How to get to Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool by Train

Rail strikes may impact travel between Tuesday 7th May and Thursday 9th May. See here for details.

What is Eurovision?

Eurovision is an international singing competition that is organised every year by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Broadcast on live television and radio, the Eurovision Song Contest features participants representing primarily European countries who perform an original song. The competing countries then cast their votes for the other countries’ songs to choose a winner.

When is Eurovision 2023?

Eurovision 2023 will have its opening ceremony on Sunday 7th May. There will be 3 shows from 9th to 13th May:

Semi-final 1: 9th May 2023
Semi-final 2: 11th May 2023
Grand Final: 13th May 2023.

Where is Eurovision 2023?

This year, Liverpool is the host city for Eurovision on behalf of last year’s winner Ukraine. The song contest will be held at the Liverpool Arena (also known as M&S Bank Arena), which is located in Liverpool city centre next to the River Mersey and can be easily reached by public transport.

If you’re considering a trip to Liverpool to watch Eurovision, why not travel by train? If you’re not sure where to start, keep reading for more details.

Liverpool Lime Street is the closest train station to Liverpool Arena and is served by several train companies, including Avanti West Coast, London Northwestern Railway and Merseyrail. All services from London, Manchester, Birmingham, and other North West locations will terminate here.

Once you arrive at Liverpool Lime Street station, you can walk for about 20 minutes to reach Liverpool Arena. Alternatively, you can hop onto the Merseyrail Wirral Line services to James Street station, and then follow the signs to the arena – it’ll take you about 10 minutes to get there on foot.

London to Liverpool

Manchester to Liverpool

Manchester Airport to Liverpool

Birmingham to Liverpool

Leeds to Liverpool

Worcester Shrub Hill to Liverpool

Wythall to Liverpool

Many rail operators will provide additional services throughout the Eurovision week. However, some services will be much busier on specific days, especially on Sunday 7th May (Eurovision Opening Ceremony) and from Friday 12th to Sunday 14th May (Eurovision Final weekend). If you’re travelling during this time, please keep the following travel advice in mind:

Plan your journey in advance: as hundreds of thousands of additional visitors are expected to visit Liverpool during this time, we recommend you plan your journey in advance, particularly for travel out of Liverpool after Eurovision events.
Avoid the last train of the day: Evening capacity on trains will be limited during this time, so make sure you know your last train timetables. If you can, avoid the last train of the day as these services will be very busy.

Allow extra time: Queueing systems will be in place to help keep you safe. Allow extra time for your journey to factor this in, as well as walking times to/from event venues.
Buy your tickets in advance: if you’re planning to go to Eurovision by train, buy your train tickets online with us to speed up your journey.

Please note that 2 upcoming rail strikes have been announced on Friday 12th May and Saturday 13th May and may impact your trip – make sure you check our UK rail strike travel advice page for more information.

Buses are also a great way to get around Liverpool and the wider city region. Additional services and capacity are planned for key dates throughout the festival, in particular on the 7th and 13th of May.

The number of Arriva 500 services which run between Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Liverpool ONE bus station will be increased, especially between the 8th and the 15th of May - they will run every 15 minutes from 04:00 to 01:00.

A free shuttle bus will also be running between the Eurovision Fan Zones at the Pier head and Camp and Furnace between the 6th and 13th of May, from 21:00 to 03:30.

If you’re coming from another location in the UK, you can travel with National Express – these services arrive in and depart from Liverpool ONE bus station too.

So, you’ve come to the end of our guide to the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool. Now you’re ready to book your trip and start dreaming of your country lifting the trophy!

Ready to book your train travel to Liverpool? Start your search for times and tickets in our Journey Planner at the top of the page. If you haven’t found what you’re looking for yet, check out our other pages about train travel within the UK.