Blackpool Tower

Blackpool [1] is a seaside resort town in North West of England.

Understand

Over 6 million people visit Blackpool every year. It is Britain's number 1 tourist venue, although Brits will deny going there.

"Oh I do love to be beside the seaside" was played for years every day at the Tower Ballroom Blackpool by Reginald Dixon on his Wurlitzer.

Get in

By car

Blackpool is reached via the M55 from the M6.

By bus

Local bus services run from Preston, Lancaster, Southport and Fleetwood.

Long distance bus services, and charters, run from virtually everywhere in Great Britain.

By train

The trains run to Blackpool North and Blackpool South stations from Preston and many other destinations. Blackpool North is the main station but for a day trip to the Pleasure Beach, change at Kirkham and take the Blackpool South line; the last station before Blackpool South is the Pleasure Beach.

By plane

Blackpool has its own and regular flights from Dublin, Belfast, London, Girona, Jersey, Malaga, Isle of Man, Mallorca, Alicante, Murcia and Tenerife. Services to Amsterdam, Faro and Prague commence late 2006.

Blackpool Airport is one of the fastest growing airports in the UK and British low-fares airlines Jet2 bases aircraft there for use on some of the above routes.

By boat

The closest ferries from Blackpool are Fleetwood to Larne and Heysham (near Morecambe) to Douglas (Isle of Man) and Belfast, operating in Summer only.

Get around

Trams run all along the complete length of the sea front.

Taxis are available easily.

Have a donkey ride on the sands.

See

• Blackpool Tower - Victorian and a smaller copy of the Eiffel Tower, view from the top is worth seeing, but gets busy at the peak of the tourist season

• The Piers - Blackpool has 3 piers

• Blackpool Illuminations - from September to the first week in November, these attract visitors after the other seaside resorts have closed down

Do

• Blackpool Pleasure Beach - includes Britain's tallest roller coaster ride, "Pepsi Max Big One" (more commonly known simply as "The Big One")

• The Winter Gardens

Buy

A stick of Blackpool rock and a mandatory "Kiss Me Quick " hat on Blackpools Golden Mile.

Eat

Lots of budget eateries abound.

Drink

• The famous Funny Girls transvestite show bar.

• Dozens of pubs and clubs

Sleep

A plethora of accommodation awaits you. From budget to the top of the line.

Budget

Mid-range

Splurge

Get out

Take a tram north to Fleetwood. A now redundant fishing town. Visit its famous market and go to the outlet mall called "Freeport"