11 Best Sights in Liverpool, Manchester, Liverpool, and the Peak District

To understand the city's prosperous maritime past, head for these 7 acres of restored waterfront warehouses built in 1846. Named after Queen Victoria's consort, Prince Albert, the dock provided storage for silk, tea, and tobacco from the Far East until it was closed in 1972. Today, the fine colonnaded brick buildings contain the Merseyside Maritime Museum, the International Slavery Museum, Tate Liverpool, and the Beatles Story. When weather allows, you can sit at an outdoor café overlooking the dock; there are also bars, restaurants, and even hotels on the site. For a bird's-eye view of the Albert Dock area, take the rotating Wheel of Liverpool—a 60-meter-tall version of the London Eye. Much of the waterfront pedestrian area is cobblestone, so wear comfortable shoes.

Entertaining scenes at this popular attraction in the Albert Dock complex re-create stages in the Beatles' story (and their later careers as solo artists). You'll find everything from the enthusiastic early days in Germany and the Cavern Club to the White Room, where "Imagine" seems to emanate from softly billowing curtains. A shop sells every conceivable kind of souvenir a Fab Four fan could wish for.

A must-see for Beatles pilgrims, this tour takes you to Mendips, the 1930s middle-class, semidetached house that was the home of John Lennon from 1946 to 1963, and 20 Forthlin Road, Paul McCartney's childhood home. After his parents separated, John joined his aunt Mimi at Mendips; she gave him his first guitar but banished him to the porch, saying, "The guitar's all very well, John, but you'll never make a living out of it." Meanwhile, Forthlin Road is a modest 1950s council house where a number of the Beatles' songs were written. The tours leave from Liverpool South Parkway Station or Speke Hall. Advanced reservations are essential as visits are strictly limited.

This wonderful five-floor museum captures the triumphs and tragedies of Liverpool's seafaring history. In addition to presenting exhibits of maritime paintings, models, ceramics, and ships in bottles, it brings to life the ill-fated stories of the Titanic and Lusitania; the Battle of the Atlantic; and the city's role during World War II. Seized, the gallery for the Border Force National Museum, explores the heroes and villains of the world of smuggling, together with the story of mass emigration from the port in the 19th century, while the Life on Board gallery looks at everyone from merchant sailors to leisure cruise-liner passengers.

There is no permanent collection at this offshoot of the London-based art galleries of the same name. Instead, it hosts challenging exhibitions of modern and contemporary art that change every couple of months. During development and expansion of the museum's original home—a handsome conversion of Albert Dock warehouses by the late James Stirling, one of Britain's leading 20th-century architects—it has been housed in the RIBA North building on Mann Island, just 425 meters away. Although the space is smaller, its two galleries are well worth visiting. 

With a superb display of British art and some outstanding Italian and Flemish works, this is one of the best British art collections outside London. Don't miss the unrivaled collection of paintings by 18th-century Liverpudlian equestrian artist George Stubbs or works by J. M. W. Turner, Claude Monet, Frederic Lord Leighton, and the Pre-Raphaelites. Modern artists are included, too, including one of David Hockney's typically Californian pool scenes. Other excellent exhibits showcase classical Greek and Roman sculptures as well as china, silver, and furniture that once adorned the mansions of Liverpool's industrial barons. There are temporary exhibitions, including those focusing on photography, and a dedicated children's art space. The café holds center stage in the airy lobby.

Located in the former first-class lounge of the historic Cunard Building, this venue traces the story of British music through a colorful array of costumes, instruments, and other memorabilia. Regular events include celebrations of particular musical icons, and there are school-holiday activities for kids.

Hop on a 50-minute River Explorer Cruise along the River Mersey for fine views of the city—a journey celebrated in "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey," Gerry and the Pacemakers' 1964 hit song. It was from Pier Head that 9 million British, Irish, and other European emigrants set sail between 1830 and 1930 for new lives in North America, Australia, and Africa.

Clad in Jura stone and shaped like a ship, with a spectacular spiral staircase running from the atrium to each floor, this ambitious waterfront museum tells the story of the city from its earliest settlement in the Neolithic Age. Highlights include an extraordinary 3-D map with different perspectives of the city as you move around it, an engrossing film about soccer culture, and an interactive timeline peeling away layers of Liverpool's history. There's a children's gallery and family museum trails, too.

Winston Churchill said that the threat of a U-boat attack from the Atlantic was his greatest fear during World War II. At this evocative war museum, you can explore the warren of rooms under the city streets that served the top-secret "Western Approaches Command HQ" from 1941 to 1945. The lofty Operations Room, full of the state-of-the-art technology of the time, is especially interesting.

Travel from the prehistoric to the space age through the stunning displays in these state-of-the-art galleries. Ethnology, the natural and physical sciences, and archaeology all get their due over five floors. Highlights include a collection of Egyptian mummies and a beautiful assemblage of Japanese arms and armory in the World Cultures Gallery. There's plenty to keep kids amused, like fish and other sea creatures in the Aquarium, monster bugs in the Bug House, and life-size casts of prehistoric monsters in the Dinosaurs and Natural World Gallery, plus a planetarium and a busy program of events and activities.