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The Beatles all grew up in Liverpool, England & formed the legendary band there before finding worldwide fame. Needless to say, Liverpool is quite proud of their lads. You can celebrate The Beatles in Liverpool in many great places, including Beatles tours, museums, landmarks, bars, and more. Here are the best ways to follow in the footsteps of John, Paul, George, & Ringo when you visit the city.
Beatles Tours in Liverpool
There are a variety of Beatles tours in Liverpool to suit every schedule and every budget, with several options for under £20 per person (and even cheaper for kids). While it’s possible to visit the below Beatles landmarks on your own, they’re quite spread out around the city. A Liverpool Beatles tour will make seeing as many highlights as possible much easier, especially given how reasonably priced they are.
Magical Mystery Tour Liverpool
The Magical Mystery Tour Liverpool is a group tour bus that visits several key Beatles landmarks around the city. Over the course of 2 hours, you can see many of the prominent Liverpool Beatles sites while hearing a narrated tour that includes music to help you get into the mood.
The Magical Mystery Tour stops include Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, and the childhood homes of Paul McCartney & George Harrison. In addition to the stops, the Liverpool Beatles bus tour also passes by other highlights such as where John Lennon & Ringo Starr grew up, as well as places where the boys went to school, first met, and played gigs. The tour ends at the famous Cavern Club, whose owners operate the tour.
Book Magical Mystery Tour Liverpool tickets here
Book your hotel in Liverpool now!Liverpool Beatles Explorer Bus
The Liverpool Beatles Explorer Bus is another group tour option. This Beatles open-top bus tour is similar to the Magical Mystery Tour, but the open top level of the bus allows for better photos along the tour route (weather permitting, of course, it’s Liverpool after all). The tour also includes film & television location highlights such as Peaky Blinders.
Book Liverpool Beatles Explorer Bus tickets here
Liverpool City and Beatles Tour with Hop-On Hop-Off Ticket
The Liverpool City and Beatles Tour with Hop-On Hop-Off Ticket is a great way to take a Beatles tour in Liverpool while also getting to see more of the city’s top sights.
The first part of the ticket is a 90-minute Beatles tour, then you have access to the Hop-On Hop-Off bus red route for 24 hours (the route takes approximately 50 minutes to do a full loop). A free glass of bubbly at the Philharmonic Dining Rooms is also included. This tour is an especially great value for those who have limited time in Liverpool but still want to see as much as possible.
Book Liverpool City and Beatles Tour with Hop-On Hop-Off tickets here
Private Beatles Tours in Liverpool
The above Liverpool Beatles tours are all large group tours. While they do a comprehensive job of showing all of the top Beatles attractions in Liverpool, you are on a set schedule with limited time at each stop where everyone else is also trying to get their photos.
Take a private Beatles taxi tour instead to get a more personalized experience, plus more time at each stop. Beatles private tours last between 3 & 5 hours & are either in a taxi or a Mercedes. There are a few tour operators offering these private tours. One of the private taxi tours focuses on the childhood homes of the Beatles, including interior visits to Mendips, John Lennon’s childhood home, and Forthlin Road, Paul McCartney’s childhood home.
Book Private Beatles Tours in Liverpool here
Liverpool & The Beatles Day Tour from London
This London to Liverpool Beatles Tour is an excellent way for the Beatles-obsessed to still see Liverpool even if you don’t have the time to devote to staying in the city.
The tour includes return train tickets from London to Liverpool with reserved seating. It also includes the Magical Mystery Tour Liverpool and the Cavern Club, entry to The Beatles Story, and free time for exploring Liverpool.
Book London to Liverpool Beatles Tours here
Liverpool Beatles Tour Highlights & Other Beatles Activities & Landmarks in Liverpool
Penny Lane
Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies
Penny Lane
Penny Lane is a real street in Liverpool. The song references several businesses and people, painting a picture that you can still see today as you drive down it.
The Beatles Bus tours in Liverpool all stop for photos at the Penny Lane sign at the corner of Penny Lane and Greenbank Road. They then typically continue down Penny Lane towards Church Road and George Harrison’s Birthplace, pointing out landmarks from the song.
Strawberry Field
Let me take you down
‘Cause I’m going to strawberry fields
Nothing is real
And nothing to get hung about
Strawberry fields forever
Strawberry Field was a former Salvation Army children’s home just down the street from John Lennon’s childhood home. He played & attended events there when he was young. Lennon immortalized it in the song “Strawberry Fields Forever.”
