multimedia exhibits, photos, and recreations, this is a powerful and moving museum that’s one part historical accounting, and one part memorial to the victims of the slave trade.

Royal Albert Dock is also the home of the Tate Liverpool modern art museum, as well as numerous restaurants, and is adjacent to the iconic Ferris wheel. Additionally, the area just east of Royal Albert Dock (along and around Hanover Street) is a lovely walking area filled with quaint shops, bookstores, and casual eateries.

Coffee & Breakfast Tip

For coffee and breakfast addicts like me, Moose Coffee, with locations in both Manchester and Liverpool, serves up not only excellent coffee, but also big North American-style breakfasts with American bacon, real maple syrup, and towering pancake stacks.

Manchester: A Great Gateway to Northern England

With easy train access between Manchester and Liverpool, and inexpensive flights into/out of Manchester Airport, these two cities are ideal holiday destinations that combine museums, sports, music history, food, live performances, shopping, and a decidedly casual vibe that is geographically and psychically far from the mad frenzy of London.

Additionally, there are so many tempting regions of England in easy reach of Manchester: The Peaks District, the Lake District, or you might take easy train ride east to the walled city of York and explore the Moors.

Google Map: Manchester, Liverpool, and the North of England

Glenn Kaufmann is a freelance travel, food, and film journalist based in Dublin, Ireland.  As a child of the American South, he has a weakness for buttermilk biscuits.  As an escapee from Los Angeles, he has a love for seeing beaches and deserts in the same day. And, now, in Ireland, he’s developed a fondness for whiskey (and a collection to match).