Great accessible UK weekend breaks: Liverpool

Unique attractions, an unrivalled musical heritage and a world-famous warm welcome, Liverpool is unsurprisingly a popular destination to explore.

This iconic city prides itself on its accessibility and, therefore, visitors with mobility problems who need specially designed stair lifts for the home don’t need to worry about getting around the city.

The local transport in the area makes it easy to travel around and an ideal place for older people to visit. There is so much to do in Liverpool that it is certainly worth pre-planning a visit. With that being said, here is a guide to the different attractions, tours and activities in the city.

Best attractions to visit

There are a whole host of attractions to visit in Liverpool and here are some of the must-visit ones.

Tate Liverpool

Forming part of the iconic Albert Dock and at the heart of the Liverpool Waterfront, the Tate Liverpool art gallery displays work from the national collection free of charge.

The gallery attracts an average of 600,000 visitors a year and this autumn there is a major exhibition exploring the work of the great British artist John Piper which will present over 40 works, including paintings and collages of cityscapes and of his native land.

All the gallery’s floors are accessible via lifts and there is level access to the shop and café on the ground floor.

Visitors that struggle to stand for long periods of time will be pleased to know that there is plenty of seating in the galleries and portable folding stools are also available on request.

Tate Liverpool is open from 10am-5pm every day.

The Beatles Story

The award-winning ‘The Beatles Story’ is the largest permanent exhibition that is dedicated to The Beatles in the world.

Liverpool is the home of the Fab Four and this iconic museum is also located on the UNESCO World Heritage waterfront at the Albert Dock.

Visitors can join arguably the world’s greatest band on their journey while learning about their lives and how they first conquered the city and then the world.

There are multi-media audio guides available in 10 different languages and visitors can learn about the impressive collection of memorabilia that is on show. The exhibits on display include John Lennon’s New York piano, Ringo Starr’s drum kit, original lyrics, replica suits and photography.

World Museum

Enhance your visit to our Ancient Egypt gallery by joining one of our fascinating free tours every Wednesday at 3pm https://t.co/nSHvzsWNYp pic.twitter.com/atiOvDu6jy

— World Museum (@World_Museum) October 17, 2017

The World Museum in Liverpool is regarded as one of the best museums in the UK, with its varied collections and displays on life sciences, earth sciences and human cultures.

At the museum there are displays on ancient Egypt, dinosaurs, the natural world, world cultures, space and time. If older visitors are accompanied by their grandchildren there is an aquarium, bug house and a discovery centre that will fascinate them.

In February there will be a major exhibition launched that will showcase China’s incredible Terracotta Warriors. Visitors will find out about how for over 2,000 years an underground army of life-sized terracotta warriors guarded the tomb of China’s First Emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi.

Those who have mobility problems and normally need stair lifts at home to get around do not need to worry as World Museum was rated as the third most accessible tourist destination in the UK in 2014 by the Vitalise Accessible UK Tourism Report.

The museum has wheelchairs available to borrow, there are lifts to all floors, automatic doors and there are blue badge parking spaces available too.

Best restaurants in Liverpool

Anyone visiting Liverpool won’t leave hungry as the city’s restaurants offer everything from independent street food to modern British cuisine.

The Interesting Eating Company

This independent coffee shop is Liverpool’s quirkiest eatery serving innovative foods seven days a week.

Speciality pancakes, waffles and ultimate shakes are served alongside more traditional dishes like all-day breakfasts and home-made soups.

Visitors heading to Liverpool on a family holiday with young children should visit the Interesting Eating Company as they offer children’s pancake parties and can organise family celebrations as well.

Puschka

This family owned restaurant has won multiple awards in the past for its delicious food and excellent service.

Located in Liverpool’s Georgian quarter, the restaurant’s famed menu changes seasonally, but on top of its a la carte menu there is a specials board every day.

Puschka is celebrated for using local foods from Claremont Farm, Wirral Watercress, Liverpool Cheese Company and Walkmill.

Delifonseca Dockside

Delifonseca Dockside is famed for their blackboard menu of ever-changing dishes and being just a mile from the city centre it is perfectly located.

The restaurant’s menu usually consists of around 14 meals and each day there is something fresh for diners to discover.

Meals vary from ribeye steak to beer battered haddock and vegetarian meals like Cheese & potato croquettes.

Best tours to go on

Here are some great sightseeing tours visitors can go on to see this cultural city.

City Explorer Liverpool

The Open Top City Explorer is a great trip for visitors with mobility problems to go on as it brings the best of Liverpool to you.

The tour has been specially designed to give people the freedom of exploring the city’s main attractions and with a local tour guide on-board visitors will get a running commentary about the city.

Some of the destinations that the bus tour will visit include the world-famous Albert Dock, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Liverpool Cathedral and the Echo Arena to name just a few.

Mersey Ferries

The Mersey Ferries Explorer Cruises allows visitors to kick back and relax whilst taking in Liverpool’s famous sights.

The 50-minute cruises offer the best views along the riverside and visitors will receive guided expert commentary along the way.

On board every Mersey Ferry there is a café that serves hot drinks and refreshments and there are even picnic areas inside and outside of the boat.

The main decks of Mersey Ferry’s vessels are fully accessible and also wheelchair accessible, as are the terminals where there are wheelchairs and electric buggies available to use if necessary.

Other activities

Listen to music at Cavern Club

The Cavern Club is the cradle of British Pop Music and the place where the Beatles begun their journey to greatness.

Now the club is a popular live music destination and one of Liverpool’s top tourist attractions. The three venues at the Cavern - the Cavern Club, Cavern Live Lounge and the Cavern Pub – showcase a number of up and coming bands and established artists.

The Cavern Club is 33 steps down from street level, but for visitors with mobility issues there is a lift and in the Cavern Live Lounge there are ramps from the upper level to the lower level of the venue. There are also wheelchair accessible toilets throughout the venue.

Go on a tour or watch a match at Anfield

The city is not only well-known all over the world for its culture and music, it is also famed for its sporting history.

Liverpool FC are one of the world’s most famous football clubs and visitors interested in sport should  either go on a tour of this historic stadium or experience the incredible atmosphere at a game.

Stadium tours take visitors behind the scenes at Anfield and those on the tours can get incredible views of the pitch, look around the state-of-the-art home and away dressing rooms and take the spine-tingling walk down the player’s tunnel.

Image Credit: Tate Liverpool, Rachel Ryan Photography, Cavern Club.