Liverpool Student Guide: Everything you need to know if you’re a student in the city

The Guide’s Liverpool student guide: everything you need to know about life in Liverpool.

You’ve arrived or returned here to study – so you’ve already made the best decision and we have there perfect thing for you to help you start up in the city – the Liverpool Student Guide 2024.

With world class education combined with amazing nightlife, shopping, music and cultural events, who’d want to study anywhere else?

That said, we’re here to help you make the most of life in Liverpool and enjoy everything it has to offer with the ultimate student guide.

Here’s everything you need to know about getting around, drinks and dining deals, where to party (and where to chill), how to make that student loan last longer, and more…

Freshers Fairs

Before you do anything else, get the date of your freshers fair in your calendar.

Apart from all the welcome events that will be organised to help you settle in and meet your fellow students, you can find out loads of information about your university, like getting to know your student officers – and where to find them – what societies and groups they have if you want to get more involved, and how you can have your say.

And (probably) most important of all, it’s an opportunity to make new friends, get to know your flatmates and of course, grab a lot of free food, merch, discount vouchers and more!

Find out more about the LJMU Freshers Fair here, University of Liverpool Freshers Fair here and Liverpool Hope Freshers Fair here.

Your basic location guide to Liverpool

Liverpool City Centre

The hub! There’s not much of Liverpool city centre more than a few minutes’ walk from Lime Street train station or the bus station and it’s where you’ll find virtually everything you need, from the many shops on Church Street – the main shopping street – to Liverpool ONE complex with designer and indie boutiques as well as chain stores, bars and restaurants, and the ODEON cinema. 

You’ll also find theatres, and places like Roxy Ball Room and PINS where you can meet your mates for a drink and a game of pool, beer pong, or shuffleboard (and more – you know the score), and the new Flight Club Liverpool if you’re into darts. Plus there’s loads of other bars and restaurants – if you want a good vibe, try Castle Street, home to Castle Street Townhouse, Salthouse Bacaro, BoBo Iberian café, Black Barrel rum bar, Mowgli and more.

Mathew Street 

It is a magnet for stag and hen parties but this famous city centre thoroughfare’s also home to some of the liveliest boozers like The Grapes and McCooleys. You can get a selfie with Cilla and head to The Cavern to hear loads of live bands, go for a weeknight dance session at Eric’s, or join in the friendly banter at Flanagan’s Apple.

Liverpool waterfront

Liverpool’s waterfront is well-known for its landmark buildings, the Three Graces, made up of The Royal Liver Building which is home to the Liver Birds, the Cunard Building and the Port of Liverpool building. It’s also where you’ll find the M&S Bank Arena for all those big gigs, and the Royal Albert Dock, former dock buildings and warehouses that are now home to restaurants and bars, galleries, and museums like the Maritime Museum.

Baltic Triangle

What started out as a bunch of warehouseshas grown into an amazing and quirky social hub. It runs the length of Jamaica Street and includes Cains Brewery Village and Stanhope Street too.  Here you’ll find cool places like Punch Tarmey’s Irish Bar which is the place to go to for watching the footie and live music events, and The Baltic Market for live music, cocktails and street food.It’s also where you’ll find Camp And Furnace which does fab quiz and music nights, 24 Kitchen nightclub, Baltic Social, BOXPARK food and events space, and the bonkers Bongo’s Bingo.

Concert Square 

Considered the younger end of town, Concert Square, Fleet Street, Wood Street, Slater Street and Seel Street make up a mecca for Liverpool’s students. Modo and McCooley’s are among the go-to places here, along with The Jacaranda where all the live music fans hang out, Soho, Fusion, Einstein Bier Haus, Coyote Ugly Saloon, Level nightclub and more.

Bold Street/Ropewalks

The Ropewalks area got its name from craft of rope-making for the sailing ships that came and went from Liverpool in the 19th century, and has since developed into a hub for independent shops, restaurants, bars, nightlife and galleries. One of its main streets in Bold Street where you’ll find world food stores like Matta’s, quirky bazaars and international eateries. There’s loads of cultural venues in the area too, like FACT cinema, The Bluecoat arts centre and, at the top of Bold Street, the Bombed Out Church that has loads of events.

