Liverpool at a glance
Liverpool is a good city for a short break because so much sits close together. The waterfront, the Royal Albert Dock, the museums and the cathedrals can be reached on foot from the city centre. A few of the best-known places lie further out: Strawberry Field, the Beatles childhood homes, Anfield, the Hill Dickinson Stadium and Crosby Beach.
The 15 experiences below are an editorial selection, not a ranking. The first six follow the Beatles. Numbers 7 and 8 are the football grounds. The rest cover the waterfront, the cathedrals, the museums and the coast. Prices are the adult prices published for 2026 unless stated otherwise, and a few places are closed or affected by disruption this autumn, which the entries point out.
Beatles and music: experiences 1 to 6
Museum, club, bus, street and two childhood homes.
1. The Beatles Story
This museum at the Royal Albert Dock costs £20 for adults from 16 years, £16 for seniors and students and £11 for children aged 5 to 15. An audio guide in 12 languages, German included, is part of the ticket. Buy a timed slot online. The entrance lift is reported out of order, so contact the museum if you need step-free access.
The Beatles Story guide →2. The Cavern Club
Adults aged 18 and over pay £6 for a single entry or £8.50 for a day and night pass with re-entry. Ages 12 to 17 pay £3, and under-12s enter free. Pay by card at the door. Opening hours are 11:00 to 24:00 from Sunday to Wednesday, until 01:00 on Thursday and until 02:00 on Friday and Saturday, with live music from about 11:15.
Cavern Club guide →3. The Magical Mystery Tour
The bus ride lasts 2 hours and costs £21.95 for adults and £10 for children aged 3 to 16. It starts at the Anchor Courtyard, 32 Gower Street, at the Royal Albert Dock, and ends at the Cavern Club on Mathew Street. Check in 30 minutes before departure.
Beatles tours →4. Penny Lane
The tour route includes Penny Lane as a photo stop where you leave the bus. The street sign is the part people photograph. It is one stop on a longer route, not a separate attraction with opening hours.
Penny Lane on the tour →5. Strawberry Field
The visitor centre on Beaconsfield Road in Woolton is open daily from 10:00 to 17:00. The exhibition and garden cost £12.45 for adults and £9.45 for concessions, and children up to 16 with a paying adult go free. Plan 1 to 1.5 hours and book ahead. The café and shop are free to enter.
Strawberry Field →6. Mendips and 20 Forthlin Road
You can only enter John Lennon's and Paul McCartney's childhood homes on a pre-booked National Trust minibus tour of about 2 hours with a maximum of 15 people. Non-members pay £37 for adults aged 18 and over and £18.50 for ages 5 to 17. July and August prices differ.
Childhood homes →Liverpool tours and day trips
Beatles bus tours, walking tours, stadium visits and river cruises, with live prices and availability.
Football, waterfront and culture: experiences 7 to 15
Two stadiums, the river, the cathedrals, three museums and the coast.
7. Anfield stadium tour
A pre-booked tour with the museum costs £26 for adults, £21 for seniors and students and £17 for children under 16. A family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children is £77. The museum alone is £14. The stadium holds 61,276 seats after the expansion.
Anfield tour guide →8. Hill Dickinson Stadium
Everton's men's team plays at Bramley-Moore Dock, on the northern waterfront, in a ground with 52,769 seats. The 90-minute tour cost £26 for adults in 2025, so check the current price. Goodison Park, used by Everton Women, still offers tours of 70 to 85 minutes.
Everton stadium guide →9. Royal Albert Dock
Historic dock buildings, waterside walks, shops and restaurants make this the centre of the waterfront. The Beatles Story is here. Tate Liverpool is closed for refurbishment, with reopening planned for 2027, and the Maritime Museum and the International Slavery Museum are closed until 2028 at the earliest.
Royal Albert Dock guide →10. The Mersey Ferry
The Liverpool Sightseeing River Cruise lasts 50 minutes and runs between the Pier Head and Seacombe. Adults aged 16 and over pay from £14, children aged 5 to 15 pay £9 and under-5s go free. The operator suspended sailings on 18 and 19 October 2026, so check the service notice first.
Mersey Ferry guide →11. The two cathedrals
Liverpool Cathedral (Anglican) is free to enter and open daily from 10:00 to 18:00. Its tower costs £8 and has 2 lifts and 108 steps. The Metropolitan Cathedral (Catholic) is free and open daily from 07:30 to 18:00, and the Lutyens Crypt costs £5.
Cathedrals guide →12. Museum of Liverpool
The city's history is told in a building at the waterfront, next to the Port of Liverpool Building. General entry is free. Charges can apply to temporary exhibitions, so look at the programme before you go.
Museums guide →13. World Museum
Natural history and ancient-world collections, plus planetarium programmes, make this a good rainy-day stop. General entry is free, but some programmes may be ticketed separately. Do not confuse it with the Museum of Liverpool.
Museums guide →14. Walker Art Gallery
The gallery on William Brown Street shows paintings, sculpture and decorative arts. General entry is free, and Lime Street station is about 3 minutes away on foot, so it fits a stop between trains.
Museums guide →15. Crosby Beach and Another Place
Antony Gormley's 100 cast-iron figures, each about 650 kg, stand along more than 3 km (about 2 miles) of coast. Crosby is not a bathing beach, so do not swim. Stay within 50 m of the promenade, because the sand is soft and the tide comes in over the figures. Take the Merseyrail Northern Line towards Southport.
Crosby Beach guide →Putting a day together
Three simple combinations that avoid long cross-city trips.
A Beatles day
Start with the Magical Mystery Tour from the Albert Dock, finish at the Cavern Club, and keep the afternoon for The Beatles Story or a timed Strawberry Field visit.
A free culture day
Walk from Lime Street station to the Walker Art Gallery and the World Museum, then to a cathedral. The Museum of Liverpool is at the waterfront.
A waterfront and football day
Spend the morning at the Royal Albert Dock and the Pier Head, then take a bus to Anfield for an afternoon stadium tour. Tour dates depend on the match calendar.
Plan the rest of your trip
Weather, tours and places to sleep.
Things to do in Liverpool: frequently asked questions
Which Liverpool attractions are free?
General entry is free at the Museum of Liverpool, the World Museum and the Walker Art Gallery, and at both cathedrals. Towers, crypts, temporary exhibitions and guided tours are charged separately.
Which attractions are closed at the moment?
The Merseyside Maritime Museum and the International Slavery Museum are closed, with reopening planned for 2028. Tate Liverpool is closed, with reopening planned for 2027. Ferry sailings were suspended on 18 and 19 October 2026.
Is Liverpool a World Heritage Site?
No longer. UNESCO removed the waterfront from the World Heritage List in 2021. The buildings are still there to see, but the title no longer applies.
Do I need to book in advance?
For The Beatles Story, buy a timed slot online. The National Trust minibus tour to the childhood homes must be booked. Anfield tours cost less when booked ahead. The Cavern Club sells general entry only at the door.
What can I do indoors when it rains?
The Beatles Story, the Cavern Club, the World Museum, the Museum of Liverpool and the Walker Art Gallery are all indoors. The weather page shows that rain is possible in every month.