Liverpool is blessed with some very good museums. Some are free to get into, which is a bonus!
Fortunately, Liverpool’s museums balance edification with modern life so avoids the stuffiness and boredom that many other museums suffer from.
Museums include The Museum of Liverpool, Maritime Museum, World Museum, Sudley House, Museum of Liverpool Life, The Beatles Story Exhibition, Western Approaches HQ Museum - The Battle of the Atlantic Experience, Lady Lever Art Gallery, International Slavery Museum and the Garstang Museum.
The Liverpool Historic Waterfront is somewhere everybody who spends time in the city ends up at some point. It’s historic, cool, interesting and has plenty going on.
The waterfront area is larger than just Royal Albert Dock. It includes the Liver Building, Tate Liverpool, Open Eye Gallery, Merseyside Maritime Museum, the International Slavery Museum and the Museum of Liverpool.
There are also bars, cafes, shops, the Mersey Ferry, restaurants, hotels and so much more.
You may be tired of staring at books but the Liverpool Central Library is a must-see. It’s one of the best free things to do in Liverpool and a nice place to spend time.
It’s on William Brown Street, not far from the Baltic or our student villages Marybone 1, Marybone 2 and Marybone 3. It’s easily accessible, free to get into and open until 8pm most weekdays.
Visit The Picton Reading Room, the lovely atrium staircase, the roof terrace, the archives, the many exhibitions held each year or just read one of the many tens of thousands of books.
You don’t have to be particularly religious to appreciate the sheer presence of Liverpool Cathedral and Metropolitan Cathedral.
Both are an important part of city life and are amazing to behold for their architecture as well as their spiritual meaning.
Liverpool Cathedral is on St. James Mount in the city centre close to the Baltic. The Gothic Revival architecture is amazing, as is the feeling of peace and quiet when you enter.
Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral is equally impressive but for completely different reasons. It’s on Mount Pleasant in the Knowledge Quarter and probably a building you see every day going to and from class or Sanctuary Students halls.
Liverpool is a city of culture and nowhere is that more apparent than in the many art exhibitions and galleries spread throughout the city.
Many are close to our student accommodation in Marybone and Grenville Street and provide a cheap, often free way to spend time while absorbing your surroundings.
Venues include the Walker Art Gallery, Tate Liverpool, Open Eye Gallery, Lady Lever Art Gallery, The Bluecoat, Victoria Gallery and Museum, FACT, OUTPUT and many others.
Cat Café really is a café for cats. It serves humans too, which is a bonus. The café is on Bold Street, close to the train station, so is very easy to get to.
The premise is simple. To provide a relaxing space to spend time with or without a cat, enjoy coffee and a snack and watch the world go by. It gets busy at times, so you’ll need to time your visit carefully.
If you do want to spend time with a cat, there’s a booking option on the website where you can book a slot.
You’ll get time with one of the café’s cats along with drinks and snacks included in the price.
Chinatown is close to the Baltic and our Grenville Street student accommodation. It is one of the largest and oldest Chinese areas anywhere in Europe.
Chinatown in Liverpool is as colourful and as characterful as you imagine. It is home to the Chinese Arch, numerous restaurants, the Liverpool Chinese Gospel Church and the Liverpool Chinese Christian Disciples Church and plenty of shops.
If you love Asian cooking, you’ll find every conceivable ingredient on sale somewhere!
Golf Fang (Ghetto Golf) is another fun thing to do in Liverpool as a student and must be experienced to be believed. This is crazy golf, but not as you know it.
It’s an unashamedly urban crazy golf course with a full 18 holes within a city centre venue. It’s colourful, quirky, often noisy and great fun. It costs money of course, but not so much you wouldn’t want to try it.
The food is pretty good, drinks mostly reasonably priced and there’s so much to see and do that it’s well worth the money.
Ultimate Indoor Paintball is another urban experience, this time paintballing rather than crazy golf. Located on Vauxhall Road, this is another convenient venue for students living on the Grenville Street or Marybone.
Ultimate Indoor Paintball sits inside an old warehouse and has a large play area where teams compete to be the last person standing. It’s great fun and the venue provides all the equipment so there’s no need to bring your own.
Ultimate Indoor Paintball offers packages but no student discount but is still worth the price!
Liverpool Wake Park at the Waterfront is a wakeboarding experience. It’s close to Royal Albert Dock in the Watersports Centre, a short walk from the city centre and is a great day out.
It isn’t free, but prices are reasonable. Opt for training and you’ll get one-on-one with some time to practice. It gets busy but you never feel rushed or under pressure to get out of anyone’s way.
If you want to try a new hobby in safe surroundings while having a laugh at the same time, Liverpool Wake Park could be just the ticket!
There are more than just 10 things to do of course, but we wanted to select a real cross-section of what’s on offer in the city.
We also wanted to highlight entertainment that’s close to the city centre and Sanctuary Students’ accommodation in Marybone and Grenville Street. You can get to any of these easily from either location.
Do any of these appeal? Have any other options to suggest? Know of any good free things to do in Liverpool we haven’t covered?