Free festivals, warehouse bars and arty beaches: 48 hours in Liverpool

THERE's more to Liverpool than its music legacy.

This former seafarers’ city is back in the spotlight over the summer with a huge contemporary arts festival and Europe’s biggest free music event.

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Add to that quirky cafes, warehouse bars and a beach right on your doorstep, and you’ve got yourself a lorra, lorra fun.

JOIN the festival-goers

The has kicked off with art installations all over the city – catch it before October 16.

Meanwhile, the free (July 21-24) has Lianne La Havas and local boys The Wombats on the bill.

Fancy some retail therapy?

Check out for Scandi furniture and unicorn necklaces.

Then hit boho for galleries and vintage stores such as Gasp.

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TOUR the Fab Four’s fave spots

the places that inspired John, Paul, Ringo and George on the Magical Mystery Tour, £16.95, and pose by the Penny Lane sign and graffiti-covered Strawberry Field gate.

Then hit up the to see today’s local bands.

For more 1960s nostalgia, take a , £10, where Love Me Do is played as you take in the skyline.

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SIP pay-as-you-stay coffee

At on the revamped Albert Dock, everything you eat and drink is free – you just pay for the time you spend there.

Tuck into toasties, brownies and coffee for just 8p per minute.

Bold Street is a top foodie destination, where Indian tapas restaurant dishes up unusual eats like green ginger and rhubarb dahl, £4.50.

Up the road, Maray offers small Middle Eastern plates such as lamb kofta with smoked paprika tahini and pine nuts, £6.

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PARTY in warehouse bars

Warehouses and factories in Baltic Triangle are now hipster bars and clubs.

With open log fires, VW Camper Vans, fairy lights and live music, has all the fun of a festival without the mud.

Seek out the 99 doughnut – custard-filled with a flake – at nearby .

Then dance it off at , a former recycling yard hosting everything from club nights to early morning raves and martial arts events.

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HIT the beach

Sculptor Antony Gormley’s Another Place – a haunting army of 100 cast-iron life-size sculptures – has put Crosby beach on the map.

Behind the dunes, the marina is a maze of pontoons, cycle trails, beach bars and watersports – and it’s less than 20 minutes by train from Liverpool Central, £3.40 one-way.

For greenery, stroll around 235-acre Sefton Park in the south of the city, with its Victorian and boating lake.

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SNOOZE on the docks

With views of the Wheel of Liverpool, the waterfront wins on location alone. It’s cool, too, with exposed brickwork and luxe touches, such as CO Bigelow toiletries and in-room iPads.

Double rooms cost from £66.50 per night.