32 Best Sights in Manchester, Liverpool, and the Peak District, England

The United Kingdom's first-ever national park (inaugurated in 1951, paving the way for a further nine parks), the Peak District provides a wild green space for the estimated 20 million people who live within an hour’s journey of it, including the inhabitants of Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent, as well as for millions of visitors from outside the area. Located mostly in northern Derbyshire but including parts of Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, Cheshire, and Yorkshire, the national park is generally divided into the Dark Peak (gritstone moorlands) and the White Peak (limestone), but it has a remarkable diversity of landscapes that make it popular with hikers, cyclists, climbers, and cavers.

It's also much-loved for the spa towns, country houses, and heritage sites that are found within the park itself. Visitor centers with information on outdoor activities in the region can be found in Bakewell, Castleton, Derwent, and Edale. Public transport is patchy; it's best explored by car.

To understand the city's prosperous maritime past, head for these 7 acres of restored waterfront warehouses built in 1846. Named after Queen Victoria's consort, Prince Albert, the dock provided storage for silk, tea, and tobacco from the Far East until it was closed in 1972. Today, the fine colonnaded brick buildings contain the Merseyside Maritime Museum, the International Slavery Museum, Tate Liverpool, and the Beatles Story. When weather allows, you can sit at an outdoor café overlooking the dock; there are also bars, restaurants, and even hotels on the site. For a bird's-eye view of the Albert Dock area, take the rotating Wheel of Liverpool—a 60-meter-tall version of the London Eye. Much of the waterfront pedestrian area is cobblestone, so wear comfortable shoes.

Entertaining scenes at this popular attraction in the Albert Dock complex re-create stages in the Beatles' story (and their later careers as solo artists). You'll find everything from the enthusiastic early days in Germany and the Cavern Club to the White Room, where "Imagine" seems to emanate from softly billowing curtains. A shop sells every conceivable kind of souvenir a Fab Four fan could wish for.

A must-see for Beatles pilgrims, this tour takes you to Mendips, the 1930s middle-class, semidetached house that was the home of John Lennon from 1946 to 1963, and 20 Forthlin Road, Paul McCartney's childhood home. After his parents separated, John joined his aunt Mimi at Mendips; she gave him his first guitar but banished him to the porch, saying, "The guitar's all very well, John, but you'll never make a living out of it." Meanwhile, Forthlin Road is a modest 1950s council house where a number of the Beatles' songs were written. The tours leave from Liverpool South Parkway Station or Speke Hall. Advanced reservations are essential as visits are strictly limited.

This 1930s structure was once the world's biggest municipal library, and today its circular exterior, topped by a line of Doric columns and a massive Corinthian portico facing St. Peter's Square, is a major focus for Manchester's most prestigious civic quarter. Notable sights within the library are the Henry Watson Music Library with a DJ-mixing desk and instrument collection that is free to use; the Children's Library; and free Wi-Fi, displays on local history, and a convenient café.

One of England's greatest country houses, the "Palace of the Peak" is the ancestral home of the dukes of Devonshire and stands in vast parkland grazed by deer and sheep. Originally an Elizabethan house, it was altered over several generations starting in 1686 and now has a hodgepodge look, though the Palladian facade remains untouched. It's surrounded by woods, gardens, greenhouses, rock gardens, and a water cascade—all designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century and, in the 19th, Joseph Paxton, an engineer as well as a brilliant gardener. Plan on a half day to explore the grounds; avoid Sunday if you can, as it gets very crowded.

Inside are intricate carvings, superb furniture, van Dyck portraits, Sir Joshua Reynolds's Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire and Her Baby, John Singer Sargent's enormous Acheson Sisters, and fabulous rooms, including the Sculpture Gallery, the library, and the Painted Hall. On the estate, you'll also find a working farm with milking demonstrations, an adventure playground, cafés, restaurants, a tea shop, and a farm shop; you can even stay in several cottages scattered throughout the grounds.

A 15-minute drive outside Matlock, this period village includes the National Tramway Museum of Antique Vehicles and a tram restoration workshop with a public viewing gallery. On the vintage streets, you can board old trams that take you to the surrounding countryside and back. Spend your pennies in the old-fashioned sweets shop or ice cream parlor before exploring the woodland walk and play areas.

The thought-provoking exhibits in this striking, aluminum-clad building, which architect Daniel Libeskind described as representing three shards of an exploded globe, present the reasons for war and show its effects on society. Hourly Big Picture audiovisual shows envelop you in the sights and sounds of conflicts while a timeline from 1914 to the present examines objects and personal stories from veterans showing how war changes lives. Excellent special exhibitions cover everything from life in Britain during the Blitz to artistic responses to conflict. The museum is on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal in The Quays, across the footbridge from the Lowry. It's a five-minute walk from the MediaCityUK stop of the Metrolink tram.

