Liverpool: River Cruise & Sightseeing Bus Tour

Recommended by 90% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Liverpool, England

High interest

Booked 2 times today.

2 hours (approx.)
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.5

· Jennifer_D ·

Jul 2026

Excellent experience. Very good ferry journey and the sightseeing tour was friendly and a good route taking in a lot of sights. The children loved it and were made to feel welcome. Great that we had the use of the bus for two days. We were able to cover lots of places by using this.

· Susan_T ·

Aug 2026

Two great tours of Liverpool. Some interesting facts about the city. Very enjoyable experience and would recommend

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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.

View all Liverpool’s iconic waterfront and city sights in one day
Hear about Liverpool’s history from the onboard boat and bus commentary
Unobstructed views of Liverpool attractions by open-top bus
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
Digital commentary on the River Cruise available in English. Please bring your headphones.

Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase
Food and drinks
Transportation to/from attractions
Headphones are not included please bring your own

Meeting and Pickup

Operating hours

04/01/2024 - 08/29/2027
Monday - Thursday : 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Friday - Saturday : 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday : 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Departure Point

You may start this tour at any of the stops listed.

Itinerary

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 bring headphones for our digital commentary and arrive at least 20 minutes prior to sailing to redeem your ticket as the ferry departs on the hour. For digital commentary please scan the QR code at the ferry terminal and onboard the ferry. 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 digital commentary and is available 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

China Town - Liverpool

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
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
Children must be accompanied by an adult

A coffee shop & restrooms can be found onboard the ferry
The ferry is accessible on the main deck for wheelchairs
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.
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!
Digital commentary on the River Cruise - From 26 February 2026, MERSEY FERRIES be offering a free digital audio guide as part of a one-month trial. Simply scan the QR code located at each ferry terminal or onboard the Mersey Ferry to access it. For the best experience, please bring your own headphones, ensure your phone is fully charged, and have mobile data enabled. During this trial period, the commentary will not play through the external speaker system. If you don’t have a smartphone, you can request a printed cruise route fact sheet from our team at the ferry terminal which is available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Ukraine and Arabic.

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

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

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.5

based on 534 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Sort by: Most insightful

Great tours

Susan_T, Aug 2026

Two great tours of Liverpool. Some interesting facts about the city. Very enjoyable experience and would recommend

Response from Host, Aug 2026

Many thanks for your review it's much appreciated

Good HoHo option

Robin_H, Aug 2026

Having a live guide is nicer than most HoHo's with the pre-recorded information. The city tour was nice and the boat ride an added plus.

Response from Host, Aug 2026

Many thanks for your comments its's much appreciated

Liverpool sites

Gill_H, Jul 2026

Enjoyed the bus commentary telling us about the city and it's history. The boat trip was great as you can download a commentary on the sites you see enroute.

Amazing yellow route tour

Jennifer_D, Jul 2026

Boat broke down and we...

Paige_S, Jun 2026

Boat broke down and we were not able to go on a tour. We tried 2 days in a row to be able to go and it was closed.

Response from Host, Jun 2026

We are very sorry that we were unable to operate your cruise. Our ferry is a heritage vessel and unfortunately met with technical issues that we were unable to resolve immediately. We have offered full refunds to those affected.

Fun and easy to walk to from cruise port.

ANTHONY_A, Jun 2026

All very easy and covers alot of history. It's the yellow bus with a real person talking and answering questions. Will look for them again. We are seniors with walking issues and this very easy from cruise port

Response from Host, Jun 2026

Many thanks for your 5 star review it's much appreciated

Nice trip with some improvements needed

Stephanie_h, Jun 2026

We booked the ferry trip and bus together No contact to say bus stop was closed and a 15 min walk from ferry terminal The ferry was disappointing as you needed headphones for the dialogue A 5 second splurge of the song ferry across the Mersey was played we expected more we had no idea what we could see so a pointless trip The bus stop as much better a great manned trip with handy information and tips with lots of history given we enjoyed this

Response from Host, Jun 2026

Sorry for the inconvenience about the closed bus stop. Unfortunately, there was an external event happening in the area where one of the bus pick ups was - with this being a hop on hop off there are several other bus stops within walking distance. With regards to Mersey Ferries we do have an information sheet for guests who are unable to use the digital commentary QR code - this should of been offered to you on check in. We shall escalate this back to the front of house staff - Hope this didn't effect your overall experience and hope to welcome you back soon.

