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No car / Merseyrail

Days out from Liverpool by train with kids, no car needed

Beaches, a free farm, a science museum and a village with a free gallery, all a Merseyrail ride from Central. Which station, how far the walk, and what it costs when you get there.

By FamDays · Checked 28 October 2026Half a day to a full dayAll ages

A red squirrel on the woodland floor at Formby

If you have ever tried to park at Formby on a sunny Saturday you already know why this list exists. Merseyrail goes to more good days out than most people realise, children under 5 travel free, and the walk from the station is usually the best bit of the day.

Northern line: the coast

Freshfield for Formby pinewoods and beach, a walk down Victoria Road, free for anyone who did not bring a car. Blundellsands and Crosby for the Iron Men, free, with the tide times checked first. Southport for The Atkinson, free, and Splash World, online tickets only.

Wirral line: the other coast

New Brighton for the beach, Bubbles World of Play and the cinema at Marine Point. West Kirby for the Marine Lake walk and the beach, five minutes from the station. Port Sunlight for the free Lady Lever Art Gallery and the Port Sunlight Museum, about 20 minutes from Central with the whole village walkable. Birkenhead Park station is on the edge of Birkenhead Park.

The ferry counts as a train

The Mersey Ferry from the Pier Head is £9 a child, under 5s free, and Eureka! Science and Discovery is inside the Seacombe terminal at the other end, so that is a boat and a science museum in one trip.

City line and the rest

The Museum of Liverpool is a walk from James Street or Central. Sandhills for The Climbing Hangar North, five minutes from the station, with the Little Hangar for 4 to 6s at £8.50. St Helens Central for The World of Glass, free. Halewood station is next to Halewood Park Triangle, a Green Flag park with a playground and a bird hide.

The FamDays verdict

Formby for the woods, New Brighton for the wet day, Port Sunlight for the quiet one. Let somebody else drive, and keep the £9 you did not spend on parking for the chippy.

Everything families need to know before visiting

Do children travel free on Merseyrail?

Under 5s travel free. Check Merseyrail's site for current child fares and family tickets before you go.

Which beach near Liverpool is easiest by train?

Formby (Freshfield station), Crosby (Blundellsands and Crosby) and New Brighton all have stations within a 15 minute walk of the sand.

Can you get to a farm near Liverpool by train?

Tam O'Shanter Urban Farm is a bus or a long walk from Birkenhead North; the farm parks up the Ormskirk road need a car.

The places in this guide

Live from our checked listings: prices, ages and when each one was last confirmed.

16 places
The red Swiss Bridge over the lake in Birkenhead ParkPhoto: Rodhullandemu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Birkenhead Park

Birkenhead
Free
All agesThe council page lists no admission charge for the park. Angling on the lakes needs a permit (fee not stated on the park page).
Checked by FamDays on 19 Oct
The white curved building of Bubbles World of Play on the New Brighton seafrontPhoto: Mike Faherty, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
From £2.50
All agesStandard (non member) prices. Off peak, Mon to Fri school days, stay and play all day: babies 0 to 5 months 2 pounds, 6 to 11 months 4.50, toddlers 1 to 2 years 6.50, children 3 to 11 years 8.50, adults and over 11s 2.50. Peak, weekends and school holidays, 2 hour sessions: 0 to 5 months 2.50, 6 to 11 months 6.50, 1 to 2 years 12, 3 to 11 years 14.50, adults and over 11s 3.50. Member prices are about 50p lower. Socks compulsory, 1 pound a pair from reception. Prices subject to change per the site.
Checked by FamDays on 17 Oct
The Seacombe ferry terminal building, home of Eureka! Science and DiscoveryPhoto: El Pollock, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
From £16.95
All agesOnline prices: adult (16 and over) £16.95, child (3 and over) £16.95, toddler (1 to 2) £7.45, baby under 1 free. Walk up prices are £2 higher per paid ticket (adult and child £18.95, toddler £9.45) and subject to availability. Every member of the group, including babies, needs a ticket.
Checked by FamDays on 17 Oct
A red squirrel on the woodland floor at FormbyPhoto: Peter from Liverpool, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Free
All agesNo admission charge. Pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users enter free. Car parking is £9.00 per car at either Victoria Road or Lifeboat Road for non members. A payment covers one car park only and cannot be transferred to the other.
Checked by FamDays on
The white stone front of the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port SunlightPhoto: Acediscovery, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Free
All agesFree entry
Checked by FamDays on
The Mersey Ferry Snowdrop in its dazzle paint on the river, with the Liverpool waterfront behindPhoto: Rodhullandemu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
From £9
All agesAdult (16 and over) £14.00, child (5 to 15) £9.00, under 5s free, concession (over 60s and student card holders) £12.50. Family ticket for 2 adults and up to 2 children £39.00; 2 adults and 3 children £42.00. Online tickets can be used on any date or time.
Checked by FamDays on 17 Oct
The angular white Museum of Liverpool building at the Pier Head on a bright dayPhoto: Acediscovery, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Free
All agesFree entry
Checked by FamDays on 15 Oct
New Brighton beach with Perch Rock lighthouse at low tidePhoto: Jeff Buck, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Price not listed
All agesWirral Council does not publish a dedicated page for New Brighton beach or the Marine Lake, so admission (presumed open foreshore) and any lake charges could not be confirmed from an official source.
Checked by FamDays on 19 Oct
Port Sunlight Museum with spring flowerbeds in frontPhoto: David Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
From £5.50
All agesMuseum and Worker's Cottage ticket: adult 8 pounds, concession 7 pounds, child aged 5 to 16 5.50 pounds, family of 2 adults and 2 children 24 pounds. Under 5s free. Carers accompanying a visitor with a disability enter free. Ticket valid for 12 months from purchase. Mabel's Wash Day trail 2 pounds. Gift Aid available.
Checked by FamDays on 17 Oct
The blue flumes outside Splash World, SouthportPhoto: Oliver Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
From £5.50
All agesStandard 1.5 hour session: adult (over 16) 16.80, junior 6 to 15 13.50, junior 3 to 5 12.00, toddler under 3 5.50, spectator 7.00. Gold Stay All Day pass: adult 25.00, junior 6 to 15 20.00, junior 3 to 5 19.00, toddler 6.50. No family ticket listed. Disabled guests and carers with ID receive a 20 percent refund on arrival. The price page shows no date.
Checked by FamDays on 19 Oct
The Atkinson on Lord Street, Southport, with its clock tower in summer sunshinePhoto: Fatih Renkligil, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Atkinson

