This post is part of my Traveling Tuesday Series.
Because having a baby in a different country from where you live and returning home with her less than six weeks later (with a stopover to see grandma and grandpa on the way) isn’t enough traveling, we decided to take a trip to Liverpool with our girls when Sugarplum was only 7 1/2 weeks old and our older daughter, Honeybun, was just over two years old.
It was short weekend jaunt over the Irish Sea from Dublin and a great “beginner” trip for our family of four.
Here are the basics of traveling to Liverpool with kids:
Getting Around
We took the ferry from Dublin to Liverpool. It was an easy trip over, Honeybun looked out the windows, we watched some movies and Honeybun played in the little playroom. Meals were also included and helped to break up the 8 hour journey. Flying would have been much quicker but also more expensive and more stressful, plus the ferry was part of the adventure. The journey over was during the daytime and the journey back was overnight so we opted for a stateroom for our return trip.
Once we arrived in Liverpool (technically Birkenhead which is on the other side of the River Mersey) we walked to the train station which took us through the Queensway tunnel and it was a short walk to our hotel near Albert Dock. When returning to the ferry, we opted for a cab as it was night and we didn’t want to be walking around the dock area in the dark. Cabs in Liverpool are plentiful but if traveling with small children, you’ll need to provide your own car seats.
Liverpool is very easy to get around by foot if you stay near Albert Dock. If you want to go to places farther afield, there is a train system, city buses as well as a city bus tour.
Kid Accessibility
Liverpool is very easy to get around with kids and buggies. The sidewalks are generally wide and smooth for pushing a buggy/stroller and almost all the buildings are easily accessible.
Eating in Liverpool with kids
There are a ton of great restaurants in the Albert Dock area that are fine for kids and the kid-friendly menu selections are ample.
Preparing for a trip to Liverpool with Kids:
I’m big on planning our trips ahead of time because traveling with kids makes things just a little bit more complicated as they aren’t always very patient when you don’t have a plan so I always did a lot of research and planning before our trips. Check out my tips and advice for:
- Finding the perfect hotel
- Pre-Planning as much as possible and finding the best Sights to See
- Packing for the kids
What to see and do in Liverpool with Kids:
Our trip to Liverpool was a long weekend, only three days in total including the ferry trip over, but we were able to see a lot and don’t feel like we missed out on seeing anything we wanted to see.
We filled our two-day visit as follows:
Day 1:
The Beatles Story
Our first stop in Liverpool was, of course, The Beatles Story which is split into two locations. The first part is underground in Albert Dock. The interactive exhibit takes you through the history and music of the Beatles with lots of opportunities to play and explore. There is also a cafe adjacent to the gift shop where you can find lots of unique Beatles souvenirs.
The second part of The Beatles Story is located at Pier Head which is a 10-15 minute walk along the river (a little over 1/2 a mile) and on the way you pass the Merseyside Maritime Museum and the Liverpool Museum, both of which are free to visit if you want to pop in for a visit on the way.
The Pier Head part of The Beatles Story houses the photographs of Paul Berriff covering the Beatles’ 1963-64 tour as well as a very fun 4D movie. There is also another cafe and gift shop and sometimes special exhibits.
Liverpool ONE
After doing both parts of The Beatles Story, wandering through the little shops in Albert Dock, we decided to take it easy for the rest of the day and browsed the Liverpool ONE shopping area. Liverpool ONE is a huge outdoor shopping area that encompasses many pedestrian streets a short stroll from Albert Dock. Stores at Liverpool ONE include many of our UK/European favorites including Debenhams, Zara, and H&M (which did not have a big US presence yet when we visited Liverpool in 2010).
Day 2:
City Bus Tour
Our second day in Liverpool, we decided to hop aboard the city bus tour and see a few things farther afield from the Albert Dock area where we spent the first day. We wandered around the area by the Cavern Club where the Beatles got their start. At the end of the day, we caught the last bus back to Albert Dock and saw much of Liverpool’s best architecture including the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Liverpool Cathedral both of which are amazing!
World Museum
Our main stop for the second day was the World Museum which is Liverpool’s free natural history museum. We hadn’t yet taken Honeybun to a natural history type museum and she loved some parts of it like the space exhibits and aquarium but wasn’t too sure about the bug house or the natural world exhibits with its large skeletons and animal specimens.
Echo Wheel
Because we had some extra time between the end of the bus tour and our ferry back home, we again wandered over to Albert Dock and decided to take the girls up on the Echo Wheel. Honeybun had never been on a Ferris wheel before and though it was a cold and dreary evening, the views over the city were remarkable and we all loved the ride.
Overall, our short little jaunt across the sea to Liverpool was a great success for our new family of four and a great way to start our traveling adventures with a toddler and infant!
Pin it!
