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A Family Friendly Day Out in Liverpool


Liverpool is the UK city with most museums and art galleries outside London and 12 of them are absolutely free to visit. This was one of my top reasons for picking Liverpool for a budget family friendly adventure.

We drove up from the Midlands in under two hours and parked up in our pre booked slot from Just Park. Parking in the city centre can be pricey but this was a great way to choose a reasonable option. It's also an easy train journey with trains from Birmingham or Wolverhampton.

When we arrived, we were ready to stretch our legs and started exploring. We found Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral which is a modern building. We received a really warm welcome and found out that families could explore the building by scanning a QR code and following a trail round. This was perfect for my 4 year old who was spotting colours and objects and leading us round. Bonus for families that the toilets are clean and free to use.


The area around the cathedral was full of students and we discovered a fab cafe called Cuthbert's Bakehouse. Adults meal were just under £10 and children's meals were £5. The food was delicious and the portions very generous. We were too full for the cakes which looked delicious - rookie error! https://cuthbertsbakehouse.co.uk

Heading closer to the centre, Liverpool is full of shops. It's main shopping centre is Liverpool One which has all the major brands. We did a little bit of shopping but herding children around shops is always a brief activity in our family. It's definately worth checking the Liverpool One website ahead of your visit because they host a number of special events such as Comicon Takeover. As well as having a children's nature trail, free table tennis, kids eat free offers and an old dock tour.    https://www.liverpool-one.com


Our destination was the docks. There are lots of docks alongside the Mersery river and lots of accommodation is based in this area. Families can book apartments through sites like AirBnB or the budget friendly option of YHA Albert Dock which has private family rooms and free parking. We headed to the Albert Dock and walked around the edge which is dotted with shops and cafes.In this area there are some amazing free and family friendly museums including the Maritime Museum and The Museum of Liverpool. 



We opted for The Museum of Liverpool which was immense and full of things to do. The welcomer recommended that we start at the top and work our way down. This was great advice. The top floor celebrated Liverpool's music, TV and football. Lower down we explored a tram, giant time line and the houses of Liverpool. This museum is packed full of things to look at and do.


We spent so long in the Museum of Liverpool that we pretty much ran out of time. I was really keen to explore The World museum but that will have to wait for a return visit. Liverpool could easily fill a weekend but we Midlanders had plans to head to the beach on the second day of our visit. Beaches aren't really what I associate with Liverpool but there are plenty of great beaches really close by like Crosby and Formby. We actually headed through one of the road tunnels under the Mersey river to The Wirral and went to the beach in West Kirby. the beach was clean and sandy and loved by my girls. We'll be back!

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