As a 46 year old Englishman, you would think that I would have visited Manchester at least a handful of times in my longish life, but, strangely, I have only ever managed to get there once, and that was about 25 years ago. I was, however, still flabbergasted at the difference in the city I had seen back in the 90s and the one that I was in now… it was barely recognisable as the same place.

Liverpool has been called the ‘most exciting place to go out in the UK’, and with its ever-changing array of pubs, bars and clubs it’s easy to see why. With a fairly compact city centre, it’s easy to get around and try a bit of everything, so whether you’re an indie kid, a hardcore clubber or a warehouse raver, here’s our guide to the best areas for going out in Liverpool.

These days Manchester is globally renowned due to its two incredibly successful football teams, City with their magnificent Etihad stadium and United with Old Trafford, or the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ as it’s known, both of which have won enough trophies in the last 30 years to satisfy any fan, but Manchester is far more than just the home of football. It is also a booming centre for business, the cultural heart of the North-West and a buzzing city that is going through a period of regeneration.

 'The North' has long been characterised with a single four-letter adjective - 'grim'. It's a horrible little word that manages to offend just about anyone who lives anywhere north of Oxford.

Liverpool was made internationally famous by The Beatles in the 1960s, and since then it has been the centre of pop music not only in the UK but globally. Since The Beatles were first discovered in a small nightclub called The Cavern, Liverpool has not been shy about boasting about their most famous ‘sons’, they even named the airport after John Lennon! But Liverpool is much more than just the place where The Beatles are from…