Traveling to Liverpool from London By Car on day of Liverpool FC Parade

are you sure that driving from London to Liverpool (a real pain in the neck and highly stressful on a good day) on a day when half the world will be descending on Liverpool.

Although the train itself will be crowded you may find it will be a better experience.

And Liverpool to Bristol or Bath is easy too. Rentals are available in both Bristol and Bath.

The city is going to be hectic that weekend. Both city football clubs have their final match of the season, there is a big outdoor music event on (BBC Radio 1 big weekend) and a big celebration for Cunard's Queen Anne cruise ship being in port, as Liverpool is the spiritual home of Cunard.
You have hand picked the best or worst weekend to be there.
Goodness knows where you would park. I am only half jokingly suggesting Chester or Wigan!!

Why are you driving to Liverpool from London? Even normally that would not be the best way to make the journey.

I second Nigel and Stuart's suggestion of taking the train there. Then you can pickup up a rental car the next day outside Liverpool and head down to Bath.

If you don't want to do that, the suggestion of parking in Chester is actually not a bad one. There are good train connections between Chester and Liverpool, and it would probably save you a lot of headaches. Plus the Moorfields station on that route is just a couple of minutes walk from your hotel.

Take the train and join the party. I'd do anything to be there.

It's a long story about driving there versus train. Little did we know it would be the worst day to do so when planning this trip months ago.

The train will cost 1200 pounds for the 4 of us on Avanti West Coast, which is why we decided to rent the car earlier in the week and drive. My husband and son are driving from Bath to Bovington later in the week to the Tank Museum there as well. I simply cannot change all the details of the rest of our trip that week due to this, it's too late for moving around accomodations and switching the days we spend in different areas. Which is why I am looking for suggestions of nearby train stations where we could park overnight and then take a shorter train ride into Liverpool.

Also, maybe I'm not looking at the best train options? Is there another option other than Avanti?

I'm baffled where you're seeing the price of £1,200 for 4 tickets on May 26th. Not a train expert, but I've just gone onto the Avanti site and there is a direct train at 9.18 am from Euston to Liverpool Lime Street priced at £79.80 per ticket (also one at 7.17am non stopping for the same price). That train takes 3 hours 45 minutes. Plenty of other options. Cheapest tickets that day seem to be at £44.40 each - but have a couple of changes.

Just a thought, are you putting Euston in the train site as the starting point. Or somewhere else? Trains to Liverpool start at London Euston.

Maybe the price changed from when I last priced it. But even now, when I click on those available routes, it gives me an error and says there are no more seats to reserve for that chosen ticket/service. So I cannot proceed with the booking. That is the case with both routes you suggested. It would still be $423 for the 4 of us on that route.

I'm not trying to be difficult but I've put a lot of planning into this trip and looking for help. I have no travel experience in the UK.

At home in Wisconsin, USA we are used to driving 4 hours one way for a weekend trip. I would like to use the trains if possible I guess.

Is West Midlands reliable?

Yes, I am putting in London Euston to Liverpool Lime. But no matter which ticket I select I get the error saying that it's not available.

I see the same as Katy. Numerous direct departures where tickets are 79.8 GBP. When you enter 4 travelers, it will show you the total price of 319.20 GBP. I am wondering if you mistakenly thought 319 was the per ticket price rather than the total price?

Liverpool Lime Street is only about a 10 minute walk to your hotel.

That £79.80 fare each is the highest the fare can be- it is an Off Peak Single, totally flexible fare. As that is a Bank Holiday there are no peak fares.
My point is that all local stations will have their car parks rammed full as the locals exercise common sense.
£1200 just isn't a possible figure unless you have a party of 13 or 14 of you.
Chester has the park and ride car parks on the edge of town and two train routes into Liverpool and Wigan North Western has a big multi storey car park at the station, with frequent service into Liverpool.
The only other option I can think of is Liverpool John Lennon airport then train or multiple bus routes.

Yes, I see the 319 pounds for the total now. But no matter which route I choose and using the standard ticket, I get to the the seat selection screen and get an error that says:

"There are no more seats available for your chosen ticket on the outward/return service. The reservation is mandatory. You can change your service or ticket selection and try again."

You can actually book tickets for Avanti trains using other train companies, or trainline (which I think charges a small booking fee). I have used www.lner.co.uk to buy tickets recently.

Another point before you buy, I note up the thread, that it was suggested you also travel by train from Liverpool to Bath. I think 2=together railcards may give you savings. Railcards can give 30% off tickets.. There are many previous threads discussing the pros and cons of railcards.

Thank you for the help Katy. I will look into the railcards as well. I appreciate you trying to help me figure this out.

Ok, rail cards and train tickets secured. Now to rent the car in Bath for the drive to the Tank Museum.

Thanks again for the help. We will definitely have a memorable evening in Liverpool!

if you can't find the car you want in Bath, or don't want to try your skills with the clutch on Bath's steep hills, Bristol is only 15 minutes away and may well have more choice.

Thanks again for the help. We will definitely have a memorable evening in Liverpool

Bring something red to wear!