Seeing Ellesmere Port? Begin at Blue Planet Aquarium
Visitors to Ellesmere Port can choose from 2 aquariums, 2 museums and 2 zoos. The built-up area itself has 3 places on our list; 6 others are within 5 km of its edge. 2 of the places on the list are maintained by the National Trust. For a full day, there is Chester Cathedral, 9.4 km away.
The names to know in Ellesmere Port
Along with Blue Planet Aquarium, see 2 zoos, a museum and a historic house.
AquariumBlue Planet Aquariumin town
MuseumNational Waterways Museum Ellesmere Portin townZooZooPelican Covein town
ZooChester Zoo3.2 km outside town, to the south
Historic house · National TrustSpeke Hall4.7 km outside town, to the north
Fort · National TrustHelsby Hillfort3.7 km outside town, to the eastEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Mapped
The farthest of them, Helsby Hillfort, is 10 km out.
The dashed line is Ellesmere Port’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
What is on offer
4 zoos, theme parks or other days out and 2 museums or galleries top the count.
Green: inside Ellesmere Port. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
2 places are cared for by the National Trust (Speke Hall and Helsby Hillfort).
Full list of places
The 3 inside Ellesmere Port come first, then 6 more within 5 km of its edge.
National Waterways Museum Ellesmere Port
Museum in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire West and Chester, United Kingdom.
The 3 inside Ellesmere Port come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
59 listed buildings are on Ellesmere Port’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Ellesmere Port →
Beyond the town
Chester Cathedral, 9.4 km away, is the best known of the 12.
CathedralChester Cathedral9.4 km south
Art galleryWalker Art Gallery16 km north · 338K visitors a year
CathedralLiverpool Cathedral14 km north
Art galleryLady Lever Art Gallery11 km northwest
CathedralMetropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King15 km north
Big drawArt galleryTate Liverpool15 km north · 540K visitors a year
Castle · English HeritageChester Castle10 km south
Big drawMuseumWorld Museum Liverpool16 km north · 606K visitors a year
Castle · English HeritageBeeston Castle22 km southeast
Historic house · National TrustJohn Lennon's Childhood Home12 km north
Big drawMuseumMerseyside Maritime Museum15 km north · 945K visitors a year
Castle · CadwCastell y Fflint14 km westPlaces well known beyond Ellesmere Port (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Places to visit in Ellesmere Port: questions
What are the main attractions in Ellesmere Port?
The best known inside Ellesmere Port’s built-up area are Blue Planet Aquarium, National Waterways Museum Ellesmere Port and Pelican Cove. In all, 3 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 6 more within 5 km.
Does Ellesmere Port have a museum?
2 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Ellesmere Port: National Waterways Museum Ellesmere Port and Hadlow Road Station.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Ellesmere Port?
Yes. In or within 5 km of Ellesmere Port, 2 places are cared for by the National Trust (Speke Hall and Helsby Hillfort).
What are the best-known days out near Ellesmere Port?
Within 40 km: Chester Cathedral (9.4 km), Walker Art Gallery (16 km), Liverpool Cathedral (14 km), Lady Lever Art Gallery (11 km).
Where are Ellesmere Port’s historic buildings listed?
Ellesmere Port has 59 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Ellesmere Port when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (17)
- Blue Planet Aquarium: Alan Pennington, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- National Waterways Museum Ellesmere Port: Rept0n1x, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Chester Zoo: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Speke Hall: Liverpoolpics, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Helsby Hillfort: Jeff Buck, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Chester Cathedral: Stephen Hamilton, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Walker Art Gallery: Rept0n1x, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Liverpool Cathedral: calflier001, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lady Lever Art Gallery: Rept0n1x, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King: Superchilum, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tate Liverpool: Rodhullandemu, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Chester Castle: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- World Museum Liverpool: User:Jonathan Oldenbuck, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Beeston Castle: TCExplorer, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Lennon's Childhood Home: Rodhullandemu, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Merseyside Maritime Museum: Rodhullandemu, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Castell y Fflint: Lesbardd, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.