Today, Beatles bus tours stop at the famed red gates of Strawberry Field for photos.
The Salvation Army still owns the property and has opened it to the public to showcase John Lennon’s life along with the work they do. Entry is not included with the big group tours (nor is there time allotted), so you’ll have to either go back on your own or ask about it when booking a private Beatles tour as mentioned above.
Book tickets for Strawberry Field Liverpool here
Hard Days Night Hotel Liverpool
If you’re looking for the hotel that best celebrates The Beatles in Liverpool, look no further than the Hard Days Night Hotel Liverpool. This Beatles-themed hotel opened in 2008 in a building that dates back to 1884. It’s located in the Cavern Quarter, right near the Cavern Club.
The hotel has 110 rooms, including two special suites dedicated to John Lennon & Paul McCartney. All of the hotel rooms are decorated with Beatles artwork. The hotel also includes a restaurant & cocktail bar, along with a lounge playing live music.
Even if you’re not staying at the Hard Days Night Hotel, be sure to spot the statues of the lads on the building’s exterior.
Book a stay at the Hard Days Night Hotel Liverpool here
Cavern Club
The Cavern Club in Liverpool is where The Beatles sprang to fame following their return from Hamburg. Between 1961 & 1963, the Fab Four played 292 shows at the Cavern Club. They then were so popular that they needed to move to bigger venues.
The original Cavern Club was in operation from 1957 to 1973. In addition to The Beatles, it hosted acts such as The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Black Sabbath, The Who, and Queen. Following its closure, the space was filled in with rubble. In 1980, the Cavern Club was reconstructed using bricks from the original club, along with a similar layout. While not the exact same space, it still encompasses 70% of the footprint of the original Liverpool Cavern Club, so it’s a pretty good re-creation.
Today, the Cavern Club is one of the most popular Beatles attractions in Liverpool. The club still hosts live music daily, including acoustic shows & Beatles tribute bands (website). Famous artists also pop in from time to time, including Paul McCartney. There is memorabilia everywhere that highlights not just The Beatles, but other acts from the Liverpool music scene and beyond. A back wall of the basement bar contains the signatures of many of the people who played there.
There’s a good reason why Beatles tours such as the Magical Mystery Tour end at the Cavern Club. It’s a nice place to sit & have a drink while listening to some live music as well as an important landmark in Beatles history.
Liverpool Beatles Museum
The Liverpool Beatles Museum is located just down Mathew Street from the Cavern Club. It’s one of two Beatles museums in Liverpool.
The museum includes over 1000 items of Beatles memorabilia. Each floor of the museum covers a different period of Beatles history. Highlights include musical instruments from each band member, personal items, unique interviews & other footage, and more.
Buy Liverpool Beatles Museum tickets here
The Beatles Story
The Beatles Story is another museum dedicated to the band. It’s located right near where the Magical Mystery Tour Liverpool buses depart from on the Royal Albert Dock.
It too contains plenty of Beatles memorabilia, including musical instruments and personal items from the band members. The Beatles Story also includes recreations of The Cavern Club & The Abbey Road Studios where The Beatles recorded in London. The audio guide tour is available in 12 different languages.
Buy The Beatles Story Liverpool tickets here
George Harrison’s Childhood Home
George Harrison’s Birthplace is located at 12 Arnold Grove. It was his childhood home until he was 6.
The small house is a popular stop along Beatles bus tour routes, though due to the nature of the small alleys & cul-de-sac, visitors must take a short walk to get there.
Harrison paid tribute to his birthplace via the pseudonym “Arnold Grove”, which he sometimes used in hotels & when performing with other artists. Similarly, Paul McCartney used the pseudonym “Paul Ramone.” This then inspired a legendary punk group to call themselves The Ramones.
Ringo Starr’s Childhood Home
Ringo Starr’s Childhood Home is located at 10 Admiral Grove. His birthplace, 9 Madryn Street, is right nearby.
Today, the Beatles bus tours generally pass through the neighborhood without stopping, though it’s possible to spot the houses he grew up in. A spectacular new mural can also be seen right across the street.
John Lennon’s Childhood Home
John Lennon’s Childhood Home at 251 Menlove Avenue is also referred to as Mendips. He moved into the home, which belonged to his Aunt Mimi, in 1946 when he was 5 years old & lived there until he was 22.
