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U-boat Story
Attractions in Birkenhead

What to see in Birkenhead, from U-boat Story on

About 945K people a year visit Merseyside Maritime Museum. Mapped inside Birkenhead’s built-up area are 6 places to visit, and within 5 km of its edge another 43. Among them are 22 museums, 15 attractions and 3 art galleries. One of them is cared for by the National Trust. Further out, John Lennon's Childhood Home is 11 km away.

Photo: U-boat Story, Paul adams (Public domain)
In Birkenhead
6
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
43
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
25
in or near town
Castles & historic places
7
in or near town
Cared for
1
National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw and others
Best known

What Birkenhead is known for

Beyond U-boat Story, there are 3 museums, a garden and an abbey or priory.

MuseumU-boat Storyin townGardenBirkenhead Parkin townMuseumWilliamson Art Gallery & Museumin townAbbey or prioryBirkenhead Prioryin townMuseumTransport Museumin townMuseumMuseumWirral Archivesin town

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

Finding your way

To the northeast lie most of the 43 nearby.

1234567891011121314151617181920

The dashed line is Birkenhead’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022

By kind

What kind of places

The two biggest groups: museums or galleries (25) and other attractions (15).

Museums & galleries 22 museums · 3 art galleries4 in town · 21 nearby
Castles & historic places 2 cathedrals · 2 historic sites · 1 abbey or priory · 1 historic house · 1 historic ship1 in town · 6 nearby
Gardens & estates 1 garden1 in town
Zoos, theme parks & days out 1 theme park0 in town · 1 nearby
Other attractions 15 attractions0 in town · 15 nearby

Green: inside Birkenhead. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

1 place is cared for by the National Trust (The Hardmans' House).

Every place

Every one of them

After the 6 in town come 43 more within 5 km of its edge.

The 6 inside Birkenhead 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.

295 listed buildings and 3 scheduled monuments are on Birkenhead’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Birkenhead →

Big names nearby

Further afield

Top of the 12 day trips: John Lennon's Childhood Home, at 11 km.

Historic house · National TrustJohn Lennon's Childhood Home11 km eastCathedralChester Cathedral24 km southeastCastle · CadwCastell y Fflint15 km southCastle · CadwRhuddlan Castle29 km westHistoric house · National TrustPaul McCartney's Childhood Home10 km eastCastle · English HeritageBeeston Castle37 km southeastZooChester Zoo21 km southeastAbbey or priory · CadwBasingwerk Abbey15 km southwestCastle · English HeritageChester Castle24 km southeastCastleHalton Castle24 km eastCastle · CadwCastell Dinbych33 km southwestCastleHolt Castle Ruins36 km south

Places well known beyond Birkenhead (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 Birkenhead: questions

What are the main attractions in Birkenhead?

The best known inside Birkenhead’s built-up area are U-boat Story, Birkenhead Park, Williamson Art Gallery & Museum and Birkenhead Priory. In all, 6 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 43 more within 5 km.

Does Birkenhead have a museum?

25 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Birkenhead: U-boat Story, Williamson Art Gallery & Museum, Transport Museum and Wirral Archives.

Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Birkenhead?

Yes. In or within 5 km of Birkenhead, 1 place is cared for by the National Trust (The Hardmans' House).

What are the best-known days out near Birkenhead?

Within 40 km: John Lennon's Childhood Home (11 km), Chester Cathedral (24 km), Castell y Fflint (15 km), Rhuddlan Castle (29 km).

Where are Birkenhead’s historic buildings listed?

Birkenhead has 295 listed buildings, 6 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 Birkenhead 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 (42)

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.