Four reporters try out tourist city tours in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool and Glasgow.
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00:15 When you're visiting a new city, what better way to get your bearings than a guided tour.
00:20 Explore iconic landmarks and uncover untold stories in our cities that are teeming with history and hidden gems.
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00:30 Hop on board and join us for a ride that will take you to Birmingham's wonderful waterways, Glasgow's splendid streets and the history of the Heritage Waterfront in Leeds.
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00:42 But first, so famous they made a song about it, all aboard the ferry across the Mersey.
00:47 In my opinion, the best way to see the most iconic sights of Liverpool is to hop on board the world famous Mersey Ferry.
00:56 Ferries have sailed across the River Mersey for over 800 years, as Benedictine monks ran the first ferry service from Birkenhead to Liverpool in 1150 AD.
01:05 The Liverpool Gerry Marsden Ferry Terminal is named so in honour of the frontman for the 60s beat group Gerry and the Pacemakers.
01:12 Fever associated with the ferries through the classic song 'Ferry cross the Mersey'. The song is still played on the River Explorer Cruise every day.
01:19 It is super simple to hop on the ferry across the Mersey. They depart every hour on the hour from 10am to 4pm from Liverpool.
01:30 The river cruise takes a total of 50 minutes and you see some fantastic sights. I will say, do not forget to wrap up warm, even on the sunniest of days it is really chilly out there.
01:43 If the weather is deemed too bad, the ferries are subject to cancellation.
01:48 These ferries are not just for tourists. There is a direct cross river service for commuters each weekday morning and evening between Seacombe in Wirral and Liverpool at the Pier Head.
02:00 We have been on the streets of Liverpool to find out where you think the best views of the city are.
02:05 I love Liverpool, hence I am back. I love it as a city. It has been one of my favourite places to live I must admit. But I think it kind of depends who you are after.
02:14 The docks are always beautiful, especially on a day like today when you have the sun out and it is a bit warmer. I always loved it in the winter to be fair. I loved winter nights on the docks because of the harsh wind but the salty like smell is always gorgeous.
02:26 The Skyliners, straight away. It is the most famous Skyliner in the world, outside of New York. I would love a block of flats that I own in Seacombe or somewhere, able to look over Liverpool.
02:40 The Tower, the radio city. Years ago it used to be a restaurant and you used to go round. But the only time we go round is when we go up there and walk round. You can see Lancashire, Wales, all round Liverpool. You can't beat it.
02:55 It has really kept quite a lot of its history really when you think about it. You go somewhere like Manchester, it is all really high rise, new builds.
03:03 Liverpool's maritime city status was acknowledged and inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2004. However, in 2021 Liverpool was stripped of this status. The decision was made following a secret ballot by the committee.
03:17 Despite this blow, the city does remain full of culturally rich experiences.
03:21 The waterfront has been transformed over the past 20 years, enabling it to host major international events from the European Capital of Culture in 2008 to the Eurovision last May. It now draws in millions of new visitors to the city every year.
03:35 So much has changed in Liverpool over the years but what hasn't is the Mersey, which is why I think it is the best way to explore the city.
03:47 Did you know that Birmingham has 35 miles of canals which is said to be more than Venice? Here's a tour that celebrates the city's unique industrial history.
03:59 When we take this boat out we are showing more than 250 years worth of the industrial heritage of the Birmingham and the Black Country of Asia.
04:07 I don't think you can actually get more history than what we're looking at right now. We've got brand new buildings, we've got 1800s buildings, we've got literally the carbon reclamation centre over the road and that heats everything around here.
04:25 A statement often heard by locals, possibly thousands of times over, is that Birmingham has more miles of canals than Venice. The waterways of the West Midlands are more than just an emblematic icon of our region, their global historical significance transcends mere visual charm.
04:45 Birmingham Canal Navigations kick-started the Industrial Revolution, there's no denying that. I'm not trying to claim that the Industrial Revolution wouldn't have happened, I'm just stating that we literally kick-started it in this region.
04:59 Mainly down to iron ore, coal and limestone all being available in the Black Country within, well, 18 and a half miles originally, 18 and a half miles once the Thomas Alford and Ferguson came along. You can't beat the history that we've got in Birmingham.
05:16 Associations with industry may evoke images of stark brutalism, yet nature has proven resilient. The canal system has been reclaimed and embraced by wildlife, transforming it into a thriving habitat.
