Liverpool & Manchester

[Marjo]

Hi guys,

Anyone from Liverpool or Manchester? Or have spent some time in these cities and know some places to visit?

Thought I'd ask for some tips on what to do and where to go, as I have just booked a couple of days in each for an upcoming holiday with a friend.

We're staying in city centre area and would be walking around a lot... I hope it's going to be sunny!  

I'd love to hear suggestions on restaurants, cafes, any places of interest in general that we could visit! I've never been to either city before, so going to be my first time.

[MI5]

I'll speak for Liverpool.......
Shopping https://www.liverpool-one.com/
Culture http://www.liverpoolphil.com/
Sightseeing http://cityexplorerliverpool.co.uk/
Places to visit http://www.albertdock.com/
and if you tell me what you like to eat, I'll recommend some decent restaurants.

[Marjo]

Awesome, thanks for those @MI5!

---

@MI5 wrote:
and if you tell me what you like to eat, I'll recommend some decent restaurants.

---

How about a nice steak? (I'm getting hungry now thinking about this.)

Or Italian food!

[MI5]

Steaks, the best in Liverpool (hope you're hungry) http://meetsteakhouse.co.uk/
Best Italian http://www.bellinicocktailbar.com/

[MI5]

Oh, don't forget to go here too whilst you're out shopping http://www.mathew.st/

[Cleoriff]

@Marjo  I have been to Liverpool a few times.(not as much as @MI5 as this appears to be his second home :smileywink:)

I went once, well before they became the City of Culture. It was an awful place then, very run down and faded, although the people were lovely.

Since 2008, I have never seen such a transformation.

A vibrant bustling place to be. Great shopping (in Liverpool One) Restaurants, Street entertainment, The Cavern Quarter, Albert Docks etc etc etc.

You can take a 'Ferry across the Mersey' and a trip in a Yellow Submarine.

There are tour buses to take you everywhere

.

Remember, Liverpool was home to some of the geatest bands and singers of the 60's (mainly The Beatles, Cilla Black and many many more)  the resurgence of the city pays homage to all of them.

Liverpool really is worth a visit.

[jonsie]

So Manchester, where do I start?

Like Liverpool, Manchester has so much to offer. The big difference is that two days in Liverpool is enough to see the main attraction and get a couple of really nice meals in the evenings. Whereas Manchester,  my birthplace so I'm entitled to be prejudiced, has so much more to offer and you need a week to see what makes it so special.

Unlike Liverpool, for a start we have the two best football teams in the whole of the UK. So start here 

https://www.viator.com/tours/Manchester/Manchester-United-Museum-and-Stadium-Tour/d4056-32635P1?eap=...

....Only joking about the tour but not about the teams....

So daytime l get a weekly pass for the metro trams that will take you to the numerous places to visit. I believe they are still around the £5.00 mark.

Castlefields where you can marvel at the historic renovated buildings and the scenic walk along the canal with nice places to eat.

Chinatown, probably one of the oldest China towns in the country and if you like Chinese food and Asian food, you will find it here.

The beautiful Salford Quays and nearby you will find The Lowly where there are all manner of foods, nice restaurants and cafes including fast food.

If it's shopping you want then visit the Arndale or, just out of Manchester there is The Trafford Centre. If you can't find what you want there then you don't need it!

Piccadilly Gardens, Albert Square, St Anne's Square or even the Imperial War Museum......and definitely Manchester Cathedral. 

At night you can't go wrong in the Northern Quarter. The pubs, the restaurants and the atmosphere are all brilliant, especially at the weekend. But there are high class restaurants at various prices scattered throughout the City Centre.

I can promise you that you will enjoy a break there and you may well catch some well known celebrities also out enjoying the evenings.

I know....totally biased but then again, I think everybody is proud of their heritage and their roots 😃

[Cleoriff]

@jonsieI have only ever been to Manchester to fly from their airport so can't comment on the place itself.

It does sound great though

However, one thing I must pick you up on...You CAN'T see everything in Liverpool in 2 days. I have been there for much longer than that and still haven't seen everything on offer. 

[jonsie]

Well that all depends on just what you want to see and how long you are actually there for. OK I may have exaggerated a little but I've seen all the main highlights of Liverpool, even been on the yellow banana. I've been and enjoyed a couple of hours in the new Cavern though I also went on numerous occasions in the late 60s when it really was the place to go.

They could never replicate those days and much of what you see is purely designed as an attraction for overseas visitors....yes, you're going to tell me that's the whole point of the thread but I reckon most people would say you couldn't see Birmingham or even Coventry in 2 days but we were taught at a very early age to never praise anything about our rival city.

I can't deny it was the birthplace of all that was good in music. To be 13 and love the music our parents loved to hate....happy days 😂 But hey, there were great bands coming out of Manchester and have continued to come out of there .

We could argue the virtues of both cities forever and a day but the good news is that Marjo and her friend are going to two great cities and will enjoy their first visits (but Manchester will always be better!) See, I told you, totally biased 😉 but undeniably right 😄

[Cleoriff]

@jonsieI can't argue any more

You are from Manchester and I have only visited Liverpool so it's unfair for me to compare really.

Now, I'm from Coventry and if only that city had been in the equation I would've told @Marjo to steer clear as currently the place is a dog-hole...

Despite it's history and heritage, when it was rebuilt after being bombed more than any other city (except London) during the blitz, it did rise from the ashes to be a concrete jungle of bad taste. It has a beautiful cathedral and that's it....:smileysad: