Mersey Ferry Times and Fares 2026: Pier Head to Seacombe
Mersey Ferry commuter times and fares between Pier Head and Seacombe, plus free parking rules, bikes, dogs, accessibility and the Woodside closure.
By Brian K · 2 Jul 2026 · Updated 14 Aug 2026 · 9 min read
Photo: Kizzy Clyne (CC BY 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons
The direct Mersey Ferry between Liverpool Gerry Marsden Ferry Terminal at Pier Head and Seacombe takes about 10 minutes. It runs on weekday mornings and evenings only, and it is a different service from the 50 minute River Explorer Cruise that runs in between.
That difference catches people out. If you turn up at Pier Head at half past eleven expecting a quick crossing, the next boat is a cruise on a cruise ticket. Prices and times below were checked against Mersey Ferries on 14 August 2026.
The short version
Morning sailings leave Seacombe every 20 minutes from 07:20 to 09:40.
Evening sailings leave Pier Head every 20 minutes from 17:00 to 18:40.
Adult fares are £3.10 single and £4.20 return. Children aged 5 to 18 pay £1.60 and £2.10.
There is no direct commuter ferry between the peaks. The River Explorer Cruise runs instead.
Woodside terminal in Birkenhead is closed, so the Wirral end is Seacombe in Wallasey.
Terminals take contactless payment only. There is no cash.
Season ticket holders park free at Seacombe. Everyone else pays.
The service does not run at weekends or on bank holidays.
Mersey Ferry commuter times
The commuter ferry runs in two weekday windows. Mersey Ferries publishes the current times on its direct cross-river service page.
Morning: Seacombe to Pier Head
Departs Seacombe
Arrives Pier Head
07:20
07:30
07:40
07:50
08:00
08:10
08:20
08:30
08:40
08:50
09:00
09:10
09:20
09:30
09:40
last morning sailing
Evening: Pier Head to Seacombe
Departs Pier Head
Arrives Seacombe
17:00
17:10
17:20
17:30
17:40
17:50
18:00
18:10
18:20
18:30
18:40
last evening sailing, terminates at Seacombe
There is no commuter service on bank holidays. If your trip matters, check Merseytravel's live travel updates before you leave, because wind, fog and river traffic all stop sailings at short notice.
What runs between the morning and evening ferries
This is the part worth understanding before you plan anything.
There is no direct commuter ferry every 20 minutes through the day. Once the morning window ends, Mersey Ferries switches to the River Explorer Cruise, a 50 minute round trip with recorded commentary.
On weekdays it leaves Pier Head on the hour from 10am to 4pm, and Seacombe at 20 minutes past the hour from 10:20am to 4:20pm.
You can still cross the river on it, subject to the ticket conditions, but do not expect the commuter fare or a 10 minute hop. The commentary does not play on the direct service either, so the two are genuinely different products.
Mersey Ferry fares
Ticket
Price
Adult single
£3.10
Adult return
£4.20
Child single, age 5 to 18
£1.60
Child return, age 5 to 18
£2.10
6 journey Flexi
£11.50
10 journey Flexi
£16.50
Monthly
£68.00
Quarterly, 3 months
£171.00
These are direct cross-river fares, not River Explorer prices.
Are the Flexi tickets worth it?
Do the maths on how often you travel.
Ten single journeys at the adult rate would cost £31. The 10 journey Flexi is £16.50, so it roughly halves the cost. The 6 journey version is £11.50 against £18.60 bought singly.
The useful part is that the journeys do not have to be used within a set period. If you are in the office two or three days a week, that suits you far better than a monthly pass at £68. Each person travelling needs their own ticket, and Flexi tickets only work on the direct commuter service. You can buy them at the terminal or online.
Can you use a Merseytravel pass?
Sometimes. Mersey Ferries says Merseytravel tickets and concessionary passes can be used for cross-river travel, subject to availability, but not for the full 50 minute River Explorer Cruise. If you already hold a pass, check its conditions before buying a separate ferry ticket.
Parking at Seacombe: free for some, not for others
Seacombe Ferry Terminal, built in the early 1930s and Grade II listed. Photo: Rodhullandemu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
This is the strongest practical argument for the ferry, and it is easy to misread.
Free parking is tied to a commuter season ticket. Mersey Ferries says holders of Flexi, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly or Annual direct cross-river tickets can use the commuter parking area free of charge. It sits in the rear car park and is signposted. Ask staff in the terminal when you buy or use your ticket.
The car park next to the terminal is pay and display. Charges apply between 8am and 8pm, seven days a week, including bank holidays. That one is open to anyone, ferry ticket or not.
Seacombe Ferry Terminal, Victoria Place, Seacombe, Wallasey, Wirral, CH44 6QY.
Drivers come off the M53 at Junction 1 and follow Dock Road. The terminal sits beside Eureka! Science + Discovery, which is the easiest landmark if you have not been before. For bus connections, use the Merseytravel journey planner.
One thing to be clear about: Seacombe is in Wallasey, not Birkenhead. If you need Hamilton Square or central Birkenhead, the ferry drops you in the wrong place and you will need onward transport.
Getting to Liverpool Gerry Marsden Ferry Terminal
The Liverpool terminal at Pier Head, renamed after Gerry Marsden. Photo: Frombowen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Liverpool Gerry Marsden Ferry Terminal, Pier Head, Georges Parade, Liverpool, L3 1DP.
