The Beatles Highlights
Liverpool is, after all, the birthplace of The Beatles and the city that shaped their early music and lives.
Experience the city that honed their sound and look through these famous locations from 1960s Liverpool. And once you've been to The Beatles Story there are all sorts of other The Beatles experiences to enjoy while you're in Liverpool.
August 2012
The Beatles 50th Anniversay
The anniversary will be celebrated with a festival of events. The programme includes the 20th Mathew Street Festival, special performances by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and a premiere of a play about Beatles' manager Brian Epstein. Watch this space for updates.
Now - 28 September 2013
Elvis and Us
The Beatles Story Museum
Graceland is coming to Liverpool for a unique UK exhibition that unites the world's biggest musical icons.
The exhibition - entitled Elvis and Us - represents the first time the two cornerstones of 20th century popular culture have come together since that fateful meeting in 1965 at Elvis' Bel Air home. The exhibition will include rare and exclusive artefacts from both The Beatles Story and Graceland archives, many of which have never before been exhibited publicly.
One of the centrepieces of the Exhibition will be the white Fender bass guitar played by Elvis and The Beatles at their meeting. A true piece of pop culture history; it has never been on public display before.
The Beatles Story
Located in the Fab Four's hometown of Liverpool, the award-winning The Beatles Story experience is an atmospheric journey into the life, times, culture and music of the Beatles. Join them on a magical mystery tour to see how four young lads from Liverpool were propelled to the dizzy heights of worldwide fame and fortune to become the greatest band of all time.
Major expansion in 08/09 saw The Beatles Story triple in size and expand over two sites to include even more fun and interactive features. Visit the website for more information.
Magical Mystery Tour
Take a guided trip on the psychedelic tour bus, including world-famous The Beatles sites from Penny Lane to Strawberry Field. For more information please call +44 (0) 151 236 9091 or visit the website.
The Cavern Club
The Beatles played the Cavern Club nearly 300 times, helping it become one of the most famous live music venues in the world. The club is buried deep beneath Mathew Street, in what were originally warehouse cellars, and had been used as air raid shelters during the Second World War.
The Cavern is still open seven nights a week with a range of live music nights and DJs and is also the finishing point of the Magical Mystery Tour, so you can pop in for a quick pint after you've seen the sights. For more information please call +44 (0) 151 236 9091 or visit the website.
The Jacaranda
As much a piece of history as a bar, The Jacaranda is hugely popular with both locals and tourists thanks to its Beatles connections. The band’s former manager Alan Williams used to own the venue and John Lennon and co played there several times.
‘The Jac’ looks like any other bar from the street, but once inside you realise its uniqueness. The first thing to strike you is the walls, with not an inch left uncovered by Beatles photos, paintings and memorabilia. A large drum kit sits above the bar, and it’s possible to waste away hours just staring at the many items available to look at. With three floors, the venue looks bigger from the inside than out, and although the tables and chairs aren’t the newest, it all adds to the character of the place. For more information please call +44 (0) 151 707 8281.
Beatles Extravaganza Day Tour
This tour is a must for the passionate The Beatles fan, and is also available in Spanish. An all day tour taken in a comfortable minibus that gives you an insight into The Beatles formative years and takes you back to where it all began. You may know all the dates and songs, but it's no substitute for standing at the gates of Strawberry Fields or in Paul McCartney's bedroom.
The day includes a visit to the little known Casbah Club. The Beatles performed there many times and even painted the walls and ceilings. A brother of Pete Best (the original drummer) will show you around the Casbah. Our guides are all Beatles fans too, often with their own Beatles' stories to tell. Visit the website for further details.
Mendips and 20 Forthlin Road
The childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney have been faithfully restored by the National Trust. You can see the bedroom in Aunt Mimi's house on Menlove Avenue where a young John Lennon first began writing music, and the McCartney family home, where early The Beatles rehearsals were held.
Tours to both sites run daily from March to October but advanced booking is essential. For more information please call +44 (0) 151 427 7231 or visit the website.
The Casbah Coffee Club
The Casbah first opened in 1957 when John, Paul and George appeared as the Quarrymen in the basement of a beautiful Victorian house in West Derby, where Mona Best - mother of early The Beatles drummer Pete - had opened a coffee-dance club.
The Casbah is the only original The Beatles venue to remain untouched and is considered the location where the The Beatles first began. The site has been awarded a Grade II listing by English heritage. Tours can be booked in advance by calling +44 (0) 151 280 3519 or visiting the website.
International Beatles Week
International Beatles Week is the biggest The Beatles celebration in the world. This week-long festival runs every August, featuring over 200 bands from across the globe, specialist The Beatles events and the annual convention. For more information please call +44 (0) 151 236 9091 or visit the Cavern Club website.
Mathew Street Festival
Liverpool is home to Europe's largest free music festival. The Mathew Street Festival transforms the city with live venues and special outside stages across the city centre every August Bank Holiday Monday. For details please visit the website.
Mathew Street and the Cavern Quarter
Visit the Cavern Quarter once you've been down to see the legendary club itself. This winding part of the city centre is a tight network of former warehouses and has developed into a mecca for Beatles fans over the years, with a range of bars and shops dedicated to The Beatles memorabilia.
The area is also home to Liverpool's musical Wall of Fame (which features the name of every band and solo artist to play at the Cavern since it opened in 1957) and a host of statues of the Fab Four, including a solo cast of John Lennon leaning against the wall, several group poses (including Arthur Dooley's bronze Four Lads who Shook the World opposite the Cavern) and the wistful figure of Eleanor Rigby on nearby Stanley Street.