The home was privately owned until 2002 when Yoko Ono purchased the property & donated it to the National Trust. It was lovingly restored to its 1950s condition & opened to the public for tours.
Each year on October 9th (his birthday) the bedroom light of John Lennon’s Mendips home is left on overnight in tribute.
Paul McCartney’s Childhood Home
Paul McCartney’s Childhood Home at 20 Forthlin Road is also a National Trust site that is open for tours (generally as a combined tour with John Lennon’s Childhood Home, Mendips). McCartney lived in the home from when he was in secondary school until his early teens.
20 Forthlin Road is also referred to as “The Birthplace of The Beatles,” as the group often gathered at Paul McCartney’s house to write songs and rehearse.
Beatles tours such as the Magical Mystery Tour stop at the house for photos, though entry is not included.
In 2018, Paul McCartney did Carpool Karaoke with James Corden. They drove around Liverpool singing Beatles songs and visiting many of the places on this list, including Penny Lane & Paul’s Childhood Home.
St. Peters Church & the Graveyard of St. Peters (Grave of Eleanor Rigby)
Paul McCartney & John Lennon first met at an event at St. Peters Church in Woolton, Liverpool on July 6th, 1957. This fateful meeting would of course lead to the eventual creation of one of the greatest rock bands of all time, but the church also holds another spot in Beatles lore.
In the graveyard of St. Peters, there is the grave of a woman named Eleanor Rigby. Although Paul McCartney claims that it’s just a coincidence, he also said that it’s possible the name had stuck in his head. Whatever the case, it’s still another place for fans to check out while on a Beatles tour in Liverpool.
Eleanor Rigby died in the church and was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved
The Beatles Statue Liverpool
Even if you don’t have time to take a full Beatles tour, there’s another place where you can celebrate the iconic band while in central Liverpool, and it’s free to visit. The people who run the Magical Mystery Tour Liverpool and The Cavern Club wanted another public place where Beatles fans could congregate.
In 2015, a statue sculpted by Andy Edwards was added to the Liverpool waterfront. The Beatles Statue in Liverpool is located on Pier Head near the Royal Liver Building and the Museum of Liverpool. There is also a store called The Fab 4 Store and a cafe called The Fab 4 Cafe right nearby. The Fab 4 Cafe serves coffees with latte art with the Beatles’ faces on them.
There are several subtle details on the statues that pay tribute to the lives of each of The Beatles.
Paul McCartney is carrying a camera, which shows his love for photography & film, as well as for his late wife, Linda.
John Lennon is holding two acorns taken from near the Dakota in New York City. In the 1960s, John Lennon & Yoko Ono sent acorns to world leaders in an effort to promote peace.
George Harrison is wearing a jacket belt with a Sanskrit mantra written on it. The mantra reads, “The Infinite Beyond Conception, we meditate upon that Light of Wisdom, which is the Supreme Wealth of the Gods. May it grant us to increase in our meditation.”
Ringo Starr is shown with the inscription “L8” on the sole of his shoe, a nod to the postcode he grew up in and one of his album titles.
In addition to this Beatles Statue in Liverpool, there are a few other Beatles-related statues scattered around the city centre, including one of John Lennon outside the Cavern Club, one of Beatles manager Brian Epstein near his family’s former record shop on Whitechapel, and one of Eleanor Rigby on Stanley Street.
Ye Cracke
Ye Cracke is a Liverpool pub where John Lennon drank and formed his first band.
Today, the pub wears its heart on its sleeve, and one gets the feeling that it hasn’t changed all that much since the days when John Lennon used to hang out there. It’s a cool spot for a pint with an excellent back garden.
Empire Theater
The Beatles played their last show in Liverpool at the Empire Theater on December 5th, 1965.
The theater (website) is still used today as a venue for concerts, plays, musicals, and other events.
Museum of Liverpool
The Museum of Liverpool has a large section devoted to Liverpool’s contributions to pop culture, with plenty about The Beatles, including The Beatles Experience video show. Entry is free.
As you can see, there are plenty of Beatles things to do in Liverpool. Book a Liverpool Beatles tour to see as much as possible!
Here are some other great Liverpool tours & activities & other things to see & do in Liverpool.
If you’re looking for a place to stay in Liverpool, check out these Liverpool hotels.
