Last Saturday, I hopped on a train and traveled to Liverpool for the day! It was my first big weekend trip during my study abroad experience, and it was a great one. Not only is the city absolutely gorgeous, but I am also kind of a huge Beatles fan, and being in their “birthplace” of sorts was kind of surreal.
Getting There
It’s a fairly easy train ride to get to Liverpool from Sheffield! The trip from the Sheffield Station to Liverpool Lime Station is only about 2 hours, and if you take it during the daytime you’ll get to see glimpses of the beautiful Peak District. I woke up super duper early to catch an 8:30am train, but getting there early was definitely worth it in my opinion.
The second I arrived, I meandered around (like a zombie, tbh) until I found a Costa Coffee. Yes, Costa is a chain, but it’s one of the best coffee chains I’ve ever been to! The coffee is pretty good quality, and the baristas are always so nice.
The Beatles Story
Once I was properly caffeinated, I made my way down to the Albert Dock area to find The Beatles Story. It was a good 15 minute walk from the train station, but there’s so much to see so I didn’t mind too much! I got a little carried away taking pictures on the pier before even arrived at the museum, oops.
So quick back story – I love The Beatles. I grew up hearing my dad play Beatles songs on the guitar, and an old book of Beatles guitar tabs inspired my love of music in general. Knowing this, you can imagine just how excited I was to be in the birthplace of The Beatles & learning all about their history!! Admission to the museum is £12 as a student, but in my opinion it’s totally worth the splurge.
The museum is designed to tell the “story” of The Beatles (ha, get it?) through an immersive experience – each room is dedicated to a piece of their history, from the first time John & Paul met to the rooftop performance that marked the end of The Beatles. Their music is also played intermittently throughout the exhibits, so you can get a feel for how it would sound if you were present at their performances. I highly recommend following the audio tour – it’s included in your admission ticket, and you get to hear the story from people that actually lived it, such as John Lennon’s sister & even Sir Paul McCartney himself!
I’m not going to give anything away because you have to visit if you have the chance, but make sure to check out the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band area and the Cavern Club.
Meeting Caitlyn & Liverpool Cathedral
After I geeked out a lot little, I met Caitlyn from College With Caitlyn! She’s currently studying in Glasgow, so we figured Liverpool would be the perfect adventure to take on together. I love all of the content on her blog, so if you haven’t read any of her posts yet you should definitely check them out!
Once we met up, we went into the Merseyside Maritime Museum because they were featuring an exhibit on Liverpool’s influence on the Titanic & White Star Line. Letters from passengers on the boat as well as old newspapers from the announcement that the boat’s sinking are featured, among many other things! Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take any photographs, but the museum is free and definitely worth a go if you’re into history.
We grabbed a quick lunch at The Hub before making our way down to the Liverpool Cathedral. A quick note – if you’re looking for a place to pray this cathedral really isn’t for you, as it gave more of a touristy/museum vibe than anything. However, if you love stained glass/cathedral architecture, the building is beautiful.
After exploring the cathedral itself, we paid £4.50 to climb to the top of the cathedral tower. The view of Liverpool was breathtaking, and it’s something you must see for yourself.
& of course, a selfie at the top of the tower!
The Three Graces & Dunkin’ Donuts
After the cathedral, we walked all the way back down to Pier Head to see the Three Graces (The Royal Liver Building, The Cunard Building, and the Port of Liverpool Building). I loved being by the water for the first time since I arrived in England, and I of course had to take a photo with the Beatles Statue.
Once we were finished in that area, we were looking to grab a cup of coffee and I discovered that Liverpool has a Dunkin’ Donuts! If you follow me on Twitter (or even know me at all, for that matter), I love Dunkin’ Donuts, and Caitlyn and I made it our mission to seek out this Dunkin’. NGL, Caitlyn and I shed actual tears when we saw the Dunkin’ Donuts sign for the first time.
They unfortunately didn’t have real iced coffee, but a cold brew, a charging station, and the orange & brown decor of Dunkin’ were enough to make my day.
We had a few hours until our respective trains after our little Dunkin’ adventure, so we browsed Primark & a few other shops for a little bit until it was time for us to head down to the train station.
Final Thoughts
All in all, the trip was a much needed adventure. Shout out to Amelie from A Wanderer’s Adventures for her guide to Liverpool, which served as major inspiration for our trip!
I think I’ve caught the travel bug, because now I’m itching to go to a new place. I’m in the process of booking a couple more trips, and I can’t wait to explore more!
Also shout out to Caitlyn who took cute pictures of me even in spite of my inability to pose 🙂
Have you ever been to Liverpool before? What are your recommendations?
