Liverpool: Capital of Culture and Pop Music

If I was to say that there are lots of beautiful cities in England that are worth visiting, it would be the biggest lie that I had ever told. The issue is that England has lots and lots of cities - like Birmingham or Coventry - that are hideous.

Liverpool is one of the big exceptions to the general ugliness that overshadows the reputation of most English cities. Declared as a Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO, Liverpool is known above all for football and for being the home of The Beatles. When I was 15 years old, I did an exchange with an English family that lived in Liverpool, so this article is a summary of the places that they took me to, particularly the ones that I liked the most, which you should, without a doubt, make a note of for your next visit to England.

Leaving London in second place, Liverpool is the city with the greatest amount of museums and art galleries in the whole of England; the majority of them being free to visit. The World Museum takes you on a trip of the history of Earth during its millions of years of existence - from the sea to the stars - passing through each continent and with galleries about lots of ancient civilisations. You have nothing to lose by going to have a look around - it's free, after all.

The Walker Art Gallery is like the National Gallery in London, but the northern version. It's also free to visit, and it has sculptures and paintings by artists like Rubens, Rembrandt and Monet, in addition to a large collection of portraits of the Tudors.

Finally, the Tate Liverpool, which is located in the city's port, is the modern art museum. It has temporary exhibitions that change throughout the year, which have recently included works by Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso. Of course, like tradition in this city seems to suggest, it's also free to visit.

Speaking of the port, called Albert Dock, it is one of the most beautiful that I have seen in the world (so far) and is a hallmark of both the City of Liverpool and England as a whole. It's a huge area and is home to a big wheel, a merry-go-round, a large number of shops, restaurants, and cocktail bars, all surrounded by water and dazzling lights.

In this very same port, you can also find The Beatles Story, a museum dedicated to the Liverpudlian band. The Beatles have been one of my favourite bands for as long as I can remember, and although it is a little bit expensive (it costs £15), I highly recommend visiting it. The museum takes you on a trip down memory lane with information about the entire history of the band, a recreation of all the places they played at, many of their original instruments, a yellow submarine, and a lot of valuable relics, all of which are on display whilst the band's songs play in the background. If you like their music too and you're still intrigued, you can go to the bar where The Beatles used to play, The Cavern Club, which still exists to this day; it has a really cool vibe, and they still have local bands come and play their music live in the evenings.

Like almost all other English cities, Liverpool has two cathedrals: an Anglican one, which is the largest in England and the fifth largest in Europe, a beautiful building with stunning stained glass windows; and, a Catholic one, called the Metropolitan Church, which has a huge grey staircase on its facade and is both unmistakeable and beautiful, with a really cool circular layout inside. I don't remember if either of them cost money to enter, although you can climb the tower of the Anglican cathedral (which comes at a cost), from which you can enjoy the best views of the city. If you could go up when the sun is about to set, you would see the best sunset over the River Mersey, 500 feet above sea level.

A trip to the city would not be complete without making a stop at Anfield, the home of Liverpool Football Club. A tour of the stadium cost around £15, but they let you walk onto the pitch accompanied by the club's anthem, "You'll Never Walk Alone", and this is one of the fondest memories I have of the trip. I couldn't watch a football match while I was there, but if I could do it, I am sure that it would be an amazing experience.