Why go

The Museum of Liverpool tells the story of the city and its people in a striking modern building at the Pier Head, beside the Three Graces. It covers the port, the city’s links with the world, its people and its creativity in music, sport, film and television. It is free, it is right on the waterfront, and it is the best single introduction to what makes Liverpool tick.

What to see

  • Wondrous Place. The top-floor gallery on the city’s music, sport, film and TV: Beatles suits and Merseybeat memorabilia, Mel C’s Spice Girls costume, Lita Roza’s dress, and one of Villanelle’s costumes from Killing Eve, worn by Liverpool actor Jodie Comer.
  • Liverpool Overhead Railway. The world’s first electric elevated railway opened in 1893 and ran along seven miles of docks; it was known as the dockers’ umbrella. Its last surviving carriage is fixed at the original height of 4.8 metres, and the gallery was built around it.
  • Lion. A locomotive built in 1838 for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, later a pumping engine at Princes Dock and a film star in The Titfield Thunderbolt.
  • Land transport. More than 200 vehicles in the collection, from Lion to a 2011 Range Rover Evoque, including a Mersey Tunnel scrubber and tramcar 245.
  • Little Liverpool. A hands-on gallery for children under six.

Plan your visit

From 2 November 2026 the museum opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 4pm. Like all National Museums Liverpool venues, it is closed on Mondays except in school holidays and on bank holidays, and hours can change, so check the website on the day. Allow an hour and a half to two hours. The ground-floor café looks out over the docks and the skyline.

The museum is next to the Mersey Ferries terminal and the Royal Liver Building, and about 10 minutes’ walk from the Royal Albert Dock. James Street station is a short walk away.

Tickets and saving money

Entry is free, and donations are welcome. Special exhibitions and some events have a charge. The Christmas sessions in Little Liverpool, from 1 to 23 December on Tuesdays to Sundays, cost £2 per child and have limited places.

What’s on

The giant Blackler’s Father Christmas, which stood over shoppers in the Blackler’s department store from 1957 until 1988, returns to the atrium on 24 November 2026. On 16 January 2027 the museum opens 70 Years of The Cavern Club, a major exhibition marking the club’s anniversary with more than 200 objects.

Nearby museums

Two National Museums Liverpool venues on the dock nearby, the Maritime Museum and the International Slavery Museum, are closed for essential maintenance ahead of a major redevelopment. Tate Liverpool’s free displays are temporarily next door at RIBA North on Mann Island, open daily from 10am to 5.50pm.

Accessibility

The museum has a Changing Places toilet on the ground floor, and a visual story on its website describes each gallery, including lighting levels and interactives.

Nearby

The Royal Liver Building tour and the Mersey Ferries are both at the Pier Head. The Royal Albert Dock and The Beatles Story are 10 minutes south along the river.