Serviced Apartments in Southport

Discover the best activities and attractions Southport has to offer, and find out what makes this city a vibrant and exciting place to live or visit.

Southport Pier & Marine Lake promenade
Southport Pier is a historic seaside pier leading to a long promenade and Marine Lake, offering scenic sea views, tram rides, fishing, seasonal boat trips and family-friendly events. Its Victorian-era character and leisure facilities make it a focal point for day visitors and local residents alike. Impact: the pier and promenade drive footfall to nearby cafes, arcades and accommodation, supporting hospitality jobs and small businesses while anchoring Southport’s seaside tourism identity.

Lord Street (shopping, cafés and architecture)
Lord Street is Southport’s iconic, tree-lined Victorian boulevard, known for a mix of independent boutiques, national chains, cafés and historic architecture that creates a pleasant shopping and dining experience. Visitors come for the atmosphere as much as the retail, including afternoon tea rooms and alfresco dining that showcase local food and hospitality. Impact: Lord Street is a major retail and leisure spine—its steady visitor numbers support retail jobs, provide a platform for local entrepreneurs and help sustain the town centre economy year-round.

The Atkinson (theatre, gallery and museum)
The Atkinson is Southport’s cultural hub, housing a theatre for plays and performances, galleries for rotating art exhibitions, and a local history museum and family-focused programming. It stages touring shows, community productions, workshops and exhibitions that reach residents of all ages and attract cultural visitors from the region. Impact: by hosting events and exhibitions The Atkinson generates visitor spending, supports creative-sector employment, provides education and outreach, and strengthens Southport’s cultural profile beyond the town itself.

Southport Flower Show (annual event)
The Southport Flower Show is an annual horticultural and lifestyle event that draws gardening enthusiasts, exhibitors and families for displays, competitions, live demonstrations and retail pavilions. As one of the UK’s prominent independent flower shows it showcases horticulture, local growers and specialist retailers, and creates a festival atmosphere on the seafront. Impact: the show brings a substantial short-term boost to hotels, restaurants, transport and local vendors, creates seasonal jobs and raises the town’s national visibility, benefiting year-round tourism.

Southport Model Railway Village & Gardens
This outdoor miniature village and model railway (set in landscaped gardens) is a distinctive family attraction featuring scale model buildings, a working miniature railway and fairground replicas—often with whimsical local references. It’s especially popular with families and hobbyists looking for a unique, hands-on visitor experience that differs from typical museums. Impact: as a specialist attraction it draws niche tourism, supports local guides and concessions, encourages repeat visits, and complements Southport’s broader offering of family-friendly seaside activities.

Explore the diverse transport options available in Southport, from efficient public transportation systems to convenient road networks. Whether you're commuting to work or exploring the city, this section will give you an overall look at the available transportation systems.

Public Transit System
- Merseyrail (Northern Line) - Electrified suburban rail providing frequent, direct services between Southport and Liverpool city centre (Liverpool Central) with easy interchanges across the Merseyrail network; a key option for commuting into Liverpool.
- Northern Trains (regional rail services) - Diesel-operated regional trains linking Southport with destinations to the east such as Wigan Wallgate and Manchester (via interchange), offering longer-distance local connectivity beyond the Merseyrail network.
- Southport railway station - The town’s main rail hub serving both Merseyrail and regional services, with passenger facilities, connections to local buses and taxi ranks and acting as the principal interchange for rail-bus journeys.
- Bus network (local and regional buses) - Multiple local and regional routes serving Southport and surrounding towns (Ainsdale, Formby, Ormskirk, Preston, Skelmersdale, Liverpool etc.), operated by major local companies; buses provide dense coverage for short trips and cross-town travel.
- Coach services (intercity coaches) - Long-distance coach links (e.g., National Express and other operators) offering lower-cost travel to major UK cities and airports; useful for direct journeys beyond the regional rail network.
- Taxis and private hire / ride-hailing - Licensed taxi fleets, private hire vehicles and app-based services operate across the town, providing on-demand and pre-booked door-to-door trips and airport transfers.
- Community transport and demand-responsive schemes - Local volunteer-run and council-supported dial-a-ride, community minibuses and other targeted services for older or mobility-impaired residents, complementing mainstream public transit.

Major Highways
- A565 - Coastal A-road linking Southport southwards toward Formby, Crosby and Liverpool; primary surface route for road travel into Liverpool.
- A570 - Road connecting Southport southeast toward St Helens and linking with the M58/M6 corridors for access to the national motorway network.
- A59 - Provides road connections from the Southport area toward Preston and the western Lancashire road network.
- M58 - Nearby motorway providing a high-speed link eastward toward the M6 and connections to the wider north-west motorway system (accessible via the A570/A59 corridors).
- M6 - Major north–south motorway reachable via the local A-roads and the M58, offering long-distance connections north to Scotland and south toward the Midlands/London.
- M62 - Trans-Pennine motorway accessible via connecting routes (via M57/M58 links), providing east–west access across the north of England (Liverpool–Manchester–York/Hull corridors).
- M57 - Liverpool orbital motorway reachable from Southport routes, useful for accessing eastern/lateral routes around the Liverpool urban area.

Cycling Infrastructure
- Coastal/NCN routes and local cycle lanes - A mix of off-road coastal cycle paths (seafront promenade and sections of the National Cycle Network), signed on-road cycle lanes and quieter residential/park routes serving commuting and leisure cyclists; Sefton Council and Liverpool City Region have been investing in active-travel improvements, though continuous fully segregated urban cycle lanes remain limited in places.

Recent and Upcoming Improvements
- Bus service enhancements and low-emission fleets - Local operators and Liverpool City Region initiatives have been rolling out timetable improvements, vehicle modernisation and moves toward hybrid/electric buses as part of Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) and air-quality/decarbonisation targets.
- Active travel and cycle scheme investments - Sefton Council and regional funding have prioritised improved walking and cycling links (coastal path upgrades, junction improvements for cyclists and better town-centre crossing facilities) to encourage sustainable local trips.
- Station and passenger-facility upgrades - Ongoing and recent works have targeted improved passenger facilities, accessibility improvements and general maintenance at Southport station and nearby rail infrastructure to enhance the customer experience and interchange.
- Road/junction works and maintenance - Targeted resurfacing, signal optimisation and junction improvement schemes have been progressed to improve traffic flow and safety on key approaches into Southport.
- Strategic planning, studies and feasibility work - Feasibility studies and planning under Liverpool City Region and Sefton Council priorities (including town-regeneration and transport strategies) are investigating options such as park-and-ride, smarter traffic management and further active-travel corridors to reduce congestion and improve links to regional hubs.
- Integration and digital travel information - Continued rollout of real-time passenger information, integrated ticketing ambitions and better online journey-planning tools across rail, bus and coach services to make multi-modal travel easier for residents and visitors.