Crosby 

If you’re desperate for a bit of beach, one of the best fixes you’ll find is Crosby Beach, home to the Antony Gormley’s impressive Another Place Iron Men statues. It’s a 10-minute bus journey from the city centre and marks the beginning of 22 miles of Sefton coastline. You can see across the water right to Wirral and the North Wales hills, have a walk along the prom and, at certain (warmer) times of the year, it’s also where you’ll find The Bus Yard, a buzzing outdoor bar in a converted double-decker bus with regular live music and food.

Places to party 

Level – Jam Fridays

Freshers Week kicks off JAM, a new night every Friday at Level. From September 20 there’ll be two Jams on two different floors, one with pop anthems and one with the best of house. There’ll be £4 doubles, themed cocktails and prizes up for grabs every week.

Find out more here.

Heebie Jeebies – Dirty Antics

Thursday nights are Dirty Antics nights at the Seel Street nightclub with £3.50 doubles and all the music you want from tech to hip-hop and your fave pop bangers.

Find out more here.

Medication at Electrik Warehouse

Get some summer rave madness with Med (Medication) at Electrik Warehouse every Friday. There’ll be two rooms of DJs, dancers, and house, tech, chart, pop, indie and dance music; along with drinks offers, special events and giveaways. 

Find out more here.

Camp and Furnace

Hard to know where to start with this big Baltic event space, other than to say it’s where you’ll find its brill Bingo Lingo nights every Friday, lip-sync battles, quizzes, music and party nights and loads of other crazy events.

Find out more here.

The city’s got CIRCUS, one of the biggest clubbing brands in Europe

And there are four events still this year including the CIRCUS birthday bash at Blackstone Street Warehouse on Saturday, September 28 with guest artists including Chris Stussy, Josh Baker and Yousef.

Find out more here.

The Raz on Mondays

Back after a summer break, the Blue Angel nightclub – otherwise known as The Raz – is ready to liven up your Monday nights with Raz Bombs and Fat Frogs! There are special freshers’ nights on September 17 and 24 and giveaways galore. Word of advice though, it’s cash, no cards.

Find out more here.

Did you know, Liverpool is the home of Bongo’s Bingo?

Jonny Bongo’s maddest bingo game is a must night out, with Slutty Susie and Horny Heidi ready to raise the fun and action up a gear. You’ll find this mix of traditional bingo, dance-offs, rave intervals, audience participation and countless other magical moments at Cains Brewery Village and who knows, you might win a Henry Hoover?! Keep your eyes out for special student-only nights.

Find out more here.

The student staple – Shit Indie Disco

The Shit Indie Disco is always the fastest selling freshers’ event and it’s on at Electrik Warehouse in Wood Street on Thursdays, September 12 and 19. There’s five rooms of music with an Oasis special in room one! Voted the city’s best student night out you can get shots for £2, £4 doubles with a mixer and 3 Carlsberg or WKDs for £8 – and it sells out fast!

Find out more here.

Live music

Arts Bar Baltic

On Parliament Street in Elevator Studios, opposite Cains Brewery, Arts Bar Baltic is all about the creatives so it goes from chill place in the daytime (serving gorgeous stack sandwiches) to live music and DJs at night with one of the friendliest atmosphere’s you’ll find anywhere.

Find out more here.

24 Kitchen Street

Still in the Baltic Triangle, on Kitchen Street like the name says, 24 Kitchen Street is an old warehouse space that’s been turned into a live music venue and club. It’s a big champion of Liverpool’s underground music scene and home to Kylie’s favourite disco night Sonic Yootha.

Find out more here.

District

Club nights, festivals, gigs, screenings … you name it, District has it. On Jordan Street in the Baltic, District’s a proper creative hub at weekends – one of the annual Sound City venues – and it’s got a great outdoor space and bar for when the weather’s good enough.

Find out more here.

The Jacaranda

You can’t move in Liverpool for reminders of the city’s music heritage and the Jac on Slater Street is one to go to if you want your live music with an impressive side of Beatles history (they were student regulars). It’s a brilliant place, especially for catching local emerging artists. You can also visit Jacaranda Baltic, the brand’s newest venue, which has loads of great acts coming soon to the stage there.

Find out more here.

Kazimier Stockroom

Inside Kazimier Garden on Seel Street, a Liverpool garden bar legend in its own right, the Stockroom is a 100-capacity space to hear with a busy eclectic live music line-up. It’s small, but don’t hold that against it because it means you’re nice and close to the action.

Find out more here.

O2/The Olympia

Both of these venues are on the mid-size UK tour circuit so if you want to see a band that’s not quite Arena level but beyond tiny club, check out their listings because they’re likely to be there. 02 is in town, The Olympia’s a quick bus ride out in Kensington.

