mersey river ferry tour

Mersey Ferry River Explorer Cruise

Tickets 🎫 Adult entry for 1 (16+) 🎫 Child entry for 1 (5–15)

Kids under 5 go free

Highlights 🛥️ Enjoy a 50-minute Mersey River cruise aboard the Mersey Ferry 👂 Listen to a dedicated audio guide about the history of the waterfront 🌊 See waterside sights like the Tate Liverpool, the Royal Albert Dock, and more

General Info 📅 Date and time: various dates and times available (select during purchase) 📍 Location: Pier Head Ferry Terminal 👤 Age requirement: 5+ ⏳ Duration: 50 minutes ❓ For this event, all sales are final and tickets can’t be refunded, changed or modified. For more information, please refer to our T&Cs 📱 You will find more information about your booking in your Fever ticket and confirmation email

Description Embark on a Mersey River cruise and enjoy Liverpool's world-famous waterfront from a whole new perspective. This jaunt aboard the well-known Mersey Ferry allows you to take in the rich history of the Liverpool Waterfront, while a full commentary provides the lowdown on what you're seeing for a whole 50 minutes. During your ride, discover the well-loved legacy of Liverpool and the river Mersey, with its musical and maritime history.

How to get there?

Pier Head Ferry Terminal (Mersey Ferries)

Pier Head, George Parade, Liverpool, L3 1DP

Select date and session

No booking fees

Similar Experiences

Liverpool river cruise & sightseeing bus tour, liverpool immersive experience - mystery walk with pub & cafe stops, beatles early years tour of liverpool by private taxi, liverpool beer or prosecco bike tour, city & beatles tour - blue route, unique beatles liverpool walking tour in english, downtown liverpool walking tour - in spanish, magical beatles licensed car tour, beatles magical mystery tour, liverpool city centre walking tour.

Sorry, JavaScript must be enabled to use this web app

Your browser is not supported for this experience. We recommend using Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari.

Soaking up the Mersey Beat on a trip to Liverpool, where music seeps from every corner

From the beatles to scouse stew to living works of art, liverpool offers many attractions with a pop culture twist.

Beatles statue by Andrew Edwards in Liverpool: The Cavern Club was closed in 1973 and today’s club has been recreated on some, but not all, of the original footprint.

Whether it has been on your travel radar or not, no one could accuse Liverpool of being unsung. Music echoes through the streets and haunts the docks. It even plays on the ferry across the Mersey. Many visit with The Beatles in mind, but even, heaven forbid, had the Fab Four never existed, the list of Merseyside stars is one to marvel at. Frankie Goes to Hollywood, OMD, The La’s, Echo and the Bunnymen… I’m halfway to being lost in music at The British Music Experience, marvelling at how tiny some of David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust costumes were, when a blast of The Spice Girls brings me back to earth.

Housed in part of the Cunard Building, the Music Experience (Spice Girls interruptions notwithstanding) is a devotee’s paradise. Not limited to Liverpool natives, it tracks the story of sound, from jazz and skiffle, to today’s megastars and manufactured pop. There are booths where you can have a go at drums, guitars and keyboards, and even teach yourself to dance. With a plethora of memorabilia, it also has moments of the surreal, such as when a hologram of Boy George pops up and gives us a blast of Do You Really Want to Hurt Me. But then, pausing at a display of stars on stages around the world, something of that huge energy-to-glory charisma, which enables someone to hold the attention of tens of thousands, catches me by surprise and leaves me breathless.

[  Destination on your doorstep: Kayaking close to home offers all the adventure you need  ]

Replica Cavern Club at The Beatles Story Liverpool: The band played there 292 times and Cilla Black was a hat-check girl.

The Cunard Building is one of Liverpool’s Three Graces, a trio of iconic edifices built at the turn of the last millennium to demonstrate the city’s wealth and power back when it was one of the world’s biggest ports. We inveigle our way into the part that isn’t given over to the Music Experience for a peek at the former ticket offices of the world-famous cruise line. Today you go there to register your new Liverpudlian babies. Speak to people of a certain age, and they’ll have tales of The Beatles and the Cavern Club, but I get chatting to George McAleavey, on a break from his work as a cleaner. He tells me that his grandfather, Thomas, survived the sinking of the Lusitania by swimming 14 miles to shore.

[  Travel giant Tui the latest stock to quit struggling UK market  ]

“He was a fireman, and had come up on deck for a smoke. He had a scar on his forehead from being hit on the head with an oar trying to get into a lifeboat,” George says wonderingly. “I wouldn’t be here today if he hadn’t made it.” Liverpool is an incredibly friendly city. Perhaps it’s the Irish connection. Today, 75 per cent of the population claim Irish ancestry, and the unique “Scouse” accent is said to be a combination of influences from Irish, Welsh and Scandinavian sailors. There is also a great pride in the city evident and no wonder: it’s a place with many pleasures.

Brianna Parkins: I’m leaving Ireland. I don’t have the energy for life here

CMAT in Dublin: A night of real emotion in one of the best gigs of the year

Grá Pizza takeaway review: Stunning sourdough pizza served from a converted horsebox

An Irishwoman in New York: I’m flattered, but why do Americans love the Irish so much?

Peter Blake's dazzle ship, the ferry across the Mersey: The original dazzle ships had wild designs that made them harder to target at war.

We take a tour to the top of another of the Graces, the Royal Liver Building, where a lift whisks us up, to where a short video plays inside the clock tower. Out on the rooftop itself, we have a view of the two famous Liver Birds, Bertie and Bella. At 18-feet high, it is said that one of the mythical creatures gazes out to sea to make sure the sailors come home safe, and the other into the city to ascertain that the pubs haven’t shut yet.

The Three Graces miraculously survived the onslaught of the second World War’s bombing raids, and newbuilds dot the city, making the original Georgian and Victorian structures seem all the more precious. The city’s two cathedrals, rather joyfully at either end of Hope Street, are – relatively speaking – new, while even the famous Cavern Club isn’t actually original.

You can see a replica Cavern as part of the interesting but definitely sanitised Beatles Story experience, where friends and family of the band have recorded audio memories. The Cavern itself was originally a tropical fruit warehouse, and it is said that the smell had so permeated the walls it clung to fans, who could later be identified by their “Cavern Perfume”. The Beatles played there 292 times, and Cilla Black was a hat-check girl. Beatles merch and tat is everywhere. Later, at Albert Dock, I will marvel at a portrait of the band made out of thousands of jelly beans in a sweet shop window.

[  There are reasons why holiday wine always seems to taste better  ]

The Cavern Club was closed in 1973 for a British Rail underground project that never happened, and today’s club has been recreated on some, but not all, of the original footprint. While the underground was never built, Liverpool is a very walkable city, and there is an excellent public transport system, with local trains to the likes of Birkenhead Park – a model for New York’s Central Park; and Port Sunlight, which was built by the original soap-making Lever family (founders of what would ultimately morph into global mega brand Unilever). A new exhibition exploring the history of landscapes by women artists opens at the Lady Lever Art Gallery on April 20th and runs until August 18th.

Royal Albert Dock: Liverpool is an incredibly friendly city. Perhaps it’s the Irish connection.

Liverpool is actually very well-stocked with art galleries, although Tate Liverpool is closed for refurbishment until next year. On my recent visit, a citywide museum strike had closed other museums, including the Walker Art Gallery, but it is due to end on April 14th. A train ride of just over half an hour will get you to Crosby Beach, where artist Antony Gormley’s Another Place includes 100 cast iron life-sized figures, spread out across the foreshore, and almost a kilometre out to sea.

[  ‘The savings are huge’: Surge in parents taking children out of school for holidays - but not everyone is happy  ]

The Mersey Ferry tour takes place on a living art work, as Sir Peter Blake, famed for designing The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover (with Jann Haworth) was commissioned to create a dazzle ship design for the ferry as part of the first World War Centenary Art Commissions in 2015. The original dazzle ships had wild designs that made them harder to target, as I discover through information panels on board.

Liverpool FC's Anfield stadium: The collective value of the players on the team exceeds £800 million.

We walk back to Stanley Dock through streets that seem oddly familiar. This is partly due to Liverpool having stood in for cities including New York, London, Moscow and Chicago in films and TV programmes including Fantastic Beasts, Harry Potter, Peaky Blinders and The Batman. The Titanic Hotel is sister to the one in Belfast, the ill-fated ship having been registered in Liverpool. The hotel is housed in a former rum warehouse, and the docks outside have seen Captain America in action, as well as Taylor Swift in her video for I Can See You. The spa in the basement makes me feel like a movie star myself.

[  Gourmet getaway: The best places to eat and drink on a weekend break in Limerick  ]

This celebrity whiff is made all the more fabulous by the discovery that the hotel is homebase for Liverpool FC on match nights. Jurgen Klopp is a god in these parts, and, as we’re staying the night before the team hammer Sparta Prague 6-1, we keep our eyes peeled. Vaguely handsome men are in the lobby swinging sports shoes, but as they are clearly not on the squad, they’re either physios or opportunists hoping the adjacency might rub off. I look up the collective value of the players on the team, and learn it is more than £800 million. Every human life is precious, but seriously? You could buy the recently sold Shelbourne Hotel three times over for that. No wonder there’s a bouncer on the door this evening. We fly home before kick-off, but as there is so much to see and do in this fascinating city, and it is less than an hour from Dublin by plane, it’s definitely worth coming back for more – and soon.

Titanic Hotel: It is housed in a former rum warehouse.

How to get there : Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Emerald Airlines has daily return flights to Liverpool, from €29.99 each way as part of a round trip. Since Brexit, you also get Duty Free. aerlingus.com

Where to stay : The Titanic Hotel Liverpool has large rooms in a very atmospheric former rum warehouse, close to the new Everton Stadium, and approximately 20 minutes walk from the city centre. From £99 (approx €115) per room, titanichotelliverpool.com. The Municipal Hotel : have a cocktail in the lavish Palm Court surroundings of one of the city’s newest hotels, in one of its oldest buildings. The former Local Authority Offices have had a swish makeover, including furniture from west Cork’s O’Donnell Design. Rooms from approx €115, municipalhotelliverpool.com.

Where to eat : Ma Boyles : You can’t go to Liverpool and not try Scouse. A stew so quintessentially Liverpudlian, it gave its name to the local accent. Think Irish stew with a Scandinavian twist – it comes with pickled red cabbage or beetroot. Delicious at Ma Boyles, which dates back to 1860. Classic Scouse, £11. maboyles.co.uk Maray : Delicious Middle-Eastern-inflected plates, waterside at people-watching spot Albert Dock. Don’t miss the Disco Cauliflower. Dishes from £5 to £15. maray.co.uk Nord : Daniel Heffy’s stylish restaurant in the commercial part of town is based on a tasty package of locally sourced ingredients, northern hospitality and Scandi influences. Dishes in the region of €20. nordrestaurant.co.uk The Art School : Chef Paul Askew is aiming for Liverpool’s first Michelin star with delicious feasts that start with incredible cocktails, and take you through a series of locally sourced taste sensations in gorgeous surroundings in the city’s Georgian Quarter. The Menu Excellence menu is £89 per person. theartschoolrestaurant.co.uk

Where to go and what to do : The Mersey Ferry River Explorer Cruise takes approximately one hour and costs £8 / £12, merseyferries.co.uk . Advance booking prices at the British Music Experience are £10.50 / £17, britishmusicexperience.com . Admission to The Beatles Story is £11 / £20, beatlestory.com . Anfield Tours start from £14 / £23, liverpoolfc.com . The Royal Liver Building 360 Tour is £11 / £16, rlb360.com . For more see visitliverpool.com

Gemma Tipton travelled as a guest of Aer Lingus Regional and Marketing Liverpool

Maya Blue Spa at the Titanic Hotel in Liverpool

Gemma Tipton

Gemma Tipton contributes to The Irish Times on art, architecture and other aspects of culture

IN THIS SECTION

The best hotels for art lovers in ireland and across europe, datalex report must pave way for company to deal with 18% desmond loans, money dos and don’ts when travelling this summer, trek to everest base camp: the impact of climate change is undeniable, flying is becoming more volatile. here is what pilots have to say on the issue, i’m leaving ireland. i don’t have the energy for life here, student dies while on gaeltacht course in co galway, mick wallace pledges to continue campaigning following loss of seat to ní mhurchú, suspended solicitor found guilty of professional misconduct over handling of land sale, dublin taxi driver found guilty of raping two female passengers, latest stories, michael mosley obituary: medical doctor who became a tv diet guru, in a word....rejoice, cyril ramaphosa elected president of south africa for second term, joe joyce obituary: award-winning journalist, writer and biographer, germany make the perfect start to euro 2024 as scotland suffer mauling.

• Terms & Conditions
• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Information
• Cookie Settings
• Community Standards

Win a stay for two at Wirral's luxurious 5-star hotel and hop across to Liverpool for lunch at NORD

Win a stay at Wirral’s 5-star Hillbark Hotel and experience the peninsula's attractions via a river cruise down the Mersey

• 14:45, 12 JUN 2024
• Updated 14:11, 13 JUN 2024

Get our MyWirral newsletter, for the best news, pictures, opinions and video from across the peninsula

We have more newsletters

Win a stay at Wirral’s 5-star Hillbark Hotel and experience the peninsula's attractions via a river cruise down the Mersey.

With spots like Port Sunlight Museum and Birkenhead Park, along with vibrant music and art experiences, Wirral is the perfect destination in 2024. This year, Wirral plays host to ‘Borough of Culture’ for the Liverpool City Region, and it is only a short train or ferry ride from Liverpool, so you can enjoy delights on both sides of the River Mersey .

Wirral is showcasing a programme of incredible experiences celebrating Wirral’s story. One such experience is the Lowry “Going to the Match” exhibition at the Williamson Art Gallery, running until late July. Close by, you will find the charming leafy Oxton village with its array of independent shops and eateries.

Just around the corner is Birkenhead Park, the first publicly funded park in the world and widely recognised as the inspiration for Central Park in New York, and now shortlisted for UNESCO World Heritage Status. While there you will find a photography exhibition about Mallory and Irvine’s expedition to Everest, entitled “Sandy Irvine, from Birkenhead to Everest”, running until mid-August.

Discover Wirral’s rich musical heritage as a place that echoes through the music of artists who grew up here such as Elvis Costello, OMD, and The Coral. Take a fascinating walking trail around Birkenhead whilst listening to the Left Bank Soundtrack. You will hear tracks from Wirral musicians inspired by locations around the town – from the historic Birkenhead Priory to the grandeur of Hamilton Square.

A few miles away is Port Sunlight Village. This 19th-century model village, built for Lord Leverhulme’s Sunlight Soap factory workers, is Britain’s finest example of a purpose-built “workers village”. Discover its museum and the Lady Lever Art Gallery, whilst walking around this wonderful place with its pretty houses and green open spaces. Port Sunlight has a significant connection to The Beatles because Hulme Hall was the first venue where the band officially performed with Ringo Starr. The village has also provided the location for TV and films, including Peaky Blinders and the movie, Tolkien.

Perhaps you’ll also have time to explore the seaside town, New Brighton , known for its independent shops and eateries, attractions, and street-art trail.

Win an overnight stay at Hillbark Hotel, visit the Williamson art gallery, lunch/brunch at Twenty Sixteen in Oxton Village, Port Sunlight Museum tickets, Liverpool Bay Cruise tickets, then cross the River Mersey to enjoy lunch for two at Nord and annual passes to the British Musical Experience.

Win a 5-star stay in Wirral - A Place Made for Culture. #aplacemadeforculture.

Click here if you cannot view the entry form.

• Partner Stories
• Most Recent

• Guided tour

River Cruise on Luxurious Radisson Boat

• Description
• Choose date

Equipped with ice-breaking technology, these huge fancy yachts are the only river cruisers running all year around. The round trip journey takes two and a half hours and floats past all the big sights like the White House, Novodevichy monastery and the Kremlin. There’s a large open air observation deck up top, while the main body of the ship houses a restaurant with a dance floor for a romantic post dinner dance. For a particularly romantic experience take one of the evening boats and admire the bright lights of the city skyline at night.

The most relaxing and picturesque tour that Moscow can offer: a great way to see the city center and its main attractions. This is a perfect alternative to exploring the city by car, if you only have time to do sightseeing during weekday rush hours.

Your English-speaking guide is eager to share every bit of their knowledge about the surrounding landscape, the architecture and historical details.

We conduct Moscow river tour on Radisson Flotilla boats all year around!  It’s warm inside during winter months, while there’s air conditioning during hot summer days. You may also treat yourself to drinks, lunch or dinner on board (drinks and food are not included in tour price).

The cost of an excursion with a personal guide for 1 person

Quay at Radisson Collection Hotel

Government Headquarters ("the White House")

Kievsky Railway Central

Novodevichy Convent

Luzhniki Stadium

Academy of Sciences

Monument to Peter I

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour

Moscow Kremlin

St.Basil's Cathedral

Novospassky Monastery

U-turn and back to Quay at Radisson Royal Hotel

Choose your dates

Who's going.

• Excursion River Cruise on Luxurious Radisson Boat
• Date and time:
• Who's going:

See photo of the meeting point