Ancient Egypt gallery
One of the largest Egyptology collections in Britain outside London, around 15,000 objects, with mummies and painted coffins in far calmer rooms than the capital's.
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Egyptian mummies, a live aquarium, a bug house, dinosaur skeletons and a planetarium on the fifth floor, all under one roof and none of it behind a ticket barrier. That is the World Museum's proposition, and it is why Liverpudlians head here the moment it rains, which is most of the year. Founded in 1851, the museum turns 175 in 2026 and marked the year not with a plaque but by reopening its oldest gallery on 14 February after a closure that began in November 2025: Wild World, on the fourth floor, with full-size Allosaurus and Camptosaurus replicas, lions, buffalo and polar bears, and a virtual-reality walk among the dinosaurs. For adults the real prize is the Ancient Egypt gallery, one of the largest Egyptology collections in Britain outside London at around 15,000 objects from Egypt and Sudan, with mummies, painted coffins and everyday objects shown in far calmer rooms than the British Museum's crush. Children have their own route: the Bug House and aquarium on the lower floors, then the Space gallery at the top where the planetarium sits. Shows there are no longer free as they once were; adults pay £3 and children £2, under-twos go free, tickets are booked online or at the box office and there is no late admittance once a show starts, so do not arrive late. The dome seats only about 60, so in the summer school holidays seats can sell out before lunch; book an afternoon slot as soon as you walk in. The building is big and spread over six levels, but the lifts cope, pushchairs move easily, and there are lockers with a refundable deposit. The café sits on the ground floor in the wing added to the museum in 1901, fine for a short break rather than a proper lunch. The museum is closed every Monday, which catches many visitors out, and opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00. The location is close to ideal: two minutes on foot from Lime Street station, with the Walker Art Gallery next door and St George's Hall beyond it, so one street can fill a whole day without a car. For a Gulf family in Liverpool in July or August, give it a grey or wet morning and go in at opening, before the school groups and local families arrive after eleven. Allow two hours, three if you add a planetarium show.
One of the largest Egyptology collections in Britain outside London, around 15,000 objects, with mummies and painted coffins in far calmer rooms than the capital's.
The museum's oldest gallery reopened on 14 February 2026 on the fourth floor with full-size Allosaurus and Camptosaurus replicas and a VR walk among dinosaurs.
The Bug House and aquarium keep young children busy downstairs, while the fifth-floor planetarium runs shows for a small fee (£3) booked online or at the box office.
William Brown Street, Liverpool L3 8EN
Walker Art GalleryA Rembrandt, a Rubens and a Poussin in a northern port city built by ship-owners2 minutes walk4.8
St George's HallStep out of Lime Street station and the first thing in front of you is not a hot2 minutes walk4.8
Liverpool Beatles MuseumThe man behind this museum is Roag Best, half-brother of Pete Best, the original7 minutes walk4.6
Western Approaches MuseumOn 15 August 1945 Western Approaches Command was wound up and the Operations Roo10 minutes walk4.6
Liverpool Metropolitan CathedralLiverpudlians rarely use the official name. To them this is Paddy's Wigwam, or t13 minutes walk4.7Yes if you are already in Liverpool: it is free, two minutes from the station, and puts dinosaurs, space and live fish in one building that is smaller and calmer than London's museums. It is not a reason to come to Liverpool on its own, though; the Natural History Museum in London is bigger and richer. Treat it as a two-hour rainy-day refuge, not a full-day destination.
Not for general entry; the museum is free and you walk straight in. Booking only matters for the planetarium, which charges a small fee (£3 adults) and can sell out before noon in school holidays, so reserve online or at the box office as soon as you arrive. And remember it is closed on Mondays; check the official site for school-holiday and bank-holiday exceptions before you plan.