The most visited zoo in the UK offers an extensive diversity of species and around 35,000 different animals at only a 35-minute car ride south of Liverpool's city centre. You can easily spend an entire adventurous day with your family or partner exploring the 128 acres of this zoological garden. The zoo contains highly endangered animals such as black rhinos, Bornean orangutans and Asian elephants, to name a few.

The beguinages of Flanders and the Netherlands are always oases of calm and stillness, where you might still expect to see an old beguine mumbling her prayers in a doorway. Two of Ghent’s three beguinages have been included on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Although the Old St Elizabeth Beguinage, in Begijnhofdries in Ghent, is no longer enclosed by a wall, making it simply part of the city, it still has a unique atmosphere. Today the Old St Elizabeth Beguinage is known as ‘holy corner’, a place of religious tolerance, because it has no less than three different churches: one is Roman Catholic, one is Orthodox and the other is Protestant. From bleachfield to orchard This open beguinage grew into something of a ‘beguine city’ in the 13th century, with a church, the ‘Grootjuffer’s House’, an infirmary, a chapel, more than a hundred houses for beguines, a bleachfield (a field where linen was laid out to bleach) and an orchard. After the French Revolution, with increasing industrialisation, the inhabitants moved to their new beguinage in Sint-Amandsberg in 1873.

Explore the Royal Albert Dock and experience a captivating fusion of history, art, and entertainment. Opened in 1846, this architectural marvel, designed by Jesse Hartley and Philip Hardwick, stands as Britain's first structure constructed entirely from cast iron, brick, and stone, with no reliance on wood for its structure. This iconic complex houses an impressive array of cultural landmarks, including the renowned Tate Liverpool, The Beatles Story, Merseyside Maritime Museum, and the thought-provoking International Slavery Museum. Beyond its rich cultural offerings, the dock also boasts a vibrant assortment of shops, bars, and restaurants, creating a lively and diverse destination for visitors.