Liverpool and the Beatles, a tour of the English city

Today we visit one of the most important cities in the United Kingdom. Known throughout the world for having seen the birth of one of the most famous musical groups of all time, the Beatles, Liverpool has a lot to offer you.

Indice:

Where is Liverpool located?

Liverpool is located 350 km northwest of London, you can get there by plane to the John Lennon International Airport, by train, by bus, or by car, which is the option we used.

In our case we were already doing a road trip through the United Kingdom, which took us to places like The Cotswolds , or Stratford Upon Avon among others, so with our rented car in London we arrived in Liverpool to make this tour of the city of the Beatles.

Where to stay in Liverpool?

We start by telling you where we stayed, the hotel chosen was the Tune Hotel Liverpool, the price I got on that occasion was very, very good. What’s special about this hotel? You pay for everything separately, and we’re not just talking about breakfast, but also if you want to leave your bags before check-in or after check-out, for example. What’s in its favor? Taking all this into account, the price was very good, as I was saying, and the location is excellent for getting everywhere on foot.

But you have many options to choose from, so we leave you an interactive map with hotels

Booking.com

Now that we’ve seen how to get there and where to stay, let’s start with the 10 best things to do in Liverpool.

10 things to see in Liverpool, the city of the Beatles

The order of these is random, all these places are worth a visit, that said, let’s begin:

Albert Dock

First of all, we visited Albert Dock. This dock dates back to 1846 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has a large collection of historic and artistic buildings from the United Kingdom.

Built to house dozens of ships, which at that time were essential for foreign trade, it was closed in 1972 due to low activity.

It reopened a decade later to bring together a good number of shops, bars, and restaurants, becoming one of the liveliest areas of the city.

Without a doubt you can’t miss it.

How would you recommend ending the day? The best tip? Watch the sunset from Albert Dock. When the sun goes down, the colours are incredible.

Taking a free tour of Liverpool is a great idea!

The Beatles Story

Whether you are a fan or not, we can all agree that The Beatles are one of the best bands in the history of music. Therefore, you cannot miss The Beatles Story museum during your visit to Liverpool.

In an incredible journey through the career of one of the most charismatic bands, you will discover how they started, the high points of their career, and their early separation.

The museum is located in the Albert Dock that we just saw. Here you can find photographs of the members, a replica of Abbey Road Studio, where they recorded many of their songs, or George Harrison’s first guitar, as well as a replica of The Cavern.

Tickets can be purchased online: tickets for The Beatles Story

Now that we’ve mentioned The Cavern, here we go.

Mathew Street

Mathew Street is a street in Liverpool, notable for being the location of the Cavern Club, where the Beatles played numerous times in their early career.

It is the centre of the Mathew Street Festival, which fills the streets of Liverpool every summer.

Many tourists visit Mathew Street every year, who visit the Cavern Club, and many nearby attractions, such as the statue of John Lennon, a Beatles shop, and several pubs that were formerly frequented by the Beatles.

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Continuing the walk along this street, we find The Cavern. Did you know that you have a free tour of the Beatles?, reserve your place.

The Cavern

The Cavern Club opened its doors on 16 January 1957 at 10 Matthew Street. Four years later, The Beatles gave one of their first concerts there, and they went on to play almost 300 concerts between 1961 and 1962.

Six decades later, it can boast of hosting around 40 unknown groups a week. It has become a place of pilgrimage for fans of the British band.

It is worth noting that the original club is not the one we see today, in fact the first one was demolished in 1982, but more than 15,000 bricks from the building were saved to rebuild the facilities of the current The Cavern, which opened its doors in 1984.

The club offers live music every day from midday until night, undoubtedly an excellent plan to end a day of sightseeing in the city of Liverpool.

The Three Graces

In fifth place we find The Three Graces. Three buildings, three beauties, three graces, which from their privileged position next to the Mercey provide Liverpool with a wonderful place to walk around and enjoy the history and beauty hidden in this great city in the north of England. If you go to the city you cannot miss seeing the Three Graces of Liverpool.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Liverpool was the most important maritime city in the world, and its port was a model of modernity and was constantly changing. The development of the Pierre Head area became what is still the great pride of the inhabitants of Liverpool.

