Liverpool

Liverpool: River Cruise & Sightseeing Bus Tour

Badge of ExcellenceLiverpool, England
Liverpool Do The Double 50 min River Explorer Cruise with a 50 min Open top City Bus Tour with Live Commentary
  • 2 hours
  • Offered in: English

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Overview

See Liverpool by land and water on this enjoyable combo tour.  Take a River Explorer cruise along Liverpool’s waterfront, seeing the sights as the onboard commentary recounts their history. Couple your cruise with a hop-on hop-off City Explorer open-top, double-decker bus tour. With your 24-hour pass, travel around must-sees such as St. George's Hall and Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King Liverpool, listening to the live commentary and hopping off at stops of interest.
  • Liverpool River Explorer cruise and City Explorer hop-on hop-off bus tour
  • View all Liverpool’s iconic waterfront and city sights in one day
  • Cruise by Liverpool's waterside, including the Albert Dock and Liver Building
  • Hear about Liverpool’s history from the onboard boat and bus commentary
  • See top Liverpool attractions by open-top, double-decker bus, including the Cavern Club
  • Hop on and off as you wish at the designated stops with your 24-hour pass

What's Included

  • Hop-on hop-off open top bus tour
  • River Cruise
  • Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase
  • Food and drinks
  • Transportation to/from attractions

Meeting and Pickup

Start time

Opening hours

  • 4/1/2024 - 5/26/2025

    Monday - Sunday : 10:00 AM - 03:00 PM

What To Expect

River Explorer Cruise :

Make your own way to Pier Head on the River Mersey, arriving at least 15 minutes prior to your chosen departure: the ferry departs regularly during the day.

Step aboard for your cruise, and sail along Liverpool’s waterfront, passing sights such as the Royal Liver Building and historical Albert Dock.

As you admire the sights, explore the boat’s information zones and listen to the illuminating commentary. Hear about Liverpool’s maritime and musical history, from tales of smuggling to stories of how The Beatles performed on the Mersey ferries ‘Riverboat Shuffles’ of the 1960s.

Break your journey at any of the three stops: Seacombe, Woodside and Wirral.

City Explorer Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour:

At Pier Head, board the City Explorer open-top, double-decker bus with your 24-hour pass. Buses run regularly and travel around sights such as the Walker Art Gallery and bombed-out St Luke’s Church, damaged in 1941. Hop off at any stops that interest you or stay aboard for a comprehensive overview of the city complemented by the onboard commentary. See the Itinerary for a list of stops.
River Cruise & Sightseeing Bus Tour (11 stops)

9 Stops

9 Points of Interest

Duration: 2 hours

Operating Schedule: Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to sailing to redeem your ticket as the ferry departs on the hour. Please check departure dates on the Mersey Ferries website. On board this 50-minute river cruise, visitors will discover the well-loved legacy of Liverpool and the river Mersey, with its musical and maritime history. From 'The Beatles' performing on the 'Riverboat Shuffle' cruises in the early 1960s to tales of smuggling, this ferry carries a cargo of memories. Just sit back and enjoy the fascinating commentary, wonder at the wildlife and absorb the heritage. Departing hourly the 50-minute river experience sails from Liverpool, Pier Head, calling at Seacombe, Wirral and then returning to Liverpool Pier Head. The cruise features fantastic recorded commentary and a choice of cruise fact sheets in French, German, Spanish, Italian & Japanese. When you arrive back at Liverpool Pier Head, the City Explorer open top bus tour will be there at Pier Head to continue your journey - the last bus is at 3pm but is valid for 24hours. The City Explorer brings the best of Liverpool to you. Visit iconic places of interest and learn about the city’s culture and history with a live guide on every bus. The bus will be calling at: Albert Dock ,Liverpool Pier Head – Mathew Street – Home of the famous Cavern Club ,Walker Art Gallery & St Georges Hall, Metropolitan Cathedral, Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, St Luke's bombed out church, China Town – Chinese arch, Cains Brewery, Liverpool Marina & M&S Arena & Conference Halls. Your City Explorer bus tour can be used on the same day as your cruise and the following day giving you maximum sightseeing opportunity.

Pier Head

Mathew Street

Walker Art Gallery

Metropolitan Cathedral

Liverpool Cathedral

China Town - Liverpool

Cains Brewery Village

M&S Bank Arena

Royal Albert Dock Liverpool

Points of interest passed by on this route

Royal Albert Dock Liverpool

St. George's Hall

Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King Liverpool

Walker Art Gallery

Chinatown

Pier Head

St Luke’s Bombed Out Church

Mersey Ferries

Mathew Street

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Transportation is wheelchair accessible
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • A coffee shop & restrooms can be found onboard the ferry
  • Stroller accessible
  • The ferry is accessible on the main deck for wheelchairs
  • Service animals allowed
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
  • Arrive at least 25 minutes prior to redeem your voucher at Liverpool Pier Head Gerry Marsden terminal.
  • Near public transportation
  • Most travelers can participate
  • Your ticket is valid for any cruise on the day of your ticket. The River Cruise departs every hour on the hour from Liverpool. Please check Mersey Ferries website for up to date departures and notices.
  • The hop on hop off bus tour part of the ticket is valid for 48 hours from redemption.
  • The last bus tour is at 3pm - however, you can use it the following day!