Find out more here and here.

Frederik’s

If jazz is more your kind of music then Fred’s is definitely one to get on your list because it has some buzzy live Hope Street Jazz nights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. It’s free to get in and the cocktails are every bit as good as the tunes.

Find out more here.

Student discounts/deals

You need to make your money last and life easier when you’re a student and the best way to do that is to take advantage of all the discounts and deals you can get, like these:

Student beans 

This is a website that’ll get you discounts on tons of shops and brands, with fashion and phone deals, and everything from houseware to Deliveroo.

Find out more here.

Liverpool ONE Student Event

Save the date – Wednesday, September 25 – because from 10am you can get exclusive offers, deals and discounts at some of your favourite Liverpool ONE shops, restaurants and entertainment venues, along with free gifts with purchases in some stores.

Find out more here.

Everyman Cinema off-peak student discount

All you need is a valid student ID to get cheaper price tickets for certain off-peak showings of all the latest films.

Find out more here.

UNiDAYS

Download the UNiDAYS app to get tons of discounts on national chain restaurants, bars and stores.

Find out more here.

TOTUM student discount membership

It used to be the NUS card, but it’s now the TOTUM card and app, and it can still get you discounts on loads of stuff not just in the UK but around the world.  Have a look if it’s worth it for you – prices for the card start from free to £14.99 for a 12-month subscription.

Find out more here.

Liverpool BID Company Student Takeover

The Student Takeover’s Liverpool BID Company’s ‘welcome’ or ‘welcome back’ to the city, and it’s negotiated deals and offers to help you settle in and start the new uni year on a high. Go to its website for updated news and offers.

Find out more here.

Getting about

You can find out about all the transport options at your fresher’s fair but here’s a quick recap on some of the mains to save while you get out and about around the city and city region.

Delta/Alpha Taxis

If you need to get somewhere in a hurry or home after a night out, there are two local taxi firms that are renowned for being reliable and decent value for money, and the cost doesn’t depend on demand.  You can download apps for both Alpha and Delta Taxis.

Visit the Delta website here and the Alpha website here.

Student Saver with Arriva 

Student and Young Persons’ Saver tickets are available to anyone up to the age of 19 or in full time education. All of the tickets are valid all day every day and offer unlimited travel on all Arriva services (except where stated) in specified zones. This includes evenings, weekends and half-term holidays; you can buy day tickets and week tickets, up to tickets for the whole year. They start from £2 for one bus journey to £500 for unlimited travel throughout the Liverpool City Region for the whole academic year.

Find out more here.

Merseytravel Term Time Ticket

Term Time Tickets are great for anyone, any age, in full-time education, training or work-based learning. They last for one term and are available for bus only (a Solo ticket), train only (Railpass ticket) or bus and/or train and/or Mersey Ferry (a Trio ticket). 

Find out more here.

University of Liverpool students can get discounted bus tickets…

On Arriva Buses, courtesy of the Guild. Find out about the different passes and how much each costs here.

Student Rail Card

You can get a third off rail travel with a Student Rail Card so this one could be for you, especially if you make regular or longer journeys home. Prices start at £30 for a one-year card; they reckon it’ll pay for itself with about three or four trips, and you get offers and rewards too.

Find out more here.

The Night Bus

The N1 Night Bus runs in the early hours of the morning every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and includes the city centre, Wirral and areas of south Liverpool. Operated by Stagecoach on a circular route that takes in Allerton Road, Smithdown Road, Upper Parliament Street and Myrtle Street as well as Hardman Street, Leece Street and Renshaw Street and city centre bars, pubs and clubs, it costs £2 so it’s a cheap and safe way to get home at the end of a night out.

Must-visits

You can’t visit Liverpool and not explore the city – although there’s so many great things to see you might have to spread it out a bit throughout the year. We’d start with this little lot though…

The Cathedrals

Liverpool has two cathedrals, Liverpool Cathedral and the Metropolitan Cathedral, which you’ll find at either end of Hope Street in the Georgian Quarter of the city. 

The Anglican Liverpool Cathedral is the tall brown gothic one and it’s the largest cathedral in Britain and the fifth largest in the world. It celebrates its centenary this year and was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, creator of the red telephone box. It’s also home to a collection of artworks, including For You by Tracey Emin, a pink neon sign that says ‘I felt you and I knew you loved me’.