A development that had as its starting point the construction of three gigantic buildings, known as the Three Graces, built between 1903 and 1916, the three buildings are the Royal Liver Building, the Cunard Building and the Port of Liverpool Building.

Statue of The Beatles

Continuing the walk through Pierre Head we find the statue in honor of the Beatles.

At number 6 what you can’t miss if you come to Liverpool, a photo with the Beatles. The bronze statue is located on the banks of the River Mersey in the historic Quays district, and was a gift from The Cavern Club to the city, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the last Beatles concert in Liverpool on December 5, 1965.

It is the work of sculptor Andy Edwards and shows the four members of the band dressed in suits and ties while they walk and chat calmly.

Liverpool Anglican Cathedral

Liverpool has two cathedrals, and now we are going to get to know one of them. Meet the Anglican Cathedral of Liverpool.

It is located on Saint James’ Mount, and is the second longest Anglican church in the world thanks to its 189 meters in length, also the third tallest building in the city of Liverpool, and is considered the fifth largest cathedral in the world.

Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral is much more than a church, it has become a kind of museum, which can be visited for free, there are audio guides in several languages including Spanish. There is the possibility of paying an entrance fee and going up the towers, and seeing the city of Liverpool from above. Entry to the cathedral is free.

Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral

In the next place we will find the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.

The design of the cathedral is peculiar, and very different from that of traditional churches. The plan is circular, it does not have the well-known Latin cross and the altar is located in the middle of the temple. There are different chapels around it, and when looking at Liverpool Cathedral from the outside it has a conical shape.

This cathedral, unlike the previous one we saw, is Catholic. Admission is also free.

Chinatown

Very close to the cathedral we find Liverpool’s Chinatown.

This part of the city has been home to the oldest Chinese community on the European continent for over a century, and it is said that today almost 2% of the inhabitants of this English city are descendants of the first people who arrived there at the beginning of the 19th century around 1839.

The entrance to Liverpool’s Chinatown is crowned by the ceremonial arch that was handcrafted and is very typical. In this arch you can see 200 dragons carved in wood on a marble structure that is covered by a mixture of colors such as gold, green, red, and yellow which is the color of Chinese royalty.

When you pass by you can see its majestic 15 meters high, which makes it the largest arch of its kind, of those outside China.

Are you interested in visiting the Chinatowns of the cities?, here is a video we made with some of them around the world, including the one in Liverpool. ↓

The last place, we leave you two curiosities for you to visit in the city.

A Case History and Lambanana

The last place, we leave you two curiosities for you to visit in the city.

On the way between the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Anglican Cathedral, which we just named, on Hope Street, you will find in the middle of 27th Street suitcases, two guitar cases, what is this?, this abandoned luggage is A Case History by John King.

This architectural complex was designed by John King in 1998, and is located exactly at the intersection of Hope Street and Mount Street.

A case History is a collection of old suitcases and travel bags, grouped in piles, of different colors, but all of them worn and dirty, giving an image of antiquity.

The second point for this last must-see in Liverpool is the Lambanana.

During your visit to Liverpool, you will find in many corners of the city a curious animal called Super Lambanana. It is a cross between lamb and banana, which has become one of the symbols of this British city.

In 2008 Liverpool was the European Capital of Culture, so 125 2-metre-high Lambananas were created. Today, eight of these super lambananas can still be seen in Liverpool, many of them around the city museum.

The Lambanana have always been understood as a symbol of the importance that Liverpool always had in foreign trade, they exported wool and brought bananas.

Museums of Liverpool

We left them out of the ten things to see, there are several and we took them as point 11.

Which museums to see?

They have the Merseyside Maritime Museum, which is very interesting, and the World Museum, which is very varied. If you want to learn more about the city’s past, you’ll find it at the Liverpool Museum. The Walker Art Gallery has the most important British collection outside of London, and at the Tate Modern you can see a large collection of modern art. The International Slavery Museum is a very good option to learn about the history of the slaves brought to the city.