This University of Manchester–owned museum is in a superb Gothic Revival building with modern add-ons. Its latest extension has added a superb South Asia gallery and a Chinese culture gallery. Embracing anthropology, natural history, and archaeology, the museum features one of the U.K.'s largest ancient Egyptian collections as part of the extensive Ancient Worlds galleries, a beautiful Living Worlds gallery designed to raise questions about our attitude towards nature, and a vivarium complete with live frogs and other amphibians and reptiles. A lively events program for all ages helps lure in repeat visitors.

This wonderful five-floor museum captures the triumphs and tragedies of Liverpool's seafaring history. In addition to presenting exhibits of maritime paintings, models, ceramics, and ships in bottles, it brings to life the ill-fated stories of the Titanic and Lusitania; the Battle of the Atlantic; and the city's role during World War II. Seized, the gallery for the Border Force National Museum, explores the heroes and villains of the world of smuggling, together with the story of mass emigration from the port in the 19th century, while the Life on Board gallery looks at everyone from merchant sailors to leisure cruise-liner passengers.

The venue's historic buildings, one of which is the world's oldest passenger rail station (1830), hold marvelous collections relating to the city's industrial past and present, although conservation, restoration, and expansion planned up to 2030 will mean certain areas are off-limits or obscured by scaffolding. You can walk through a reconstructed Victorian sewer, be blasted by the heat and noise of working steam engines, see cotton looms whirring in action, and watch a planetarium show. Allow at least half a day to get the most out of all the sites, temporary exhibitions, talks, and events.

The Peak District's extraordinary geology can be seen up close in this large limestone cave far beneath the 100 acres of Buxton Country Park. Inhabited in prehistoric times, the cave contains, in addition to the standard stalactites and stalagmites, the source of the River Wye, which flows through Buxton. The Country Park paths take you up to Grin Low, home to the Victorian fortified hill marker Solomon's Tower, the remains of several Bronze Age burial chambers, and views of Mam Tor and Kinder Scout. There's also a fun Go Ape! treetop adventure course on-site. Admission to the cave includes a guided tour lasting nearly an hour.

This 154-acre garden has transformed the heritage grounds of Worsley New Hall into a delightful green space for both locals and visitors. There's a kitchen garden, a stream-side Chinese garden, community growing spaces, a learning garden, and a play area. It's accessible via pre-booked visits only.

The area's most exciting cavern has 106 slippery steps leading down to tunnels blasted out by 19th-century lead miners. You transfer to a small boat for the claustrophobic ¼-mile trip through an illuminated access tunnel to the cavern itself. At this point you're 600 feet underground, with views down into the so-called Bottomless Pit, which is filled with water. An on-site shop sells items made of Blue John, a mineral found nowhere else in the world.

There is no permanent collection at this offshoot of the London-based art galleries of the same name. Instead, it hosts challenging exhibitions of modern and contemporary art that change every couple of months. During development and expansion of the museum's original home—a handsome conversion of Albert Dock warehouses by the late James Stirling, one of Britain's leading 20th-century architects—it has been housed in the RIBA North building on Mann Island, just 425 meters away. Although the space is smaller, its two galleries are well worth visiting. 

With a superb display of British art and some outstanding Italian and Flemish works, this is one of the best British art collections outside London. Don't miss the unrivaled collection of paintings by 18th-century Liverpudlian equestrian artist George Stubbs or works by J. M. W. Turner, Claude Monet, Frederic Lord Leighton, and the Pre-Raphaelites. Modern artists are included, too, including one of David Hockney's typically Californian pool scenes. Other excellent exhibits showcase classical Greek and Roman sculptures as well as china, silver, and furniture that once adorned the mansions of Liverpool's industrial barons. There are temporary exhibitions, including those focusing on photography, and a dedicated children's art space. The café holds center stage in the airy lobby.

This University of Manchester–owned art museum is beautifully—and uniquely—integrated into the surrounding parkland through its art garden, sculpture terrace, orchard garden, and landscape gallery. Some of the free events and activities take you into the park itself, including children's outdoor art clubs. The renowned collections inside the gallery embrace British watercolors, Old Master drawings, postimpressionist works, wallpapers, and an outstanding textile gallery befitting a city built on textile manufacturing. There's also a learning studio for families and a "café in the trees" overlooking the art garden, with a seasonal British menu.

Located in the former first-class lounge of the historic Cunard Building, this venue traces the story of British music through a colorful array of costumes, instruments, and other memorabilia. Regular events include celebrations of particular musical icons, and there are school-holiday activities for kids.

