The essential guide to the best places to shop, eat and relax in Liverpool. Find the best restaurants, cinemas and nightlife spots along with general need-to-know information including shopping hours and going out tips.

Shoppers head for the city centre (Bold Street, Church Street, Regent Street) for high street stores and the two shopping centres here, Clayton Square and St John's. Lewis's department store on Renshaw Street (at the top of Church Street) is a good all-rounder, selling menswear, womenswear and homeware in an imposing building.

For quirky crafts including Beatles memorabilia, the Albert Dock complex is your best bet. If it's raining, seek cover in Clayton Square covered mall, or better still find designerwear (including a Vivienne Westwood boutique) under the shelter of bijoux Cavern Walks. Located in Matthew Street, this is where The Beatles sang in sweaty surrounds.

Stanley Dock, a former tobacco warehouse, is the venue for a lively Sunday market. Thousands come to peruse the 500+ stalls for second-hand books, clothes, antiques, fruit, vegetables and bric-a-brac. A Farmers' Market brings the country to Monument Place and London Road on the 1st and 3rd Sat of the month (mornings only). Or try the Wirral Farmers' Market (2nd Sat of the month) held in Grove Street, New Ferry to find Welsh black beef, local honey and other yummy specialities of the North West. Time your visit for the grand St Helen's Continent Market (May and Nov) in Church Square for French cheeses, German sausage, Dutch flowers and Belgian chocolates.

Standard opening hours are Monday to Saturday 9am-5.30pm.

Also within easy reach of Liverpool is Cheshire Oaks, one of Europe's largest designer outlet villages. Big name brands can be picked up for bargain prices here.

Live music venues, clubs, cabarets and an enormous variety of drinking bars ranging from traditional pubs to the latest designer cafés combine to make Liverpool's night scene one of the liveliest in the UK. There are more than 250 venues to choose from and dressing up for Saturday nights is de rigueur. Be it high street or designer, the young crowd dresses to party. In the city centre, the most famous live music venue is the Cavern Club where the Beatles made their debut and which now hosts international acts. The in-crowd follows soccer stars and TV personalities to the many clubs and trendy bars in the Albert Dock complex, also home to an award-winning comedy club. The influence of the Irish community is discernible, particularly in the names of the many traditional pubs, some of which are worth visiting for their architectural value alone. While there is no specific gay district, there are a few bars and the most popular nightclub is Garlands.

For the arts, the latest attraction is FACT (Centre for film, art and technology), a complex that houses cinemas, studios and theatres. Classical music is performed at the Philharmonic Hall, home of the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Court Theatre presents a mixed programme of concerts, plays, comedy and opera.

Pubs close at 11pm and 10.30pm on Sunday. Late-night bars stay open until 2am and clubs until dawn and beyond depending on their size and license.

Late night watering holes are found in the Albert Dock complex and in the city centre clubs, which serve until around 1am and shut at 2am. Vodka cocktails and local ales such as Cains Dark Mild and the new tipple, Cains Finest Lager (Liverpool Beer Festival Winner 2005) are the drinks in vogue.

From French to Italian, to authentic Mexican, Chinese, Spanish and even Russian restaurants, Liverpool's culinary offering is nothing less than impressive. Key dining areas include Albert Dock, which has a choice of bustling restaurants and bars offering international cuisine and the main drag of the city centre along Lord Street, Church Street and Bold Street.

In addition to smart, international restaurant fare, classic English fish and chip shops and burger bars are plentiful. Regional dishes include hotpots and black pudding.

Standard dining hours are 12pm-10pm or 11pm Tuesday to Saturday. Many fine restaurants close on a Monday since fresh produce cannot be ordered on a Sunday for delivery on Monday. Where service is not included in the bill, tips of 10 per cent are standard.

Upmarket restaurants require advance booking and cost from £40 per head (for three courses including wine). Dress code is smart casual.

Housed in a converted Georgian townhouse near the Philharmonic, this one of the city's top restaurants with an excellent reputation for modern European food. Fresh fish a speciality.

Located in the beautiful neo-classical Pacific Chambers, contemporary Asian cuisine is served in the basement restaurant. The bright, airy ground floor is a cocktail bar with plush sofas.

This sophisticated modern restaurant is the Liverpool outlet of Paul Heathcote, the Lancashire chef who made black pudding sexy.

Inspired by the classic cabaret lounges of the 1950s, this fun venue features live jazz bands and Frank Sinatra-style crooners. International cuisine is served from 7pm but there's also a late supper menu on Friday and Saturday nights.

Liverpool's hottest venue combines fine food, premium cocktails and live DJ sets in an über-cool bar furnished with chaise-longues and cushions. The food is European and the sound is ambient-lounge.

Do expect Liverpudlians to be very friendly and look out for their sharp sense of humour - they are pass masters at the straight-faced delivery of a joke. Do compliment them on winning City of Culture 2008 and admire the regeneration you see going on around you. Don't assume all Liverpudlians support Liverpool Football Club - local team Everton garners plenty of support too.

Monday to Friday 9am-5.30pm although in practice most companies work longer hours, especially in finance.

Maritime, advertising and media, life sciences and construction.

Water Street, Castle Street and Dale Street near the waterfront (finance, media, advertising), city center (service industries), Liverpool University Campus (education).