Great bus tour but try to get one with live commentary

Paul_F, Jun 2026

In all honesty I wouldn’t recommend the cruise however the bus tour was really good and made more memorable by the great commentary by Dave with assistance from driver Wayne’

Response from Host, Jun 2026

Thank you for your feedback and the 5 stars Paul. We are pleased to hear how much you enjoyed the bus tour. Thanks for visiting us.

Ok experience

Kini_K, Jun 2026

The hop on hop off bus tour was good, informative and reliable. Enjoyed it. The river cruise was a glorified ferry boat between the two sides of the river. Wouldn’t do that part again.

Response from Host, Jun 2026

Thank you for your comments, I'm sorry you were disappointed with the River Cruise.

Thoroughly enjoyable

DarenneJacqueline_K, May 2026

Both trips were enjoyable. The guide on the bus was not to my liking, a bit over the top for me. However, other passengers seemed to enjoy his banter and singing. Both trips were on time

Yellow bus & cruise trip

Veronica_B, May 2026

You need to bring earphones & have a smart phone to listen to the commentary. Which some of our group & many others did not have , so missed out on the information on the boat .I can't understand why the don't use the tanoid . The bus was great we had Viv she & her replacement were so good & funny we went round twice & they both had different points of interest ..the chick on a stick is still a shocking waste of money £60.000😱not to mention the poor guy who had to be moved all those years ago 🤣 I highly recommend the bus tour it's fun & you find out lots of interesting facts we also had a "hot"driver & as it was freezing he was needed his humor warmed us 😁 pity about the cruise though 😔lovely friendly people

It's okay

David_B, May 2026

It's okay if you're not sea sick, if you sit inside boat you have limited view, can't really see much inside,

Response from Host, May 2026

So sorry you were disappointed and felt unwell.

All HOHO and River Cruises are not the Same

Tyrone_K, May 2026

Liverpool's Hop On Hop Off bus came in the middle of a 26-day European run that included similar tours in London and Belfast, so I had recent benchmarks fresh in mind. Liverpool stacked up unevenly. The bus does what these tours are meant to do. You get a quick read on what a city has to offer, and the highlights sort themselves into "come back here" versus "saw what I needed." Talking with the driver between stops is part of the value for me. It's how I figure out whether a follow-on visit to one of those stops is worth the time. That conversation worked in Liverpool. The local accent was a pleasure, and the driver was generous with his time. The problem was hearing him on the bus itself. No earphones were provided, and the microphone setup did not carry well past the front rows. If you weren't close, you missed half of what he said. The river cruise was the bigger letdown, and that one is partly on me. London's HOHO bundled a cruise with a live narrator, and I assumed Liverpool would follow the same pattern. It does not. There is no guide. The narration is a recorded track you stream on your own phone with your own earphones. I had the phone. I did not have earbuds. So I rode the Mersey watching the skyline go by without context, while the passengers who came prepared had the benefit of the commentary. Lesson learned: do the homework on every leg of these packages, even when the format seems standard from city to city.

Response from Host, May 2026

Many thanks for your detailed review - we shall pass your comments onto the appropriate parties. With regards to Mersey Ferries we do have an information sheet for guests who are unable to use the digital commentary QR code - this should of been offered to you on check in. We shall escalate this back to the front of house staff - Hope this didn't effect your overall experience and hope to welcome you back soon.

Great intro to Liverpool

Michelle_O, Apr 2026

Bus and ferry tours great for giving the big picture. Then with the bus, you can hop off at venues of most interest and hop back on. Saved time, hassle, and expense of parking. Driver Jon M. got us where we needed to go. Wish I knew the guide's name because he had us belly laughing. Was the person working the morning of April 23.

Response from Host, May 2026

Thanks for your review it sounds like you had a lovely day!

A trip worth going on.

Joyce_F, Apr 2026

Interesting, plenty of space on board, refreshments, lots to see. Very friendly staff. Easy to book.

Response from Host, May 2026

Many thanks for your kind review it's much appreciated

We hopped on and off all weekend

Lorraine_C, Apr 2026

The ferry tour was great . The hop on hop off well worth doing we used it for 2 days so useful to get around and the commentary on board was great ( didn’t get his name) but very funny and very knowledgeable highly recommended this

Response from Host, May 2026

Many thanks for your 5 star review it's much appreciated

Great Experiences, reasonable price

Beverley_W, Apr 2026

The experience was great., although we weren't lucky with the weather. The only thing that could have been better was telling us what colour bus we needed as it wasn't clear at all on the booking or when we got on the bus.