Site of an early Roman fort, the district of Castlefield was later the center of the city's industrial boom, which resulted in the building of Britain's first modern canal in 1764 and the world's first railway station in 1830. It has been beautifully restored into an urban park with canal-side walks, landscaped open spaces, and refurbished warehouses. The 7-acre site contains the reconstructed gate to the Roman fort of Mamucium, the buildings of the Museum of Science and Industry, and several bars and restaurants, many with outdoor terraces. You can easily spend a day here. The site is also currently home to the Castlefield Viaduct Sky Park, inspired by New York City's High Line. This green oasis with more than 3,000 plants is open throughout summer.

A cable car ride across the River Derwent takes you to this 60-acre country park on the crags above Matlock Bath. Tickets include access to the woodland walk, nature trails and a willow sculpture trail, guided tours of two caverns and a former lead mine where workers toiled by candlelight, access to the film theater, and use of the audio tour. There are also two adventure playgrounds and a restaurant. The parking lot has a display-and-pay (by the hour) system of payment.

Clad in perforated steel and glass, this arts center is one of the highlights of the Salford Quays waterways. L. S. Lowry (1887–1976) was a local artist, and one of the few who painted the industrial landscape; galleries here showcase the world's largest collection of his paintings alongside work by contemporary artists. The theater has three spaces showcasing everything from West End musicals and new works by up-and-coming theater companies to some of the U.K.'s most popular stand-up comedians. The nearest Metrolink tram stop is Harbour City, a 10-minute walk away.

Behind an impressive classical portico, this splendid museum and its sparkling modern atrium houses an outstanding collection of paintings by the Pre-Raphaelites and their circle, notably Ford Madox Brown's masterpiece Work and Holman Hunt's The Hireling Shepherd. British artwork from the 18th and 20th centuries is also well represented. The second-floor Craft and Design Gallery shows off the best of the decorative arts in ceramics, glass, metalwork, and furniture. The Lion's Den (Clore Art Studio) is a creative space for families while the Derek Jarman Pocket Park pays homage to the eponymous artist's iconic garden in Dungeness, Kent.

Hop on a 50-minute River Explorer Cruise along the River Mersey for fine views of the city—a journey celebrated in "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey," Gerry and the Pacemakers' 1964 hit song. It was from Pier Head that 9 million British, Irish, and other European emigrants set sail between 1830 and 1930 for new lives in North America, Australia, and Africa.

Clad in Jura stone and shaped like a ship, with a spectacular spiral staircase running from the atrium to each floor, this ambitious waterfront museum tells the story of the city from its earliest settlement in the Neolithic Age. Highlights include an extraordinary 3-D map with different perspectives of the city as you move around it, an engrossing film about soccer culture, and an interactive timeline peeling away layers of Liverpool's history. There's a children's gallery and family museum trails, too.

This striking, glass-skinned triangle of a building includes a galaxy of footballing (soccer) memorabilia, from historic trophies, souvenirs, and shirts (many of them match-worn and signed by legends of the sport) to such near-sacred items as the ball from the 1966 World Cup—the last time England won the sport's ultimate prize. There's also lots of interactive fun to be had, like in the penalty shoot-out area.

These 23 acres are home to a miniature train, a boating lake, a play area, and the 1870s Pavilion building. With its ornate iron-and-glass roof, the latter was originally a concert hall and ballroom, but it's now the setting for an arts center, three cafés, an ice-cream parlor, a market hall, and a gift boutique.

Caves riddle the town and surrounding area, and in this massive example, rope making has been done on a great ropewalk for more than 400 years—as evidenced by the remains of a rope-makers' village dating from the 17th century. Some trivia to keep kids amused: the cavern was called the "Devil's Arse" due to the flatulent noise that water makes when draining out of the caves. Events held here include pop-up cinemas, concerts, and Christmas carols.

In 1176, Henry II added the square tower to this Norman castle, whose ruins occupy a dramatic crag. From here you can still see a curving section of the medieval defensive earthworks in the town center below. Peveril Castle is protected on its west side by a 230-foot-deep gorge formed by a collapsed cave; unsurprisingly, it was considered the best-defended castle in England in its day and was never captured or besieged. However, its relative lack of strategic importance meant that it wasn't well maintained, and, in 1609, it was abandoned altogether. Park in the town center, from which it's a steep climb up.

Winston Churchill said that the threat of a U-boat attack from the Atlantic was his greatest fear during World War II. At this evocative war museum, you can explore the warren of rooms under the city streets that served the top-secret "Western Approaches Command HQ" from 1941 to 1945. The lofty Operations Room, full of the state-of-the-art technology of the time, is especially interesting.

Heading northwest to Edale, the most spectacular driving route is over Winnats Pass, through a narrow, boulder-strewn valley. The name means "wind gate," due to the wind-tunnel effect of the peaks on each side. Beyond are the tops of Mam Tor (where there's a lookout point) and the hamlet of Barber Booth, after which you run into Edale.