Museum of Liverpool

The Museum of Liverpool may not immediately dazzle with flashy theatrics, but for anyone fascinated by history, it's a real treasure trove. As the first national museum devoted to the story of a regional city, its purpose-built building on Pier Head presents Liverpool’s past in a smart, contemporary setting. Inside, the museum is organized into four major thematic galleries: The Great Port, Global City, People's Republic, and Wondrous Place. These cover everything from Liverpool’s role in maritime trade and the empire, to its diverse communities, culture, migration, and urban development – spanning a timeline from prehistoric times to the present day. With over 6,000 objects on show, paired with interactive sections like History Detectives and the Little Liverpool play area for under‑6s, it's both educational and engaging. For history-buffs, the highlight is definitely the well-curated storytelling of Liverpool’s global influence, technological growth, and multicultural heritage. While it may lack the visual impact of larger museums, its depth and context are what make it stand out. A particular gem is the top-floor sports gallery, featuring exhibits and archives on football and other local sporting traditions, alongside multimedia displays celebrating the city’s sporting heritage . It's a fitting tribute to Liverpool's sporting culture and proves that even in a history museum, sports can play a starring role. Overall impression Not a flashy museum, but rich, thoughtfully curated, and highly rewarding for history enthusiasts. Clean, modern building with a logical layout across three public floors. The sports gallery on the top floor adds a dynamic touch and is well worth visiting. Ideal for those who appreciate Liverpool’s complex story—from maritime prowess to urban identity. If you're drawn to the narrative behind the city—its people, international connections, and evolving social fabric—this museum delivers an insightful and memorable experience.

I would defy anyone not to enjoy a trip here. There is so much to see and do and it's free. The second floor was my favourite with the actual suits worn by the Beatles. I went for training on dementia awareness and it was just excellent and very inspiring the work that is done with local people and care homes. There is a really nice cafe and gift shop too. No one could say this museum is stuffy and boring- currently there is an exhibition on Holly Johnson and some interesting photos about Goodison Park.

Museum of Liverpool – A Must-Visit Gem Visiting the Museum of Liverpool was like stepping into the soul of the city. I saw more in one place than I ever could have wished for. It’s an incredibly rich and detailed journey through Liverpool’s past and present – from its industrial heritage and role in global trade, to its vibrant music scene and proud football legacy. The museum is beautifully organized, with thematic sections that guide you effortlessly through the city's social, cultural, and political history. The multimedia presentations, especially the video displays, bring the stories to life in a powerful and engaging way. You’re not just reading history – you’re feeling it. And the best part? Entry is completely free. For a museum of this scale and quality, that’s truly remarkable. Whether you're a first-time visitor or a lifelong Liverpudlian, there’s something here to surprise and inspire you. Highly recommended.

Excellent free museum with a wide range of exhibits and a superb view of the Three Graces from the upper floor. Well presented displays cover Liverpool's origins right up to its recent past. Culture, industry, architecture, transport and natural history are all represented. Information is nicely presented, with traditional information panels, interactive displays and immersive reconstructions. There are plenty of artefacts and some lovely vintage vehicles to see. Facilities are well maintained, with a café offering a nice range of lunch options, a gift shop, toilets and good access.

Very good day out, very informative and interesting, marked as a four as some interactive sections where not working or missing. My and my partner (from Italy) had a really good time! Would recomend! (Didn't use cafe or gift shop)

A good museum on the history of Liverpool, I especially enjoyed the timeline section. There's both a lot of minutaie in the exhibits while at the same time, I feel, a lack of contextual and consequential information about the events it details in quite a few spots. I think without that information provided, it lessened the impact of parts of the exhibits.

A great museum that presents the history of Liverpool in a very interesting way. From the industrial revolution, football, music, film... There is no entrance fee but we were happy to donate to the development. The museum is located in a beautiful location by the river with many other attractions.

A great free museum in a great location at Pier Head close to the famous Liver Building and the ferry across the Mersey. I went with work and managed to access a disabled space for our minibus. We entered the building and passed the shop and café through the main entrance into the foyer. There were 2 staff there to greet you and assist with any question. I asked if there was somewhere to have sandwiches and they directed me to the picnic area which had tables, chairs and toilets. Afterwards we took the lift to the second floor where there was a double aspect view of Albert Dock on one side and up the coast towards the Wirral and beyond. On that floor was a cultural exhibition called Wonderful Place and a Beatles one, the other one about Liverpool and its history. We took the lift down to the ground floor and went to the café, nicely laid out tables and chairs with more toilets and seating outside. There are a couple of paid exhibitions and educational workshops and an exhibition for children. We didn't get to the 2nd floor but probably when we visit again we can go to that. There is a sweeping staircase between each floor or lifts to each floor. Well worth a visit just for the views from the top floor and the café.

This is an amazing museum that chronicles the history of the great city of Liverpool. Great exhibition highlighting the people that made the city what it is. You can spend a lot of time at this museum... it has three floors, but my favorite was the third floor. it was about the people of Liverpool, who they were, the cultures they brought with them, and the many personalities that came out of the great city. One of my favorites was the film about the city's two football clubs, their history, and how, despite being cross park rivals, bring the city together over and over. Liverpool and Everton are integral to who the city is and football is the thing that binds them. The music section was just as good. The small film about the Beatles and how they became the global sensation that they are and the city the egg that spawned them. Alongside, the Fab4, you will find that many other stars have come out of Liverpool too... like Black to Bowie. Also, many stars have made their way from the Merseyside as well. Working your way downward, you find out more about the businesses that developed the town into a city, and the medieval to industrial booms. Sugar, timber, and people made their way through the city. I personally enjoyed the information about the city's military regiment. The museum is very interactive on all floors and is interesting for folks of all ages. We had a fun time. Look for the superlambananas! Tip: Work your way through the museum from the third floor then downward.