Fantastic Sunday morning

Kathryn_B, Mar 2026

Fantastic! So easy to get off the ferry and onto the bus outside the terminal. Every 30 mins Chris was so informative and totally knew his stuff about Liverpool! Very engaging Well worth the money

Bus and river tour

Helen_L, Mar 2026

Fab way to see the city and hear about its history and interesting facts from the tour guide (a real person not a recording!) Boats go every hour, buses every half hour. We loved the cathedrals, especially the anglican one. Had lunch in their cafe and also went up the bell tower for an amazing view of all if Liverpool..

Ferry and bus tours of Liverpool

Ron_M, Nov 2025

Did river tour on the Royal Iris, very interesting, learnt more than I already knew! Also did the liverpool city bus tour, again very informative from a guy who actually loved his job.

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Many thanks for your kind review, so glad you found the commentary informative.

Birthday trip

DEBORAH_K, Oct 2025

Absolutely brilliant ...saw all the sights and well explained with a joke or 2 along the way ...regular pickups...thanks for a great time

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Thank you for a great review - glad you enjoyed your birthday treat!

So far, not impressed with Viator.

Sue_B, Oct 2025

Not very clear on where to get your tickets or show your online tickets. I booked 2 events with this company. The other tour was supposed to be Saturday night, but it got canceled due to poor weather. I did NOT cancel the tour. They sent me a message saying we canceled therefore I would not be receiving a refund.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

This review is for Viator and not Mersey Ferries - please contact their customer services email.

Do not use Viator they are a scam

AJ_W, Sep 2025

This review is for Viator Do not use Viator to book any thing they are an absolute bunch of scammers. I booked ifc cable car in London. When we arrived at the cable car base to show our ticket and we were told it was shut down because of high winds. When I reported this to Viator they rejected my claim that this wasnt true and of course I can’t prove it I’m not in London any more. Also when I was in Belfast we booked a hopon bus for after the titanic Belfast museum but the tour and museum took so long the hop on bus was done for the day I reported it to Viator right away in live chat and again I was rejected so hex on you Viator terrible customer service never again will I book with to you after you stole $200 cad from me

Response from Host, Sep 2025

This feedback has appeared under a Mersey Ferry product so we cannot respond. We would suggest contacting Viator customer services and ask how to register your complaint formally.

Exceptional bargain

MARGARET_B, Sep 2025

Good tour, excellent value. Did not have to pay until day ahead. Easy start from cruise ship. No headphones on either hourly ferry or every 15-minute hop on hop off bus. Both had good acoustics & humans giving info as we went along. Gave extra personalized info about stops.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you for the great review, we are pleased to hear that you enjoyed the experience with us.

No buses

Caroline_S, Sep 2025

Unable to use hop on hop off bus. Raining, all buses full, some sort of movie being made in town, should have had to wait 15 minutes but wait was over an hour. Waste of money.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you for your feedback, we are sorry that the weather was bad for you. The buses were operating despite the filming but please contact customer services with further details.

Absolutely brilliant,...

Yvonne_D, Aug 2025

Absolutely brilliant, informative and interesting tour. I am from Liverpool but knew that there would be much to learn from this. We were lucky with the weather so travelled on top of the bus which gave a wonderful view. Our guide, Donna, was friendly, helpful and extremely knowledgeable and our driver, Wayne was also lovely.

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Thank you for the great review Yvonne, so good to hear that you enjoyed your experience.

Fantastic tour with a great guide

Mark_W, Jul 2025

We loved this Hop on Hop off tour around Liverpool. It was great to have a real, life guide onboard, and Dave and Colin were fantastic - very informative and engaging, with a good sense of humour. I would definitely recommend this!

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Thank you so much for your 5 star review it's much appreciated!

Mersey Ferry and Hop On/Off Bus

Pip_F, Jul 2025

Ferry ride on the Mersey included an interesting commentary. Hop on bus was great, our guide Donna and driver John made the day. So nice to have personalised commentary rather than recorded. Bus ticket valid for a full 24hrs and not just the day you commenced travel. Would highly recommend.

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Many thanks for your 5 star review it's much appreciated.

Cold, but fun

Ida_S, Jul 2025

Interesting trip, but rather cold. Dress for wind! Saw lots of interesting things and enjoyed the commentary. Had a little trouble finding the actual start, but was worth the time.