Nicknamed the Birthday Cake – you’ll see why when you visit – The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King on Mount Pleasant is a dramatic icon of faith and awe-inspiring landmark on the Liverpool skyline with its circular sanctuary and stained-glass lantern tower.  

Find out more about Liverpool Cathedral here and Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral here.

Royal Albert Dock

The Royal Albert Dock on the waterfront is an area of former dock buildings and warehouses that are now home to restaurants – from Middle Eastern to Mexican, and Thai to Italian – and bars, shops, galleries, and museums like the Maritime Museum (and Tate Liverpool when it’s not undergoing a massive refurbishment). It’s also home to indie shops, attractions like Escape Hunt, amphibious Splash Tours Liverpool, and The Beatles Story, the largest Fab Four exhibition in the world.

Find out more here.

National Museums 

We’ve actually got 7 amazing museums which are all FREE to go in. So if you want to take a break from uni work and learn or see something new, they’re definitely worth a trip out. The Museum of Liverpool on the waterfront is where you’ll get your Scouse education and learn about the city and its people, while World Museum on William Brown Street has got an incredible planetarium, Natural World and Ancient Egypt permanent exhibitions, an Aquarium and, until May next year, Bees: A Story of Survival.

Find out more here.

Anfield/Goodison

We’ve got two cathedrals and two football clubs that you may well have heard of, Liverpool FC and Everton. Home for Liverpool is Anfield where you can go behind the scenes with tours of the stadium and museum – as well as abseil down the Main Stand – and Everton’s home, until next year at least when it moves to a brand-new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock, is Goodison Park. Everton also offers stadium tours to learn more about its history.

Find more about Anfield Stadium here and Goodison Park here.

Sefton Park

If you get a nice day you can bet everyone will head to Sefton Park to chill and enjoy its acres of green space, lake and pathways, and its café.  You’ll discover its popular with walkers, joggers and cyclists, and just the perfect place to spend those days when the sun’s shining and you want to get outdoors. You’ll also find here the stunningly restored Victorian Palm House and its botanical collection, and replica statues of Eros and Peter Pan.

Find out more here.

Crosby Beach

Made for relaxing and feeling the wind in your hair, it’s a little (huge!) oasis. It’s a 10-minute bus journey from the city centre and marks the beginning of 22 miles of Sefton coastline and you can see across the water right to Wirral and the North Wales hills from here.  If you fancy a day out and a picnic, or a walk along the sand, this is the place to head to.

Find out more here.

Get a picture at Beatles Statue

It’s as if they’ve never gone away! The statue of The Beatles at the Pier Head is another symbol of the city’s musical heritage and in particular a band of four that helped put Liverpool on the map.  Created by artist Andrew Edwards it arrived on the waterfront in December 2015 – and, with the Royal Liver Building in the background, it’s become one of the most popular selfie spots. So go on, you know you want to!

Find out more here.

Street art Baltic Triangle

Liverpool’s got loads of street art and some of the most famous is in the Baltic Triangle.  For starters you’ve got a piece commissioned by Liverpool FC of Jurgen Klopp by French artist Akse P19 on Jordan Street, and perhaps even more famous than that, Paul Curtis’s Angel Wings mural, For All Liverpool’s Liver Birds mural. Thousands of people have visited this including the Queen, then Duchess of Cornwall. 

Shopping

Liverpool ONE

This is your shopper’s paradise, packed with everything from luxury and high street brands and designer names: John Lewis, Zara, Harvey Nichols Beauty Bazaar, Bershka, Liverpool FC store, JD Sports, Waterstone’s and the list goes on.  It’s also where you’ll find the leisure terrace with loads of bars and restaurants – like Smoke & Dough, The Botanist, Waggamama, Nando’s… – as well as the ODEON Cinema, Flight Club, Escape Live, Gravity MAX, Roxy Ball Room and Junkyard Golf, as well as Chavasse Park with free events throughout the year.

Find out more here.

Metquarter

Metquarter’s home to the Everyman Cinema (big screen action, in-seat service and comfy seats!) and stores like Carvela, Cricket and Transalpino. You’ve got The Art Quarter where you can buy work from loads of local artists, and the GPO food market and bar. You’ll also find 200 degrees Coffee and Antonio’s coffee shop, and Urban Calm if you need a bit of a pamper or your lashes doing for a big night out.

Find out more here.

