A place doesn’t have to be contemporary and cutting-edge to be cool. Case in point: the Georgian Quarter in Liverpool. The 200-year-old locale has two cathedrals (the sci-fi-esque Metropolitan Cathedral and the gigantic Liverpool Anglican Cathedral), streets lined with classic 19th century townhouses, and an art deco Philharmonic Hall. But it also has an exciting creative edge, and is one of Time Out’s coolest neighbourhoods in the UK for 2026.
The annual list celebrates parts of British towns and cities that have booming restaurant scenes, thriving independent businesses, a host of cultural goings on and a tight sense of community. The Georgian Quarter ranks 10th, below the likes of Beeston in Nottingham, Crookes in Sheffield, the Cathedral Quarter in Belfast and Govanhill in Glasgow.
Time Out contributor and Liverpool local Amy Browne said: ‘The headstones of St James’ Mount and Gardens are a reminder of the area’s storied heritage, while new-ish spots like indie coffee roasters Coffi and brasserie Barnacle show that this 200-year-old neighbourhood has capacity for constant reinvention.’
Amy suggests checking into Hope Street Hotel and spending some time in its spa before exploring the rest of the area. Pick up a flat white from Moose, catch a show at Unity Theatre, order a plate of pappardelle at Buyer’s Club and soak in the 360 views on the Liverpool Cathedral Tower Experience (on a good day, you can see as far as Blackpool).
I’m sure we can all agree that nowhere in the UK is truly cool unless it has a pub. The Georgian Quarter has a dozen of them. Finish your day there with a pub crawl across the area’s finest boozers, The Grapes, Ye Cracke, Peter Kavanagh’s and The Phil (which is worth going to purely for the incredible Grade I-listed loos).
Plus: Four cities are competing to be crowned UK City of Culture 2029.
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