21 Things Nobody Tells You Before Visiting Liverpool

    Be prepared, lar.

    Mike P Williams
    by Mike P Williams

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    1. The architecture will blow you away.

    2. And the Albert Dock will be a pretty memorable experience.

    Flickr: philthomas / Creative Commons

    Museums, listed buildings, restaurants, and the actual sea are within touching distance. You won't find anywhere that looks this picturesque at night.

    3. Toilets on trains do not exist.

    Flickr: boskizzi / Creative Commons / BuzzFeed

    Seriously, they're nowhere to be seen. So if you're travelling locally around the north west, make sure you go beforehand or have an empty bottle handy.

    4. Trains in and out of town don't run very late at all.

    5. Practically all the shops are shut by half five.

    DNA Films

    OK, this was totally true until Liverpool One came along, but generally anywhere other than L1 will be shut before tea time.

    6. These fuckers are still all over the place.

    7. Everything's within walking distance.

    Flickr: theodevil / Creative Commons

    There's no need to fret when it comes to getting from A-to-B. Everything from the city centre shops, to the cathedrals, to Liverpool One, to the Echo Arena, to the Albert Dock is walkable – which is really quite handy.

    8. Day Saver travel passes can be a godsend.

    Universal Media Studios

    A measly fiver to travel on as many trains in a day as humanly possible? Nice one.

    9. Everyone needs to sample real scouse made by Scousers.

    10. And there's incredibly inventive food to eat.

    11. Plus the average cost of a pint is just £2.66.

    Flickr: morris278 / Creative Commons

    The official stattos at Go Euro revealed Liverpool is ranked 25th in the world for beer prices and is the cheapest place in the whole of the UK for both supermarket booze and pints purchased in a pub.

    12. Outsiders may struggle to understand the Scouse accent.

    New Line Cinema

    Truth be told, it's not that difficult to understand.

    13. But the people are ~ridiculously~ friendly.

    Flickr: mariosp / Creative Commons

    It's true, Scousers are known for their hospitality and friendly demeanour, so there's always that to fall back on.

    14. There are more beaches than you can shake a stick at.

    Creative Commons / Via Flickr: jixxer

    Finding a large English city with actual sand and sea water nearby is almost impossible, but here you're stuck for choice: Moreton, New Brighton, Crosby, Formby, to name a few.

    15. There's A LOT of football knocking about.

    Creative Commons / Via Flickr: darren-brown

    Both Everton and Liverpool are clubs dripping with history so naturally their brands are plastered all over the city. There's even a club store called Everton Two... located at Liverpool One. (See what they did there?)

    16. So it's best to avoid visiting on a match day.

    Creative Commons / Via Flickr: jamesgrundy

    Obviously both sides don't play home games on the same day but even when only one does it's best to steer clear of an extra 40,000+ people out and about.

    17. The Sun newspaper is pretty much outlawed.

    Flickr: 36593372@N04 / Creative Commons

    After the Hillsborough disaster and decades-long smear against Liverpool fans, the people of the city haven't forgiven or forgotten.

    18. The area’s home to the super rare red squirrel.

    19. You can go on an actual mini-cruise.

    20. You're never the same after you discover The Krazy House.

    21. And the cathedrals are utterly stunning.

    Flickr: flynn_nrg / Creative Commons

    There's more than one dotted around the city and even if there's no annual beer festival or event going on at them, they're still the most amazing places to walk around.