Bold Street

Topped by the brilliant Bombed Out Church (which is a great place to get a cab after a night out) Bold Street is independent city – stacked with boss indie stores selling everything from modern art, books, vintage clothes, fancy dress, homeware, international foods – and there’s even a cat café! It’s also where you find loads of great restaurants like Leaf, Maray, Mowgli, Fattoush, Fat Hippo and tons more.

Find out more here.

Red Brick Market

The best indoor market with around 50 independent sellers, offering everything from arts and crafts, vinyl records, pre-loved clothes, book shops, a tattooist, sweets, pet treats, household stuff…you get the idea. It’s a great place for a wander round and it’s in Cains Brewery Village so it’s right by everything else the Baltic’s best known for.

Find out more here.

St Johns Shopping Centre

The centre’s just off Church Steet and it’s packed with stores like Aldi and Argos, Matalan, HMV and JD Sports, as well as food outlets like KFC, McDonald’s and Caffe Nero. There’s also independent stores selling everything from clothes, hair accessories, jewellery, cards, and more, and a key cutting service for when you inevitably lose your keys. There’s also the mega Boom Battle Bar games and live music venue.

Find out more here.

Food

Honest Burgers

Honest Burgers is a burger restaurant on Bold Street serving fresh, handmade burgers, sides and more. They make everything from scratch, are committed to regenerative agriculture and source all their produce locally.

Find out more here.

Crazy Pedros

It’s always party time in Crazy Pedros and you can grab a beer or a margarita and a slice of pizza, listen to some music and join in the fun. This epic pizza place is in Parr Street.

Find out more here.

Rudy’s 

It’s all about the pizza for Rudy’s Liverpool and, just like in Naples, their dough is made on site every day, takes 24 hours to double ferment and just 60 seconds to cook. It’s fast and super-tasty and there are three Rudy’s in Liverpool dotted about from Bold Street, the Albert Dock and Castle Street.

Find out more here.

Bundobust

Bundobust Liverpool is an award-winning Indian street food and craft beer place based on Bold Street in Liverpool. They do great meat and veggie Indian food with value combos, and you really need to try the bhajis and the okra fries.

Find out more here.

Baltic Market

Baltic Market was Liverpool’s first street food market and it’s the perfect place for fussy friends and picky palates. The vendors are all small independent businesses selling everything from wood-fired pizzas to vegan Berliner junk food, and it’s the best place over the autumn and winter for live music, movie nights and other events.

Find out more here.

BOXPARK

Like loads of good places BOXPARK is in the Baltic Triangle and it’s one of the latest food and entertainment venues to arrive in Liverpool. There’s 16,000 sq ft of space that’s home to about 10 independent kitchen units; there are three bars inside and more outside so it’s great for eating and drinking day and night, and there’s always loads of entertainment on offer with live music, DJs and quiz nights.

Find out more here.

The GPO

This is one of the city’s largest food halls, offering up food from all over the world. You can get everything from pizza to poppadoms and wash it down with a drink from its huge bar. The GPO does things a little differently as well because it’s got its own ordering app, which allows you to earn cash back every time you order.

Find out more here.

McCooley’s 

The Concert Square pub fills up fast on weekends and match days with big screens to catch the action. If you’re hungry you can fill up too, on budget-friendly pub food including Irish sausages and mash, or spice boxes – their signature special filled with fried chicken, fries, chips, melted cheese in taco sauce, spicy red sauce and garlic mayo topped with tobacco onions.

Find out more here.

The Font

The Font in Arrad Street near the Metropolitan Cathedral’s been a favourite with students for more than 20 years.  It’s famous for its cheap cocktails and homemade burgers, and it now has an app so you get boss details and loyalty points for every pound spent.

Find out more here.

Down The Hatch

Down The Hatch is a vegan/ vegetarian restaurant and cocktail bar on Duke Street which serves wholesome, home cooked food and everything is 100% plant based from its amazing food menu to its cocktail specials. The portions are huge and they promise no judgement, so you can fill your boots.

Find out more here.

Nightcrawler Pizza

Nightcrawler inside The Merchant on Slater Street is the cheap, super-tasty saviour of student night out hangovers. The little pizza bar serves decent-sized New York-style slices as well as full pizzas, fresh baked from 12pm until late, to takeaway or take through.

Find out more here.

Other things you need to know about the city

* There are uni libraries – but there’s also Central Library in town.

* You’ll love Scousers, so don’t be afraid to ask anything and speak to them!

* Ask everywhere you go if they do student discount – you’ll be surprised how many do.

Find out the latest in Liverpool here.