Travel to Liverpool
Flying to Liverpool
Airlines operating flights to Liverpool from other UK cities include easyJet and Flybe. There are no direct flights from London, but it's easy to travel between the two cities by train. Alternatively, Manchester Airport is around an hour away from Liverpool by direct train. If travelling from the USA, you can fly to Liverpool with KLM, changing in Amsterdam. Prices for domestic flights are fairly consistent year-round, although they tend to rise over the summer holidays and Christmas. International flights are usually cheaper outside July and August.
Flight times
From Belfast - 50 minutes; New York - 12 hours (including stopover); Los Angeles - 18 hours (including stopover); Toronto - 12 hours (including stopover); Sydney - 28 hours (including stopovers).
Travel by road
Traffic in the UK drives on the left. The speed limits are 113kph (70mph) on motorways, 97kph (60mph) on single-lane main roads and 48kph (30mph) in built-up areas.
Roads in the UK are well maintained. Non-British national driving licences and International Driving Permits are valid in the UK for up to one year; drivers must be over 17 years. Insurance is mandatory. Overseas visitors bringing their own cars should carry registration documents and check with their insurance company as to whether a Green Card is needed.
Breakdown service, traffic updates and general motoring information are available from the AA (tel: +44 121 275 3746; www.theaa.com) and the RAC (tel: +44 844 891 3111; www.rac.co.uk).
Emergency breakdown services
AA (tel: 0800 887 766, in the UK); RAC (tel: 0800 828 282, in the UK).
Routes
Liverpool is easily accessible via road and is situated close to the motorways and other major northern cities. Liverpool is signposted from the M6 and the M62 if travelling from the south and the M58 if travelling from the north.
Coaches
National Express (tel: +44 871 781 8181; www.nationalexpress.com) operates regular coach services connecting Liverpool with various destinations in the UK including Victoria Coach Station in London. The National Express terminal is located in the centre of the city on Norton Street within easy walking distance of Lime Street railway station in the northeast of the city.
Time to city
From London - 4 hours; Manchester- 1 hour; Birmingham- 2 hours; Newcastle - 3 hours 15 minutes; Leeds - 1 hour 30 minutes.
Travel by Rail
Services
Liverpool Lime Street station is the city's main railway station located in the northeast of the city centre. Liverpool is well connected to other UK cities by an efficient rail service.
Operators
Virgin Trains (tel: +44 871 977 4222; www.virgintrains.co.uk) operates numerous services to Liverpool including a fast service from London using tilting Pendolino trains.
Other rail operators running services to Liverpool include East Midlands Trains (tel: +44 3457 125 678; www.eastmidlandtrains.co.uk), London Midland (tel: 0844 811 0133; www.londonmidland.com), Northern (tel: +44 333 222 0125; www.northernrail.org) and Transpennine Express (tel: +44 345 600 1671; www.tpexpress.co.uk).
For all train information, contact National Rail Enquiries (tel: +44 3457 484 950; www.nationalrail.co.uk).
Journey times
From London - 2 hours 15 minutes; Manchester - 50 minutes; Birmingham - 1 hour 35 minutes; Newcastle - 3 hours.
Travel by boat
Liverpool has three different ferry ports: Pier Head, off St Nicholas Place, Princes Parade; Gladstone Dock in Bootle, and Twelve Quays, Tower Road, Birkenhead.
Ferry operators
The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company (tel: +44 8722 992 992; www.steam-packet.com) provides services from Douglas to Pier Head in 2 hours 45 minutes year-round and winter-only services to Twelve Quays in 4 hours 15 minutes.
Stena Line (tel: +44 844 770 7070; www.stenaline.co.uk) provides services from Belfast to Twelve Quays in 8 hours.
P&O Ferries (tel: +44 800 130 0030; www.poferries.com) offers services from Dublin to Gladstone Dock in around 8 hours.
Transfer
From Twelve Quays, it is a short walk to Hamilton Square railway station (Birkenhead) where services connect to Liverpool in less than 10 minutes. From Gladstone Dock, ferry passengers should get a taxi for the journey into the city. From Pier Head, there are bus services which connect the terminal to Liverpool Lime Street station and other parts of the city.
