Travel: How to spend 48 hours with Mersey magic in Liverpool

Vibrant Liverpool is a great place to spend a weekend away, not too far from home.

Stay

Weekenders might want to try Aloft Liverpool, a hip hotel housed in the iconic Grade 2-listed Royal Insurance Building in the city centre.

It’s a funky, modern venue and perfect if you’re visiting Liverpool for work or play, bustling businesses and savvy shopping are just a stone’s throw away.

Just a 10-minute walk which from the Unesco-listed waterfront for museums and cultural attractions.

All the rooms feature comfy platform beds, docking stations and walk-in showers with Bliss Spa products.

Eat

For a touch of class, visit The Art School, situated across the street from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and a short distance from both of Liverpool’s cathedrals.

It has fancy contemporary food but, if you’re not into that, why not try Lucy In The Sky?

A sweet and stylish cafe is a throwback to the style of the swinging sixties – and you can get a hearty breakfast for less than a fiver.

Drink

You have to head to Mathew Street, where you’ll find a host of pubs and clubs –including The Cavern Club.

For those living on Mars for the past 50 years, that’s where The Beatles’ musical identity was formed. Live acts perform there every day every afternoon till late.

If music isn’t your scene, pop along to Berry Street, where bustling speakeasy Berry & Rye’s bartenders will mix you a mint julep.

See

The sprawling Liverpool One shopping complex is great if you’re looking for a trip round the shops but your next port of call should be the Albert Dock.

The dock is the largest single collection of Grade 1-listed buildings in the UK.

They once housed cotton, ivory and tobacco, but now the terracotta-coloured warehouses are home to sleek wine bars, family restaurants and cocktail lounges.

The award-winning The Beatles Story museum is at the Dock, too. It’s the world’s largest permanent exhibition purely devoted to telling the story of the Fab Four’s rise to fame.

And you must try the ferry across the Mersey – a 50-minute trip gives a stunning view of the city’s regenerated waterfront.