How to get to and around LJMU

Liverpool is located in the North West of England. The city benefits from excellent road, rail and air links. 

How to get to Liverpool by train

Liverpool is easily accessible by train from all major cities in the UK, the journey from London will take just over two hours. There are connections from both Manchester Airport and Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Once in Liverpool, the Merseyrail train network has good links to other parts of the city region.

How to get to Liverpool by air

Liverpool John Lennon Airport is only seven miles from the city centre and Manchester Airport is just a 45 minute drive.

How to get to Liverpool by car

Liverpool city region is well connected to the UK motorway network. From the M6 take the M62, M58 or M56 to reach the city centre.

LJMU is divided across these sites:

City Campus

Located close to the William Brown Street area, near to St George's Hall, the Walker Art Gallery, the Liverpool Museum and Central Library.

Mount Pleasant

Located mainly between the city's two cathedrals. Most of this area is covered by designated conservation areas and several university buildings are statutorily listed as being of architectural or historic interest.

Copperas Hill

Linking our two campuses, Copperas Hill is home to our landmark Student Life Building and LJMU Sports Centre. Conveniently located adjacent to Liverpool Lime Street train station and 5 minutes from Queens Square bus station for local routes, it is a short distance from the city centre and all LJMU buildings.

Maritime Knowledge Hub

Built around the iconic Grade 2 listed Hydraulic Tower building, the Maritime Knowledge Hub is based in Birkenhead.

Find out more about the campuses

Travel websites to help you plan your journey into and around Liverpool:

• Traveline Journey Planner  
• National Express
• National Rail Enquiries
• Liverpool John Lennon Airport
• Merseytravel
• Merseyrail

Walking is an easy way to get exercise into your daily routine without you really even noticing. Plus there’s no better way to save on travel costs. All of our sites are accessible by foot so why not get your walking shoes on and make a difference. If more of us walked there’d be less traffic on the roads which would mean lower pollution levels, improved air quality and less stressed people.

Find your best route to LJMU using Google maps.

Across our campuses we have a number of cycle storage areas (many of which are monitored by CCTV), as well as changing rooms and lockers for students, staff and visitors to use – check our map above to find these. Plus there is a dedicated University Cycle Route which offers a less congested route between the city centre and IM Marsh – the route takes approximately 25 minutes.

Citybike hire scheme

Citybikes can be hired for as little as £1 a day/£5 a week. If you join as an annual member for £55 you can make as many 30 minute bike rides you like for free (that’s as little as 15p a day). Citybike offer LJMU students a 50% discount on annual membership.

Citybike installations are positioned at key locations around the University:

• John Foster Building/Liverpool Science Park, Mount Pleasant
• Avril Robarts/Tithebarn Building
• Barkhill Road entrance, IM Marsh

Visit the Citybike website.

Liverpool has one of the best public transport systems in the UK, why not take advantage of this vast network. If you are unsure how to get where you are going, check out the Merseytravel journey planner app:

• Merseytravel Journey App: PC, iOS, Android

Buses

A good bus network operates in Merseyside and all of our sites are regularly serviced. Using the Merseytravel journey app will help you find the easiest and quickest bus route for your commute. You'll also find the links below useful:

• Stagecoach Buses ticket options
• Arriva’s ticket options
• PlusBus ticket options

Trains

Merseyside has a comprehensive rail service across the Liverpool City Region and the surrounding area, and is well-serviced from Southport, Warrington, Runcorn, Blackpool and Chester.

For University staff, students and visitors from Greater Manchester, TransPennine Express has an hourly service between Manchester Victoria and Liverpool which only takes 32 minutes. Students between the ages of 16-25 could get 1/3 off rail fares if using a 16-25 railcard.

Further afield, Liverpool can be reached by trains originating from Sheffield, Leeds, Nottingham, Stafford, Preston and Birmingham.

• For all ticket options visit the Merseytravel website

Ferries

If you're based on the Wirral, what better way to start your day than taking the famous ‘Ferry ‘Cross the Mersey’, especially when the weather is fine. There is a frequent weekday service with a journey time of around 10 minutes and the ferry terminal at Pier Head is a short walk to and from the City and Mount Pleasant campuses. There is a free park-and-ride at the Wirral terminal in Seacombe.

Visit the Mersey Ferries website.

Taxis

Take advantage of one of the least expensive taxi fares in the country. 

In Liverpool there are two types of taxis:

• Hackney-style (black cabs) which you can flag down on the street or find at the ranks throughout the city
• Private hire cabs which must be pre-booked

Useful links:

• You can order taxis from AlphaTaxis, ComCab, Delta or Village. Most taxi companies provide apps for you to download – more information is available from their websites

LJMU works closely with AccessAble, which publishes detailed information on accessibility across all LJMU's buildings and sites. AccessAble also provides detailed access information on the surrounding facilities such as student accommodation, cafes and restaurants, leisure facilities, cinemas, museums, places of worship and more. LJMU students who use AccessAble can tailor their profile to suit them, incorporating bespoke and favourited sites and trips. The Disability Advice Team and Disability Coordinators will be able to signpost you to the website, but you can also access it here: AccessAble

Further guidance on how access is facilitated on Liverpool’s public transport systems may be viewed via the following links:

• Bus accessibility information
• Rail travel accessibility information
• Mersey Ferries accessibility information
• Merseytravel Concessions
• Merseyrail details of facilities and Disabled Access available at each of its stations
• Merseyrail Advice and contact details for specific assisted rail travel requests

ComCab taxis has an extensive fleet of cabs which are accessible-friendly, including for wheelchair passengers.

LJMU offers provision of disabled car parking spaces across its sites.

Staff, students and visitors with an access query are encouraged to contact the Disability Advice Team.

Where to stay while you're in Liverpool

If you are looking for places to stay, whether it's overnight or for a longer visit, Visit Liverpool has a searchable database of hotels, B&Bs and self-catering options to suit all budgets and needs.