Getting around Liverpool

If you’re landing at Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport, you’ve got several options for getting into the city. But remember you could save yourself the journey into town by booking into our hotel near Liverpool Airport.

First up there’s the bus. A quick, efficient bus service runs from John Lennon Airport to the city. The 500 Airport Flyer service has a fleet of buses specially designed to accommodate passengers and their luggage – and there’s free Wi-Fi and USB charging on-board, too. The Flyer takes 35 minutes and runs every half an hour, ending up at the Liverpool ONE bus station.

There are two other airport buses serving the city – the 80A and 86. These are more frequent, but can take up to an hour to get into town at busy times. Fares are cheap but, if you’re planning to use public transport a lot during your stay, you can buy a Walrus card at the airport terminal. They’re valid on local buses, trains and even some Mersey ferries.

The closest train station to Liverpool Airport is two miles away at Liverpool South Parkway. But if you need to get a train to Manchester, Birmingham or elsewhere in the UK from the airport, it’s a great option. You can easily get to the station by hopping in a taxi, or by taking the 500, 80 or 86 bus.

You can also get trains from Liverpool South Parkway to Liverpool Lime Street, right in the heart of the city centre. Typical journey times are about 15 minutes. From Lime Street, it’s a 10-minute walk or a quick bus ride to Liverpool ONE.

Thinking of driving? Liverpool Airport has its own Car Rental Centre, which you’ll find on the ground floor of the short stay car park, directly opposite the terminal building. You can take your pick from Hertz, Enterprise, Europcar and Avis. The Car Rental Centre is open seven days a week, and you can book car hire online. When you’re dropping the car back, the airport is well signposted, but if you’re using the sat-nav, the airport postcode is L24 1YD.

Or you could just hop in a taxi. Liverpool has England's largest hackney carriage fleet outside London, so getting a cab from the airport into town couldn’t be easier. There’s a hackney cab rank just outside the entrance to the terminal, and there’ll be a taxi waiting no matter what time your flight arrives. Taxis to the city centre will take about 25 minutes.

You’ve made it to your Liverpool hotel, but how are you going to get around town now you’re here? We’ve explored all your options.

Hopping on a bus is a great way to explore the city. It’s cheap, it’s green and you’ll almost certainly get to sample some of the friendliness the city is famous for. Most buses are fully accessible and there’s reasonably priced flat fare that covers the whole of the city. The two main city centre bus terminals are Paradise Street Bus Station near Liverpool ONE and the Queen Square Bus Station.Although run by Mersey Ferries, the service is owned by Merseytravel, meaning you can buy a ticket that covers bus, rail and river crossings.

Crossing the Mersey by ferry just has to be done. On the other side you’ll find the Wirral where must-see attractions include the picturesque Port Sunlight Village with its Lady Lever Art Gallery. Although run by Mersey Ferries, the service is owned by Merseytravel, meaning you can buy a ticket that covers bus, rail and river crossings.

When it come to travelling by bike, Liverpool is a cyclist’s dream. Not only are there designated cycle lanes and routes all over the city centre, Liverpool ONE shopping centre has its own state-of-the-art cycle store with 50 cycle bays, CCTV and 24-hour access. CityBikes can be hired from as little as £3 per day from 100 docking stations across the city.

Want to beat the city centre traffic? Take the train! Nowhere in the city is far from a station – there are 66 in and around the Liverpool area. Run by Merseyrail, trains are frequent, and there are four underground stations - Liverpool Central, James Street, Lime Street lower level and Moorfields. Tickets are easy peasy too, with Day Savers for individual travel and the Merseyrail Family Ticket if you’re all going together.

The main station in Liverpool is Liverpool Lime Street, and it’s the oldest grand terminus mainline station still in use in the world. Use Lime Street to pick up the TransPennine Express to Newcastle via Manchester Victoria, Leeds and York, or to catch the Virgin Trains service to London Euston. Arriving into Lime Street?  You won’t have far to walk, because our hotel near Lime Street Station is just a short wheelie-suitcase trundle away.

Although smaller than Lime Street, Liverpool Central Station is just as busy. It serves both the Northern and Wirral Line on the Merseyrail network and offers trains to Southport, Ormskirk and Kirby, as well as to Chester and New Brighton. If you need to use Liverpool Central, the Liverpool City Centre (Liverpool One) hotel is close by.