From the airport: A taxi from John Lennon International to the city centre is about £10. The number 500 airport bus runs every 30 minutes and takes the scenic route along Otterspool Promenade for £2.
Stay in style under £100 . . .
At Express by Holiday Inn, in the showpiece Albert Dock. It is next to the Beatles Story museum. Doubles from £67 (0151-709 1133).
. . . or splash out: At Trials Hotel. Each room is a suite with a whirlpool bath. Ornate, 19th-century building opposite Queen Victoria’s monument. Doubles £140 (0151-227 1021, www.trialshotel.com).
Cutting-edge eating . . . The Pacific Bar & Grill, 11 Victoria Street (0151-236 0270). All-day breakfast of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. Jazz on Wednesdays. Disc jockeys spin laid-back tunes at weekends.
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. . . and a local classic: Simply Heathcotes, Beetham Plaza, The Strand (0151-236 3536). Paul Heathcote, the chef, offers variations on black pudding and bread-and-butter pudding. All-glass front area in the shape of a grand piano.
Don’t miss: Mathew Street at night. Along with the Cavern, the Beatles’ old venue, there’s an agreeable mix of jolly, inexpensive bars and pubs, many open till midnight and beyond.
Insider tip: Look up or miss the astonishing well-preserved classic architecture of this city.
Contacts: Tourist information (charged at 25p per minute): 0906 680 6886. Accommodation line (local call rate): 0845 601 1125. Websites: www.merseyside.org.uk, www.visitliverpool.com.