Free things to do in Liverpool
Liverpool’s big museums and galleries are free, the two cathedrals are free to enter, and the dock, the Pier Head and the parks cost nothing.
12 picks that fit, best first. The order follows the live forecast and the time of day.
Museum of Liverpool
Pier Head
The story of the city, from the docks to the football to the music, free, on the waterfront.
Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Royal Albert Dock
Waterfront
The restored Victorian dock with museums, galleries and bars around the water, free to wander.
Free.
- Free
- In and out
- Half a day
- Fine in rain
- Good with kids
Crosby Beach and Another Place
Crosby
A hundred cast-iron men by Antony Gormley standing in the sand, looking out to sea.
Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Formby beach and the red squirrels
Formby
Pine woods with red squirrels, then high dunes and a wide sandy beach, half an hour by train.
Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Free; parking charge for drivers
Liverpool Cathedral
St James’s Mount
The biggest cathedral in Britain, with a tower you can climb for the whole city and the river.
Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Free; tower ticketed
Sefton Park and the Palm House
Aigburth
Two hundred acres of Victorian park with a lake, a grotto and a glass palm house, free.
Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Walker Art Gallery
William Brown Street
One of the best collections outside London, from Rembrandt to Hockney, free.
Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
World Museum
William Brown Street
Dinosaurs, an aquarium, a planetarium and Egyptian mummies, free, all under one roof.
Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Half a day
- Good with kids
Georgian Quarter walk
Canning
Terraces of Georgian townhouses between the two cathedrals, the most filmed streets in the city.
Free.
- Free
- Outdoors
- Under 2 hours
Metropolitan Cathedral
Mount Pleasant
The 1960s concrete crown at the top of Hope Street, glowing blue inside from the lantern.
Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Bluecoat
School Lane
The oldest building in the city centre, now a free arts centre with a garden courtyard.
Free.
- Free
- Indoors
- Under 2 hours
Liverpool ONE
City centre
The open-air shopping district that links the centre to the dock, with a park on the roof.
Free.
- Free
- In and out
- Half a day
- Fine in rain
- Good with kids
Good to know
What are the best free things to do in Liverpool?
Liverpool’s big museums and galleries are free, the two cathedrals are free to enter, and the dock, the Pier Head and the parks cost nothing. There are 12 free picks here, and the order changes with the weather: on a wet day the free museums and galleries come first, on a fine day the parks and viewpoints do.
Do free attractions in Liverpool need booking?
Some do, at busy times. Where a place is free but asks you to book a slot, the card says so, and the official site link takes you to the booking page.