There are many reasons to visit Liverpool, one of the most attractive cities in Britain. To browse the seaport and museums (one of them, an extension of the Tate Gallery), to discover the oldest Chinatown in Europe or stroll along Hope Street— the only street in the world with two cathedrals—are valid reasons. But above all, Liverpool is the perfect place for Beatles fans.
Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were born and raised in Liverpool, and there they made their debut in local pubs, before becoming a legend. The landscape of the city and its personages inspired songs like Penny Lane and Eleanor Rigby, the lonely woman who roamed the streets and whose tomb is in the church of St. Peter, where Paul and John met on July 6, 1967.
In those days, Lennon sang in the church choir and his band, The Quarrymen, was playing in the yard the day the musicians met. The group´s musical instruments are now part of The Beatles Story, a Liverpool museum that thoroughly documents the band’s history.
Throughout the year, music lovers visit this industrial city on the River Mersey and take the Beatles Tour. A sojourn that includes stops in the birthplaces of the four musicians, in the park that inspired Strawberry Fields Forever and, above all, in Penny Lane, the street where they played as children and where the barber shop–and other places mentioned in the song–are still open. The most popular way to make the route is on a special bus, the Magical Mystery Tour, which can also be rented for private excursions.
The tour ends on Mathew Street, where you can find the Cavern, a temple for Beatles fans. The club where the “Fabulous Four” debuted in 1961 has since attracted other groups such as The Hollies, The Rolling Stones and The Who. Today it continues to host live performances and a daily session of the great classics of pop and rock.
Every night, music lovers from different generations come together in this small locale, which still maintains intact the aesthetics of the 1960s.
Everything on Mathew Street has an air of pop and legend. The most fortunate visitors can complete their journey by staying at the Hard Days Night hotel, which takes its name from the famous Beatles song. This boutique hotel has themed suites and areas full of nods to the band that has sold the most albums in music history. ■
