Liverpool, England

Please don’t throw things at your computer when I say this, but I’m not much of a fan of the Beatles. We have toured some of the famous sights because you have to whenever you go to Liverpool, but if I’m being really honest, I’m much more excited about the prospect of visiting the ABBA Museum when we return to Stockholm later this year, as it wasn’t open on our last time there.

Personally, I like the idea of the Liverpool City Panoramic sightseeing tour, as it allows you to see some of the major sights that this beautiful city has to offer, perhaps most notably for me, the Royal Liver Building. The towers of these buildings are topped by statues of mythical Liver Birds and they’re said to be what gave Liverpool its name. You also get to see the city’s two very different cathedrals, including a walking tour of the Anglican Cathedral, and, of course, the Cavern Quarter is also covered on this tour.

Other tours take you into North Wales, although on any of our day trips we’ve made out there, we’ve either picked the wrong days or it always rains, as we’ve always got drenched without fail. You can choose from visiting going to the Bodnant Welsh Food Center or visiting North Wales and Conwy Castle, which is a stunning medieval place, well worth seeing. What I like about this tour is that it shows you a bit more of the area, and includes a three-course meal – always a winner for me!

The other destination that’s a bit further afield from Liverpool is the beautiful Lake District. I’m ashamed to say I haven’t visited it recently, although we plan on rectifying that next year as part of our road trip up to Scotland, but I have very fond memories from a childhood trip there. The scenery is truly stunning, and if you’re a photographer, this is certainly somewhere you’ll want to visit. One of the tours takes you to Lake Windermere, and you get to cruise across it on a lake steamer, something I’m planning to do next summer when we visit. For those who love steam, you also get a short steam driven train journey on the Lake District Explorer with Train and Lake Steamer excursion. For those who have fond memories of Peter Rabbit and his friends from their childhood, the World of Beatrix Potter and Lake Windermere with exclusive youth activity will probably appeal. It’s 150 years since Beatrix Potter was born, and the Lake District is certainly celebrating in style, so it couldn’t be a better time to find out more about her life.

Liverpool - seafront

The Liverpool seafront, including the famous Royal Liver Building.

What would I do if I was on a cruise stopping off at Liverpool? Well, I’d do something that wouldn’t be any of the above options. I’d probably meet my parents for lunch somewhere in Liverpool, and probably with beautiful views over the River Mersey, as to me, that’s just a lovely setting.

Liverpool is a port of call on the 14-night Transatlantic cruise from Port Canaveral that departs on May, 15 and the Magic returns there on the 12-night British Isles cruise from Dover, leaving on June, 5.

About the Author: Cheryl is the author of the e-book, PassPorter's Walt Disney World for British Holidaymakers, and is the co-author of PassPorter's Disney Vacation Club Guide: For Members and Members-To-Be. Cheryl and husband Mark live in England and love to travel, particularly to Disney, and they have travelled around the world, taking in a number of Disney cruises, Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Aulani in Hawai'i, Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disney and Hong Kong Disneyland on the way. Click here to view more of Cheryl's articles!