Royal Liver Building can be visited with a guided tour. It lasts for about 70 minutes and it is very interesting. I visited yesterday and today I’m sharing details from our tour. See details on prices and parking at the end of the post.
Royal Liver Building is one of the buildings on the Liverpool’s waterfront, alongside the other two, they are called the There Graces. It first opened in 1911 and it took 3 years to be built. It has an impressive 15 floors which made it the tallest building in Europe when it was built.
At the entrance there is a small gift shop and some details on the building and on the Liver birds. After a short introduction by the guide, we were taken to the 10th floor. We stepped outside and we could admire the beautiful panorama.
We got closer to the Liver birds. There are two birds, mythical creatures, called Bertie and Bella. Bertie looks inward into the city (to check out the opening times for the pubs), while Bella looks out at sea (to check if a new sailor boyfriend might show up). Of course the initial idea was that Bertie was to watch over the city (Liverpool’s people) and Bella to watch over the sea (Liverpool’s prosperity). The legend says that if the birds see each other they will fly away and the city will cease to exist. I love this kind of stories.
From this first stop we could see The Beatles Story, where a restaurant is located at the top floor with its beautiful terrace (we had cocktails there last month).
One of the clocks was directly above us. We went back inside and climbed to get inside the clock tower.
Here was a lovely movie which showed the history of Liverpool, dotted with lovely cultural references. We were able to watch the clock mechanism in action and we could ask questions regarding it.
After that we went up again, to reach the 15th floor and see the 360 panoramic views of the city.
I’ve been to a tour of the Cathedral and went up the stairs too, to get on the roof of that building.
It is worth visiting the Liver Building. The tour is long enough to have time to take pictures and ask questions, but it is not too long to make it boring.
Royal Liver Building is on the Liverpool Watefront, Liverpool, L3 1HU.
The price is £15 for adults, so not exactly cheap, but I think it’s good value for money, as the tour is guided and the staff seem very friendly and they answered our questions.
There is paid parking nearby, quite expensive, but there are many cheap car-parks in walking distance. There are good transport links if you decide you want to take the bus. I would suggest booking the tickets in advance.
This is so impressive. I love seeing behind the clock and the views are fabulous!
Wow, that’s so lovely! I have only been to London (it’s a long flight from Canada’s west coast), but this makes me want to visit!
Royal Liver Building is so beautiful. I think what would fascinate me the most is the clock mechanism. Such a big clock! The views from the top are stunning. I think that a visit to a building as fascinating as that one pays off even if the ticket is a bit expensive. I love the story about the birds Bertie and Bella who watch over Liverpool people and the sea. Great story.
The clock mechanism is as old as the building is, so over 100 years old. That is very impressive.
An impressive looking building. Sounds like a great place to visit. Thanks for sharing!
I love Liverpool and would like to go back as there’s a lot to see and do in the city. Thank you for the interesting tour of this iconic building. All the best.
What a fantastic old building! I took a lot of architecture classes in school, so this is just the type of tour I’d enjoy. I’m glad you explained about the Liver Birds. Seeing the photo on Instagram piqued my curiosity.
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The birds are very cute, aren’t they? The building is home to offices too, so the visitor centre is at level -1, I forgot to mention that. It’s great that now is available for tours as it is such an important part of Liverpool’s history.