History · Liverpool · United Kingdom
8 historic sites to see in Liverpool
The places that tell the story of how the city came to be.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Start with Royal Albert Dock, The Beatles Story and Cavern Club and Mathew Street. Together the 8 picks below take roughly 11–14 hours across 5 areas; 3 are free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 8
- Free entry
- 3
- Time to see them all
- 11–14 hours
- Areas
- Waterfront, Cavern Quarter and William Brown Street
Historic sites in Liverpool
Waterfront · Waterfront
1.Royal Albert Dock
Its Grade I-listed colonnaded warehouses around the water now hold museums, restaurants, bars and hotels.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Museum · Waterfront
2.The Beatles Story
A walk-through exhibition in the vaults of the Albert Dock follows the band from their Liverpool childhoods and Hamburg years to Beatlemania and their solo careers, with a replica of the Cavern Club, original instruments and an audio guide narrated in part by family members.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- History
- Rainy day
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Experience · Cavern Quarter
3.Cavern Club and Mathew Street
Live bands play most days, and Mathew Street around it is lined with Beatles-themed pubs and the Wall of Fame.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- After dark
- History
Viewpoint · Waterfront
4.Royal Liver Building tower tour
Guided tours of the 1911 Royal Liver Building take visitors up the clock tower beneath one of the two copper Liver Birds, past clock faces larger than those of Big Ben, to a 360-degree view across the Mersey, the Wirral and the city.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- Architecture
- History
Museum · Waterfront
5.Museum of Liverpool
Its large windows look out onto the waterfront.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
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Museum · William Brown Street
6.World Museum
It is one of the most child-friendly museums in the north-west.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
- Nature
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Architecture · City Centre
7.St George's Hall
Its Minton-tiled floor, usually covered, is revealed on certain occasions, and the old court rooms and cells can be explored.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- History
- Rainy day
Historic site · Woolton
8.Strawberry Field
It is in the suburb of Woolton, about 8 km south-east of the centre.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Outdoors
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Waterfront | Royal Albert Dock, The Beatles Story, Royal Liver Building tower tour and Museum of Liverpool | 1–2 hours + 2 hours + 1 hour + 2 hours |
| Cavern Quarter | Cavern Club and Mathew Street | 1–2 hours |
| William Brown Street | World Museum | 2 hours |
| City Centre | St George's Hall | 1 hour |
| Woolton | Strawberry Field | 1–1.5 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 8, 3 free, 2 low cost, 3 mid-priced. Book ahead for Royal Liver Building tower tour. The longest visit is Royal Albert Dock; group the rest by area to save travel time.
- Royal Liver Building tower tour: Tours run in small groups at set times; book online in advance.
How to fit them into 3 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Waterfront): Royal Albert Dock → The Beatles Story → Royal Liver Building tower tour, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Waterfront and Cavern Quarter): Museum of Liverpool → Cavern Club and Mathew Street, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 3 (William Brown Street, City Centre and Woolton): World Museum → St George's Hall → Strawberry Field, at least 4 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- February: highs of 8°C (46°F), about 11 rainy days, quiet crowds. Still cold and damp; a good month for free museums, theatres and gigs.
- March: highs of 10°C (50°F), about 12 rainy days, quiet crowds. Lengthening days and changeable weather, with blossom in Sefton Park late in the month.
- January: highs of 8°C (46°F), about 14 rainy days, quiet crowds. Cold, windy and grey, with dark afternoons; low hotel prices and quiet museums.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Waterfront and Royal Albert Dock — Restored Victorian docks, the Three Graces and museum quarter
- City Centre and Liverpool ONE — Shopping streets, the Cavern Quarter and Lime Street's civic buildings
More of Liverpool
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Liverpool?
Royal Albert Dock. Opened in 1846 to designs by the dock engineer Jesse Hartley, the Albert Dock was the first structure in Britain built entirely of cast iron, brick and stone, with no structural wood, so it would not burn.
+Which of these are free in Liverpool?
Royal Albert Dock, Museum of Liverpool and World Museum.