Spent there almost 2.5 hours! Variety of exhibitions, exploring history of the town from ancient times to nowadays, also touching on important social subjects such as slavery and discrimination. Fascinating and informative look into the past. Added bonus - views from the upstairs are great! The museum is free of charge, although donations are welcome.

Really nice museum of local history and culture. As a tourist I really appreciated a museum like that, but I'm sure it would still be quite cool as a destination for folks from the area!

Liverpool museum is located in a nice, sleek and super modern, contemporary building at Pier Head in liverpool. What is refreshing, is it was free to enter. It is a very informative museum offering a wealth of knowledge of the history of Liverpool. It is laid out on several floors with each floor offering different information..for example, the docks, import and exports, the wars impact on Liverpool, etc etc. Definitely worthy of a few hours for history buffs. Very clean and spaceous and laid out very well.

This museum is a great, free, way to spend some time by the famous Liverpool waterfront... but it is a little confused. Various exhibits sit side by side and you can roam from a timeline of WWII into an exhibit on poverty without any reason or explanation. If you don't mind your history intermingled and no clear oath of where to start, it's a great place to spend time. Don't be afraid of the void, it's their interesting way of describing the central stairwell.

The museum features exhibits on all aspects of Liverpool history, from prehistoric times until now. There are exhibits on music from Liverpool, Scousers, the overhead railway, and more. The view from the top floor is breathtaking! You get lovely views of the Albert Dock from one side, and of the Liver building on the other! To top it off, the museum is free, though a 4GBP donation is suggested (not required). If truly is a great way to spend an afternoon.

Everyone loves a free museum, right? And as the rain lashed down in Liverpool we loved it more than most. The building is modern and gorgeous, and as we entered it was teeming with people. Exhibitions on the ground floor cover Liverpool as a port and Liverpool as a global city; the first floor looks more at the history of the city. We were also delighted to see some less traditional exhibits too - a wonderful display all about April Ashley's life; I don't think I've ever seen such a comprehensive exhibit about trans issues in such a mainstream museum. On the downside, whilst there's an awful lot to see the exhibits (particularly on the ground floor) felt somewhat muddled... as if they had found a whole host of related items and put them together, but not really thought about what story they were trying to tell, or how people may move around the exhibition space. But hey - it's free so we can't complain too much!

Reasonably interesting museum that offers a glimpse into the history of Liverpool, and it's free. If you're anything like me, and you don't care much about the Beatles and THEIR history, you will need to find other museums and galleries in Liverpool. Thankfully, there's a number of decent to intriguing ones: the Tate Liverpool, the Museum of Slavery, the Maritime Museum (these two are in the same building) and the Museum of Liverpool, which was completed fairly recently. Conveniently, all these museums are located on the popular Albert Dock, a couple of hundred meters from each other. Comes in handy if you have limited time. The Museum of Liverpool is housed in a stylish, modern building with a generously dimensioned flight of stairs at its center. Of course, there are elevators, too. The museum deals with various aspects of the city's past, especially its glory days in the 18th and 19th centuries, where the harbor of Liverpool was the most, or one of the most important, in the entire world. The delicate subject of slave "export" is dealt in more detail at the nearby Slavery Museum though. There are a lot of objects, from means of transportation, everyday objects, art objects to historic signs to see - and a lot of tables to read. You should probably spare a couple of hours for the entire museum. If you're at all interested in the history of the city, and not its "Beatles history", visit this museum. It's free. There are free lockers, too - btw.

As most museums in Liverpool, it is free, which is awesome! There is some really interesting history of Liverpool, especially the parts about the citys trading history was set up really nice.

This museum is a great addition to the museum's in Liverpool and perfectly placed beside the Albert Dock on the Pier Head. Recent exhibitions include John and Yoko that closed in April. Close to restaurants, Liverpool One And Baltic Triangle. I live here so I'm a bit biased but check it out

This museum is very interesting with lot's to see and do, there are talks and shows at certain times, there is a cafe and lockers for your belongings, if you love history you will love it, there is a cafe,toilets,lifts only one minor thing lets it down a couple of the interactive things where actors are speaking from the screen you do struggle to hear if there are other ones speaking at the same time but most have phones to listen Visited March 2014

Well, I like how admission is free and there are lots of interesting things to look at inside. I like the banana lambs outside. It seems that banana lambs are a big there out here. We were somewhat in the hurry since we only had ~5 hours in Liverpool so we just did a quick walk through. I like how it's like every decent museum in the UK has free lockers to put your backpack or whatever inside (pay 1 pound then get the pound back). I'd recommend coming here to kill some time.

Beautiful space with great water views and exhibitions. Saw a Beatles show that explained that to some The Beatles began in a The Ed Sullivan show or in Hamburg or The Cavern but to the people of Liverpool it began in 1957 at St Peters Church where John Lennon met Paul McCarthy. Wonderful memorabilia of the Beatles and very nice exhibits of the early days as the started their amazing journey. Also saw Liverpool sports exhibition and history of football show. Modern space, very clean and inviting. Easy to view and understand displays. Really enjoyed my time here and there is no cover fee to get in. It's free.

What a great place! Not only is it free, but is extremely kid friendly with a water play area and crank driven horses and transportation. Even a chance to sing some Beatles karaoke. Also a great cafe w/nice options - tasty (dairy free!) fish and chips, healthy kids meals and gluten free options. Although not sure why there was a menora next to Franky Vaughn. No one at the info booth had an answer.

I like the museum. I is a great place to spend some time. I have been there twice and on both occasions its been entertaining and educational. the museum have a wide variety of exhibitions and have special and guest ones too. It is a great attraction to visit.