It sits on the river side of the Three Graces, near the Museum of Liverpool. Our Pier Head visitor guide covers what is around it, and the waterfront area guide takes in Albert Dock and King's Dock.
By train: James Street is the nearest Merseyrail station. Walk west down James Street towards the river and you are there in a few minutes. If the rest of your journey needs working out, our guide to getting around Liverpool without a car covers Merseyrail, buses and cycling.
By car: there is no dedicated car park at the terminal. Mersey Ferries points drivers to Q-Park Liverpool ONE at 35 Strand Street, L1 8LT, and lists a 10% discount off standard prices through its site. For most commutes, James Street or a city centre bus makes more sense than driving to the Pier Head and paying to leave the car there.
Woodside is still closed
Woodside, Birkenhead, with its ferry terminal at the centre. The terminal remains closed for refurbishment. Photo: Rodhullandemu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Do not plan a ferry into central Birkenhead. Mersey Ferries states that Woodside Terminal is closed for major refurbishment and that services run from Gerry Marsden Terminal and Seacombe.
The refurbishment has run well beyond the timescales first floated, and Mersey Ferries has not published a reopening date. Until it does, treat Seacombe as the only Wirral option and check the terminal page again rather than relying on an older article or an out of date map.
Bikes and dogs
Bikes travel on the lower deck, and there is a decent amount of room for them. That makes some genuinely awkward journeys work. If you are coming from Wallasey, Liscard or New Brighton, you can ride to Seacombe, cross, and carry on into town from Pier Head without going near a tunnel.
Dogs are welcome on the commuter service and the River Explorer Cruise, provided they are on a short lead. They are not allowed on the longer cruises, which includes the Manchester Ship Canal, Liverpool Bay and evening cruises.
Accessibility
The main decks are fully accessible for wheelchair users, with accessible toilets on the main deck. All the terminals are accessible, and accessible toilets are available at each one.
There is one real obstacle worth knowing about in advance. The linkspan bridge between the terminal and the landing stage can be quite steep, particularly at low tide. That is the ramp you cross to board. If a steep slope would be a problem, ring ahead and speak to staff.
Mersey Ferries lists an accessibility contact on 0300 131 2881, open seven days a week from 8am to 8pm, and publishes fuller detail on its accessibility page.
Paying, and getting told when it breaks
The terminals take contactless payment only. Flexi tickets can also be bought online in advance. If you are used to carrying cash for buses, that is worth knowing before you get to the gate.
Regular users can join the Mersey Ferries Commuter Club for disruption alerts by texting FERRY to 81025. Mersey Ferries says signing up or stopping costs 8p a text, and network rates may apply. For occasional trips, checking Merseytravel updates before you set off is simpler.
Is the ferry a sensible commute?
For some journeys it is very good, and for others it is the wrong tool.
It works best if you start near Seacombe, Liscard, Poulton or Wallasey and need the Pier Head or the western side of the city centre. Ten minutes across the river, no traffic, and you arrive somewhere pleasant rather than in a tunnel queue.
It works badly if you are travelling outside the two windows, if you need central Birkenhead, or if your destination is a long way from the waterfront. The timetable is the limit. This is not a turn up and go service, and treating it like one is how people end up paying cruise prices for a river crossing.
The new Royal Daffodil
The fleet is changing. The Royal Daffodil is the first new Mersey Ferry in more than 60 years, built at Cammell Laird, and Mersey Ferries says it includes a lift, an accessible toilet and a bar. Card payment only on board.
Its first public cruise is set for Saturday 26 September 2026 at 11.30am from Pier Head. One thing to be clear about: that sailing is a launch event tied to a ticket competition. It is not a statement that the commuter service switches to the new boat that day. Mersey Ferries has not yet published normal operating timetables for the vessel, so do not plan a commute around it.
Before you travel
Three checks cover almost everything that goes wrong:
Which service is running. Commuter ferry and River Explorer are different tickets at different prices.
Whether it is sailing. Weather and river conditions cancel crossings, and there is nothing at the terminal to tell you in advance.
Where you need to be on the Wirral. Seacombe is Wallasey. Woodside is shut.
What time is the Mersey Ferry from Seacombe to Pier Head?
Morning sailings leave Seacombe every 20 minutes from 07:20, with the last one at 09:40. The direct crossing takes about 10 minutes. It runs on weekdays only, and there is no service at weekends or on bank holidays.
What time is the last Mersey Ferry from Pier Head to Seacombe?
Evening sailings leave Pier Head every 20 minutes from 17:00, and the last one is at 18:40. That sailing terminates at Seacombe.
Is there a ferry from Birkenhead to Liverpool?
Not at present. Woodside terminal in Birkenhead is closed, so the Wirral end of the crossing is Seacombe in Wallasey rather than Birkenhead.
How much is the Mersey Ferry?
An adult single is £3.10 and a return is £4.20. Children aged 5 to 18 pay £1.60 single and £2.10 return, and a 6 journey Flexi ticket is £11.50. Terminals take contactless payment only, so there is no cash option.
Does the Mersey Ferry run between the morning and evening peaks?
There is no direct commuter ferry between the two windows. Mersey Ferries runs the 50 minute River Explorer Cruise instead, leaving Pier Head on the hour from 10am to 4pm on weekdays and Seacombe at 20 minutes past the hour from 10:20am to 4:20pm. You can cross on it subject to the ticket conditions, but it is a different product at a different fare.
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