If you'd like a Beatles-related bus tour, Cavern City Tours (tel. 01512/369091; www.cavernclub.org) presents a daily 2-hour Magical Mystery Tour. This bus tour covers the most famous attractions associated with the Beatles. Tickets cost £14 and are sold at the Tourist Information Centre at 8 Place, Whitechapel. Tours depart from the same center daily at 2:30pm, or from the Gower Street bus stop at Albert Dock at 2:10pm.
In the Britannia Pavilion at Albert Dock, you can visit the Beatles Story (tel. 01517/091963; www.beatlesstory.com), a museum housing memorabilia of the famous group, including a yellow submarine with live fish swimming past the portholes. It's open daily from 10am to 6pm. Admission is £12 for adults, £8.30 for students, £6.35 for children 5 to 16, and a family ticket is £21 to £26.
Everyone's curious about Penny Lane and Strawberry Field. Actually, the Beatles' song about Penny Lane didn't refer to the small lane itself but to the area at the top of the lane called Smithdown Place. Today, this is a bustling thoroughfare for taxis and buses -- hardly a place for nostalgic memories.
John Lennon lived nearby and attended school in the area. When he studied at Art College, he passed here almost every day. To reach Penny Lane and the area referred to, head north of Sefton Park. From the park, Green Bank Lane leads into Penny Lane itself, and at the junction of Allerton Road and Smithdown Road stands the Penny Lane Tramsheds. This is John Lennon country -- or what's left of it.
Only the most die-hard fans will want to make the journey to Strawberry Field along Beaconsfield Road, which is reached by taking Menlove Avenue east of the center. Today, you can stand at the iron gates and look in at a children's home run by the Salvation Army. As a child, John played on the grounds, and in 1970 he donated a large sum of money to the home.
Because these sights are hard to reach by public transport and lie outside the center, you may want to take one of the Cavern City Tours that feature both Strawberry Field and Penny Lane.
A fun thing to do is to take the famous Mersey Ferry that travels from the Pier Head to both Woodside and Seacombe. Service operates daily from early morning to early evening throughout the year. Special cruises run throughout the summer including trips along the Manchester Ship Canal. For more information, contact Mersey Ferries, Victoria Place, Seacombe, Wallasey (tel. 01516/390609; www.merseyferries.co.uk).
One of the World's Leading City History Museums -- The big cultural news emerging from northeast England in 2010 will be the opening of the Museum of Liverpool, housed in a fabulous new landmark building on the Mann Island site at Pier Head, at the core of the World Heritage Site on Liverpool's famous waterfront. More information about hours and details of the admission-free museum can be obtained at tel. 0151/207-0001 or www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk.
This museum of Mersey culture tells the story of Liverpudlians and their contribution to British life, a far greater panorama than evoked just by the Fab Four. You can do everything here, from listening to Liverpool bands on a jukebox to learning how Chinese sailors created the oldest Chinese community in Liverpool in the 18th century. The richness of the city's cultural diversity is on display, and the role of the River Mersey is celebrated. There's even an exhibition of swimwear from a bygone age. The new museum tackles social, historical, and contemporary issues. If it pertains to Liverpool, it's all here, though it may be more than you really want to know.
In the Footsteps of the Fab Four -- Wherever you turn in Liverpool today, somebody is hawking a Beatles tour. But if you'd like to see a few of the famous spots on your own, stop in at the Cavern Club, 8-10 Mathew St. (www.cavernclub.org), now touted as "The Most Famous Club in the World," and pick up a Cavern City Tour map to find famous Beatles locations in the city center. The Beatles played 292 gigs here between 1961 and 1963. Manager Brian Epstein first saw them here on November 9, 1961, and by December 10, he had signed a contract with the band. For tour information, call tel. 01512/361965.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
