It's It's easy to condense Liverpool into its stereotypes: The Beatles, football teams and stark red political leanings. Behind the Unesco World Heritage waterfront, though, sits a city of ingenuity and originality. Anchored by the River Mersey in the north-western stretches of the British isles, and only a two-hour train journey from London, this old port has learned new tricks, fuelling a creative, innovative and progressive regeneration.

A metropolis in miniature, you can explore the city centre with ease in a weekend. Park walks await in the tree-lined southern suburb of Allerton, there are independent shops to peruse in the Ropewalks district and night owls will find pulsing beats and poetry events to entrance inside the Baltic Triangle's warehouses. Stroll the streets of the business district to spot the architecture that inspired New York's skyscrapers, pass under the arches of the Royal Albert Dock, and sample some of the bold restaurants and dynamic city bistros making a dent in the UK's fine-dining scene - all of which come with a side serving of Scouse playfulness.

The undulations of history have taken Liverpool from immense wealth borne of bloody empire to soul-destroying hardship and poverty. Today's Scousers, shaped by circumstance, are a hardy bunch, quick to joke and even quicker to help out. Ask anyone and they'll tell you they're Scouse, not English - an opinion forged from resilience and pride. The same emotion fuels the vanguard of shops, restaurants and venues at the heart of this city's unique identity.