Southport
Free
All agesMuseum and exhibitions are free entry. Theatre shows and some events are ticketed; for children's shows, children aged 12 months and under can sit on a lap for free, older children pay the usual ticket price.
Checked by FamDays on 17 Oct
One of the Another Place iron figures on Crosby Beach looking out to sea, with a ship on the horizonPhoto: Stuart Wilding, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Open access
All agesThe council pages state no charge to view the artwork or use the beach, but do not use the word free. Car parks at Hall Road, Crosby Leisure Centre (Mariners Road) and Crosby Lakeside are pay and display; tariffs are not published on the pages fetched.
Checked by FamDays on
The entrance and glass front of The World of Glass in St HelensPhoto: SaintAvenger88, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Free
All agesEntry to the museum and Tank House is free. Live glass blowing displays are ticketed at £5.00 adults and £3.50 children.
Checked by FamDays on 17 Oct
Sailing dinghies on West Kirby Marine LakePhoto: Steve Daniels, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Free
All agesWalking the lake wall and beach is not charged on any council page found. Using the lake is charged: the council fees directory lists a Marine Lake day ticket of £14.35 for 2025/26 and £14.90 for 2026/27 (for bringing your own craft), and the council news site quotes Pay and Play hire of kayaks, paddleboards and Funboats at £18 per hour per craft (June 2025). Dee Lane public toilets cost 30p per visit.
Checked by FamDays on 19 Oct
From £8.50
Ages 3 and upAdult (18 and over) £17.00, concessions and under 18s £14.00, Little Hangar for kids aged 4 to 6 £8.50, Intro to Bouldering add on £5.00. Supervising adults enter free.
Checked by FamDays on 17 Oct

Read next

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Local parent insider tips

Before you set off

  • Check the tide before the beachCrosby's Iron Men are covered for about an hour either side of high water and the council warns of soft sand and mud, so stay within 50 metres of the promenade. At West Kirby, Hilbre Island is only reachable on a falling tide. Liverpool Gladstone Dock tide times cover both.
  • Book the big ones, turn up to the small onesThe safari park, the big soft plays and anything with a timed entry sell out in school holidays. Parks, beaches, most museums and the libraries never do. Every card says whether you need to book.
  • Train beats car for the coast and the centreMerseyrail stops next to the beach at Crosby, Freshfield and Southport, and under the museums at Liverpool Central. Under 5s travel free and a Saveaway covers the day after 9.30 on weekdays and all day at weekends.
  • How we checkEvery listing is rechecked against the venue's own website every week, and each card shows the date it was last confirmed. If something has changed since, the Tell us link on every page reaches a person who fixes it.

The weekend, sorted every Friday

Six family days out with the price, the ages and a tip for each, plus what is on. Free, one click to leave.

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Prices and hours in this guide come from each venue's own website on the day we checked them, and the cards above update every morning. Always check with the venue before you set off.