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

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Reviews

4.5
415 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 415 reviews
Perfect 🤩 Recommend...
Ana_R, May 2024
Perfect 🤩 Recommend beautiful views nice staff easy to getting to need points Liverpool absolutely amazing from seaside
Response from Host, May 2024
So glad you enjoyed your visit and thank you for your 5 star view!
Very happy.
Dawn_G, Apr 2024
Staff were brilliant very well organised. Knew exactly where we were meant to be before the trip. It was a choppy river day but did not feel it in the boat. Well done staff.
Had to be done worth every penny
Jennifer_D, Apr 2024
Booked on line before we visited Liverpool. Great way to see liverpool. Great story telling .lovely going over the mersey
Fabulous
Alison_M, Mar 2024
Our trip on the Mersey was fabulous, luckily we were on the first ferry and there was hardly any queue time. It was very informative and we loved it. We then got on the open top bus with Brian as our tour guide, he was very knowledgeable and extremely funny… we had a great time, thank you 👍🏻.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Many thanks for your 5 star review its much appreciated ! So glad you had a fabulous time.
The best of Liverpool
Nancy_N, Mar 2024
Michael was awesome trunk of knowledge driving around the town with many laughs and song the ferry ride on the Mersey was quite nice
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Many thanks for your 5 stars review its much appreciated. So glad you enjoyed your day
Quick and easy!
Sarah_M, Mar 2024
A nice sightseeing cruise with some great information about the area! Including the towns opposite Liverpool. Don’t expect a super long tour, it’s brief and informational!
Response from Host, Apr 2024
So glad you enjoyed the cruise
Mersey boat cruise
jonah_a, Mar 2024
The staff are lovely in the boat and the recorded commentary is so informative. Very good boat cruise experience.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Many thanks for taking time to make a review its much appreciated
Great Trip
victoria_p, Oct 2023
Ferry and Bus were good, just didn’t have enough time to utilise fully. However, don’t book before you go as you can get it cheaper on the day I was travelling with an OAP and there is not option to select that on the website but there is a the box office
Waste of time
Raymond_P, Oct 2023
The ferry was jammed with elementary and high school kids. You couldn't hear the commentary. The ride was short. The bus portion was totally disorganized. There are two lines by separate companies the red and the yellow. I picked the city only yellow and should have picked the more expansive red. It was hard getting jnfo, the !ines were long and intermixed. The red bus had long lines. At every stop
Liverpool
Mildred_C, Oct 2023
Enjoyed the river cruise and the bus tour, only wish we could have had more time to explore Liverpool.
Response from Host, Oct 2023
Thank you for this lovely 5 star review Mildred - we hope to get to visit Liverpool again one day.
Ferry across the Mersey and Liverpool bus
Marilyn_H, Sep 2023
Had a great day absolutely no problems on the ferry just a wee hiccup on the buss we had two people in wheelchairs but they will only take one wheelchair at a time
Informative
Lisa_M, Sep 2023
It was nice to see Liverpool from both the sea and land. The bus tour was very interesting and had a live guide who was knowledgeable.
A great way to see the City. Very informative and the buses are every 15 mins
Sandra_B, Sep 2023
Boat trip worth doing and the buses were fantastic. Run every 15 minutes so hop on hop off very easy. The guys were very informative on the bus so quite a nice idea to do the whole circuit then decide where to visit on the second time around.
I don't get any one
Baltazar_C, Sep 2023
The tour was canceled. Waiting for my full refund. How it's possible that you sell a tour with just one ship?? I hope don't get any problem or excuse with my full refund.
Brilliant two things to do in Liverpool
Salina_S, Aug 2023
The hop on, off bus was excellent with a interesting history of Liverpool centre. Excellent women who really knew her history and made it very educational. The Mersey boat was a great experience and wonderful experience, couldn't hear the audio that well but overall a brilliant two things to do.
Great value for money trip.
ashorrocks38, Aug 2023
Good way to see the main sights of Liverpool and the audio on the bus was great. River cruise is an opportunity to see Liverpool from a different angle. Good value for money.
Great Overview
Trista_O, Aug 2023
The tour guide on the bus was very funny and engaging. Wonderful overview of the city and it's history also good tips on where to eat, go dancing etc... The cruise was relaxing and the staff at the check-in desk were great.
Best bus tour in the world
Joe_L, Aug 2023
Bus tour with Micheal as driver and Eileen, as guide gave us the best experience In the world. Awesome bus tour and recommend to others
Liverpool
Alexander_U, Jul 2023
The lovely history of Liverpool and it's association with Ireland.The journey time from Liverpool to USA and Australia
Nice area. Great view!...
Rinelda_H, Jul 2023
Nice area. Great view! Not crowded. Everyone was very nice. Liverpool is a great city to visit. I recommend it highly
...

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up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

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