Mersey Tunnel Tours Named a Quality Assured Visitor Attraction for 15th Consecutive Year

The Mersey Tunnel tours is celebrating after being recognised by national tourism VisitEngland as a Quality Assured Visitor Attraction for the 15th year in a row.

The popular tour, consistently one of TripAdvisor’s top three most popular tours in Liverpool, attracts visitors from across the country and around the world.

Guided by knowledgeable and friendly staff, the tour gives visitors a sneak peek into the inner workings of the iconic Mersey Tunnels.

Highlights include the Queensway (Birkenhead) Tunnels’ original 1930s control room, a visit to the refuges in the Queensway Tunnel and the giant fans which provide airflow to the tunnels, over 8 metres in diameter.

It has also confirmed that the Mersey Tunnel Tours are to be nominated for the prestigious ‘Best Told Story’ award, an accolade the attraction received previously in 2018 and 2021.

In their assessment of the attraction VisitEngland gave the tour a quality score of 86%, praising the “high stand of content and range of the tour” and the “links to the local area and the tunnels heritage”.

The Mersey Tunnel tour began operating in 2006 with just one tour a week but interest and demand soon grew until there was a waiting list of six months. Now more than five thousand people take the Mersey Tunnel Tour each year, with tours operating three evenings per week and twice on Saturday. It is also possible to arrange further weekday tours by appointment.

In the last few years, visitors have also been able to enjoy a tour around the exterior of the Grade II listed art deco Georges Dock building with the publication of a new Walking Tour booklet.

Cllr Liam Robinson, Transport Portfolio Holder for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, said:

“It’s fantastic news that our Mersey Tunnel Tours are yet again being recognised by VisitEngland and it’s a real credit that they’ve highlighted how brilliant our guides are.

“We’re extremely proud of the team who give the tours, who all have a real passion for telling the amazing story of the Mersey Tunnels with a great touch of humour.

The Queensway Tunnel will be celebrating its 90th birthday next year and the tour gives a unique look at the skill and workmanship that went into creating it.

“The attraction also gives visitors an understanding of the significant investment needed to keep the Mersey tunnels up-to-date and running safely and efficiently, and why a toll is necessary to allow this to happen.”

Up to 27 million vehicles each year cross under the River Mersey via the two Mersey road tunnels. The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority continues to invest in both tunnels to maximise availability and allow 24-hour cross river road travel, 365 days a year.

For further details or to book a tunnel tour visit www.merseytravel.gov.uk/tunneltours