05:31 On this trip we tend to see a couple of herons, there's kingfishers, I know there's otters in the canal but they're quite elusive, I've not seen them yet, water voles and at this time of year especially you've got all the chicks.
05:47 Although the canal system might be deemed a functional relic of modernity in economic terms, the significance it holds in shaping our history and understanding of our cultural identity is beyond measure.
06:01 I think the main thing people don't realise is what we've got in Birmingham and what is available. The number one thing people ask me, what should I look at when I leave your trip? And I tell them, well back to the train station, look up.
06:16 Because every town centre, every city centre in the world looks exactly the same at ground level, you've always got the history above it. You've always got the history above.
06:30 Now what better way is there to see a city than from the top deck of an open topped bus, especially when the sun's shining, which of course it always does in Glasgow.
06:40 So today we are working on the theme of best way to see your city. There are so many different pockets of Glasgow and for me, one of my favourite ways to see it is on public transport, looking out the window, because it's the details of each area and each neighbourhood that really give it its character.
06:56 So today I've taken you on the City Sightseeing Bus, the first time I've ever been on it, which is 21 stops and takes you through the city centre, part of the East End and part of the West End.
07:06 They start with an iced coffee at Optin Cafe in the East End.
07:10 For anyone visiting Glasgow or even if you're from here and just want to learn more about it, this is a great way to explore because it's hop on and hop off.
07:18 It stops at a good number of attractions and it's a really regular service. Depending on the day and time of year, it runs between every 15 and 30 minutes.
07:26 You just need to find a bus stop with the logo and wait for the next one to arrive. You can also track it online to see how far away it is.
07:32 It starts at George Square, you can buy a ticket online or on the bus. It's open top, so if you're lucky enough to visit on a sunny day, it's an absolutely gorgeous place to be.
07:42 However, Glasgow is notorious for its rainy weather, but fear not, there is shelter if that so is the case.
07:48 You can get a wee set of earplugs as well so you can listen to a live tour guide tell you all about the city.
07:52 Some of the main sites the bus visits include the People's Palace, the Goma, Glasgow Central Station, the OVO Hydro, Riverside Museum, Glasgow University, Kelvin Grove, the Hunterian Museum and the Beresford.
08:06 The company behind the tour guides is soon launching a service that will also visit the Southside. It will pass by Ibrox Stadium and Celtic Park.
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09:44 Is anyone else finding sightseeing thirsty work? Well, you're in luck because this next tour in Leeds combines history and pubs. Cheers!
09:54 Mike Hampshire from Tours of Leeds became a full-time guide in 2022 with his flagship Leeds Heritage pub and brewery tour exploring 300 years of beer history.
10:04 Enjoyed by locals and international visitors alike, his latest tour dives into Leeds history by the water.
10:11 It's the Leeds Heritage Waterfront Audio Tour and Quiz Challenge, which is a name that really rolls off the tongue, I just call it the Waterfront Tour.
10:18 There's 17 stops on there, so we actually start down at Marshalls Mill where we understand a little bit about the history of the mill and how important it was to the Industrial Revolution, not just in Leeds but across the country as well.
10:30 We then make our way via pubs, funnily enough, to do with Heritage Beer Tour, arrive in Granary Wharf, walk alongside the Leeds Riviera really, down past Asda House, visit the David Ollowiley Bridge.
10:43 There's another couple of great pubs around there as well, which is the Old Red Lion, which has got Tales of Hauntings, and the Adelphi, which was once hosted by the Leeds UFO Club, through to Brewery Wharf and then all the way down finishing up at the Lamb & Flag.
10:58 This particular tour is delivered via the Navicop app with Mike narrating, and the answers to the quiz challenge are within your surroundings.
11:05 Over the last three centuries, the waterway has completely transformed from being this incredible industrial hub surrounded by huge factories and mills, and the waterway itself serving such an important purpose for transporting goods across the north of England.
11:18 The beautiful thing about Leeds really is that the city centre is very walkable. When you go to other cities across the north, they're quite vast centres, but Leeds is not like that, and this waterfront actually goes right the way through the middle of it, so there's a great way of experiencing it.
11:31 Everybody loves water anyway, don't they? It's just a nice relaxing thing to be walking by, but to hear the stories around what has happened in this area as you're doing the tour is particularly great.
11:41 Leeds is fast becoming a really great tourist hotspot, and guided tours, whether you're a visitor to the city, whether you're someone who lives in the city, this is actually a great way to learn about the city, whether you live here or you don't.
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