Liverpool
Liverpool sits on the Mersey estuary in north-west England, 40 minutes from Royal Birkdale by Merseyrail and the natural base for anyone extending their Open Championship trip. It is a UNESCO World Heritage waterfront city — the Albert Dock, Beatles history, and Tate Liverpool all within walking distance of each other. The food scene has quietly become one of England's best, with a tight cluster of serious restaurants along the waterfront and in the Georgian Quarter.
Curated Experiences
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The Links — Festival Hub at The Open
Ticket Plus: a private base, covered grandstand at the 4th, and food trucks — without taking you off the course.
Royal Birkdale
Hillside Golf Club — The Secret Next Door
The finest British links course never to have hosted The Open — separated from Royal Birkdale by nothing but a footpath.
Hillside, Southport
Signature Hospitality — Dunes House & The Retreat
Four on-course venues, a reserved 18th grandstand seat, and a Champagne lounge at the 7th — The Open's top hospitality.
Royal Birkdale
The Vincent Hotel, Lord Street
Southport's sharpest boutique hotel — 59 rooms, a rooftop penthouse with a hot tub, 2 miles from the first tee.
Lord Street, Southport
The Dunes — Walking the Course
Royal Birkdale's towering sandhills are natural grandstands. Here's how to use them.
Royal Birkdale
Lord Street & Southport Town
A Victorian boulevard that may have inspired Haussmann's Paris — and a practical half-day from Royal Birkdale.
Southport Town Centre
Liverpool — 40 Minutes from Birkdale
Direct Merseyrail from Hillside Station. Albert Dock, the Walker Gallery, and the waterfront — most of it free.
Liverpool City Centre
The Pub Walk — Birkdale Village Open Week
Seven pubs within 15 minutes of Royal Birkdale. Coast has a dedicated Open Golf terrace. Barrique walk-ins only.
Birkdale Village, Southport
Bistrot Vérité, Birkdale Village
Michelin-listed, 2 AA Rosettes, three generations French family — 15 minutes' walk from Royal Birkdale.
Birkdale Village, Southport
The Bold Hotel, Lord Street
Georgian hotel on Southport's boulevard since 1832 — 23 rooms, Red Rum slept here, 10 minutes from Royal Birkdale.
Lord Street, Southport
Getting to Royal Birkdale
The train wins. Hillside station is 300m from the entrance — Merseyrail runs every 10 minutes on Championship days.
Hillside, Southport
Royal Birkdale Golf Club — Play the Open Course
One of a handful of Open Championship venues that lets visitors play — Mon, Wed, Thu, £495pp, handicap cert required.
Birkdale, Southport
The 18th at Royal Birkdale
The closing hole of The Open — grandstand seats, the Art Deco clubhouse, and the walk that decides the Claret Jug
Birkdale, Southport
Practice Day at Royal Birkdale
Walk the fairways before the crowds arrive and get closer to the players than you ever will on a championship day.
Royal Birkdale