Mersey Ferry River Cruise or Hop-On Hop-Off Bus: Which to Book in Liverpool?
4 min read
If you want the waterfront and nothing else, book the Mersey Ferries Sightseeing River Cruise: from €16.73, a 50-minute sailing, rated 4.3 from 4,824 reviews. If you also want to see the inland sights from a bus, the River Cruise and Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour combines the cruise with a bus ticket for €31.67 in total.
The two tickets
| Tour | What it is | Valid | From | Rating and reviews | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sightseeing River Cruise | 50-minute Mersey Ferries cruise | 1 day | €16.73 | 4.3 · 4,824 | The skyline from the water |
| River Cruise and Hop-On Hop-Off | Cruise plus open-top bus | 2 days | €31.67 | 4.5 · 2,095 | A first visit with little walking |
The river cruise
The ferry leaves from Pier Head, directly in front of the Liver Building, and the page says the cruise runs every hour on the hour. You can travel at any time on the day you book. The route passes the Three Graces, the Royal Albert Dock and the cathedral, with commentary about the Beatles playing the Riverboat Shuffle cruises in the early 1960s.
Commentary is a free digital guide in English: scan the QR code at the terminal or on board, bring headphones, charge your phone and have mobile data on. Without a smartphone you can ask for a printed fact sheet, listed in languages including French, German, Italian, Spanish and Japanese. Swedish is not on that list.
Practical notes from the page: arrive at least 25 minutes before sailing to redeem your voucher, because the cruise starts promptly on the hour. There are toilets on board and a café bar, but food and drinks are not in the price. It can get windy on deck, though there is seating inside. The main deck is described as fully accessible.
What the combination adds
The second ticket pairs the cruise with a hop-on hop-off open-top bus with a live English guide, listing 11 stops including Pier Head, the Metropolitan and Anglican cathedrals, the Chinese Arch and Royal Albert Dock. Two rules matter: the cruise must be taken on the day of the ticket, while the bus ticket can be used within 48 hours after you validate it. The operator runs two vessels, the Dazzle Ferry and the Royal Iris, and either may operate your cruise.
Who should pick which
Pick the cruise alone if you already have a bus plan, are short on time, or want the views for photos. Pick the combination if you are new to the city and want to hop on and off at the cathedrals and the docks. If you want the bus with a different operator or a Beatles route, compare the bus tickets. More options are on the bus and river cruise page.
Our recommendation
Book the river cruise on its own unless you will really use the bus; the sailing is the part only the ferry gives you.
