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Luxury Car Hire uk Liverpool Guide

Liverpool

Once the empire's second city, LIVERPOOLspent too many of the twenti­eth-century postwar years struggling against adversity. Things are looking up at last, as economic and social regeneration brightens the centre and old docks, while the city's successful bid to be European Capital of Culture for 2008 promises to transform the way outsiders see the city. Some may sneer at the very concept of Liverpudlian "culture", but this is already a city with a Tate Gallery of its own, as well as a series of stand-out museums that traces its fas­cinating social history. Indeed, acerbic wit and loyalty to one of the city's two football teams (Liverpool and Everton) are the linchpins of Scouse culture, although Liverpool also makes great play of its musical heritage, which is rea­sonable enough from the city that produced The Beatles.

Although it gained its charter from King John in 1207, Liverpool remained a humble fishing village for half a millennium until the silting-up of Chester and the booming slave trade prompted the building of the first dock in 1715. From then until the abolition of slavery in Britain in 1807, Liverpool was the apex of the slaving triangle in which firearms, alcohol and textiles were trad­ed for African slaves, who were then shipped to the Caribbean and America. The holds were filled with tobacco, raw cotton and sugar for the return jour­ney. After the abolition of the trade, the port continued to grow into a seven-mile chain of docks, not only for freight but also to cope with wholesale European emigration, which saw nine million people from half of Europe leave for the Americas and Australasia between 1830 and 1930. Some never made it further than Liverpool and contributed to a five-fold increase in pop­ulation in fifty years. An even larger boost ca me with immigration from the Caribbean, China and especially Ireland in the wake of the potato famine in 1845. The resulting mix became one of Britain's earliest multi-ethnic commu­nities, described by Carl Jung as "the pool of life".

The docks lost their pre-eminence by the middle of the twentieth century and, although the arrival of car manufacturing plants in the 1960s stemmed the decline for a while, during the 1970s and 1980s Liverpool became a byword for British economic malaise. However, over the last decade there's been a con­certed effort to transform Liverpool's economy and reputation, with major investment by blue-chip companies, plus a move away from traditional indus­tries into financial services, information technology and biotechnology. Liverpool is also the most filmed British city outside London, doubling as loca­tions as diverse as St Petersburg and Venice. Ford is still building cars here too, while the Port of Liverpool now handles more cargo than at any time in its history - and it's still the largest British port for trade with the east-coast USA. There's a welcome new confidence about the city, as plans are laid to rede­velop the waterfront, rebuild parts of the city centre and refurbish i ts magnifi­cent municipal and industrial buildings.Visitors, meanwhile, have to plan ahead if they are to get around the sights in two or three days. The River Mersey provides one focus, whether crossing on the famous ferry to the Wirral penin-sula or on a tour of the attractions in the rejuvenated warehouses of Albert Dock. The associated Beatles' sights - former homes to song inspirations -can easily occupy another day. In addition, the city's mercantile past and aspects of its recent history are well covered in a number of fine museums; if you want a cathedral, they've "got one to spare" as the song goes; plus there's a fine showing of British art in the celebrated Walker Art Gallery, and a revitalized arts and nightlife urban quarter centred on FACT, Liverpool's showcase for film and the media arts. You'll also want to make time to drop into one of Liverpool 's many excellent pubs or bars, perhaps the surest way to get the feel of the place and the people

Liverpool Getting around guide

Mainline trains pull in to Lime Street Station, while the suburban Merseyrail system (for trains from Chester) calls at four underground stations in the city, including Lime Street, Central (under the main post office on Ranelagh Street) and James Street (for Pier Head and the Albert Dock). National Express buses use the station on Norton Street, just northeast of Lime Street. Local buses depart from a variety of terminals: Queen Square (for city centre, Pier Head and Chester services); Paradise Street Bus Station (southbound and a few northbound servic­es); and St Thomas Street (eastbound and cross-river).

Liverpool airport - officially named after John Lennon - is eight miles southeast of the city centre. From outside the main entrance, the Airport Express #500 bus (every 30min; 5.15am-1.35am; £2) runs directly into the city centre, stopping at all major bus terminals and at Lime Street.The slower, cheaper local bus #80A (every 15—30min; 6am—11pm) makes the same jour­ney, or a taxi to Lime Street costs around ^12. Most ferry arrivals — from the Isle of Man, Dublin and Belfast — dock at the terminals just north of Pier Head, not far from James Street Merseyrail station, though Norse Merchant arrivals are over the water on the Wirral at Twelve Quays, nearWoodside ferry termi­nal (ferry or Merseyrail to Liverpool). For all departure details and travel enquiry numbers, see "Listings" on p.820.

Tourist information — including timetables, maps and the comprehensive Liverpool and Merseyside Visitor Guide — is available from two handy offices: the Queen's Square Centre centrally located in Queen Square (Mon—Sat 9am-5.30pm, Sun 10.30am-4.30pm) and the Albert Dock Centre at the Atlantic Pavilion (daily 10am-5.30pm), which both share the same telephone enquiries number and website (09066/806886, www.visitliverpool.com). of the city centre, the handy City Guide and various other useful leaflets and brochures.You can also buy National Express bus tickets, check rail timetables, and book guided tours. They book accommodation too and are often knowledgeable about special deals.

Liverpool city centre is surprisingly compact and you'll easily be able to get around on foot, though the odd bus route may come in useful and everyone should take a ferry across the Mersey at some point, if only to be able to say that they've sung that song in its proper environment. Mersey ferry ticket information is given on p.813.

The local transport authority is Merseytravel (www.merseytravel.gov.uk), which co-ordinates all buses, trains and ferries.There's a telephone enquiry line ( 0151/236 7676; daily 8am-8pm) or visit one of the Merseytravel informa­tion centres to pick up timetables, located at 24 Hatton Gardens, at the Queen's Square Centre, at Paradise Street Bus Station and Pier Head. Daily off-peak, zonal Saveaway tickets (^£2—3.50) for unlimited use on most city buses, trains and ferries are available from post offices, newsagents and the Merseytravel offices. and discounts; for more on accom­modation, see p.778. There are direct trams to the Visitor Centre (St Peter's Square stop) from Piccadilly andVictoria stations.To find out what's on in the city, buy the weekly City Life listings and reviews magazine ( www. city life xo.uk), from any newsstand, or check out the Friday edition of the Manchester Airport Evening News ( www.Manchester Airportonline.co.uk).

Liverpool Accommodation Guide

Central accommodation has improved over recent years and there's a fair choice, from budget chains and small-scale guest houses to boutique hotels and business-oriented four-stars (with a waterfront SAS Radisson and Malmaison to come). There's also a wide range of hostels and halls of residence. If you prefer, you can opt for a B&B in the surrounding suburbs - the tourist offices can help with specific recommendations - but you're unlikely to beat the prices at the budget chains in the centre.There's no useful campsite. Both tourist offices will book rooms for you for free; call 0845/601 1125 for their details of special-offer weekend breaks and packages. It's also always worth asking about week­end rates at the bigger hotels, which can turn up some surprising deals

Liverpool information listings

Airport 0151/288 4000, www Jiverpooljohnlennonairport.com.

Banks and exchange ATMs are ubiguitous. American Express, 54 Lord St 0870/600 1060; Thomas Cook, 75 Church St 0151/552 1340. You can also change money at the two tourist offices, the main post office (see below) and at the airport.

Books Most of the bookshops are along Bold Street: Dillons at no. 14, Waterstones at no. 52 and the more radical News from Nowhere at no. 112.

Buses Merseytravel 0151/236 7676, National Express 08705/808080.

Car rental Avis 0151/709 4737; easyRentacar 09063/333333; Europcar 0151/709 7563; Hertz 0151/486 7444.

Ferries Isle of Man Steam-Packet Company for ferries/Sea Cats to Isle of Man 08705/523523, www.seacat.co.uk; Mersey Ferries 0151/330 1444, www.merseyferries.co.uk.

Hospital Royal Liverpool University Hospital , Prescot Street 0151/706 2000.

Internet Planet Electra, 36 London Rd (daily 10am-6pm ); Caffe Latte.net, 4 South Hunter St (Mon-Fri 9am-9pm, Sat & Sun 9am-5.30pm).

Laundry Liver Launderette, 80 & 170 Aigburth Rd & 104 Prescot Rd.

Pharmacy Boots, Clayton Sg Shopping Centre 0151 /709 4711; Moss Pharmacy, 68-70 London Rd 0151/709 5271 (daily until 11pm).

Police Canning Place 0151/777 4545.

Post office City-centre office at The Lyceum, 1 Bold St (Mon-Sat 8.30am-6pm).

Taxis Mersey Cabs 0151/298 2222; Davy Liver 0151/709 4646.

Travel agent Discounted and student tickets from STATravel, 78 Bold St 0151/707 1123.

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Liverpool/ Liverpool Getting around guide/ Liverpool Accommodation Guide/ Liverpool information listings