The Ultimate Beatles Tour Experience
A chauffeur driven trip around all the Beatles hot spots in a yellow Rolls Royce is your ticket to ride says Fiona McAuslan
Liverpool and the Fab Four go together like butty and chip. So if it’s your first time in this magnificent city, it’d be rude not to pay tribute to Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr. And what better way to do so than with a chauffeur-driven trip down memory lane.
Ticket to ride
The Ultimate Beatles Tour Experience is pretty special. A uniformed chauffeur who guides you and up to five friends around Liverpool in a psychedelic yellow Rolls-Royce Phantom – a replica of Lennon’s own mobile? Er, yes please.
Liverpool guided tour
Tour guide Robert is as colourful as the car he commands, and is a fact-filled font of Beatlemania and knowledge. As you explore Liverpool, from the comfort of the cream-coloured padded back seat, you'll be greeted with an array of iconic Beatles landmarks.
Lennon and McCartney family homes
Top spots include Penny Lane, where Lennon and McCartney who both lived nearby, would often meet to catch a bus into the city centre. You can hop out for a quick insta opp at the barbershop and banker mentioned in the lyrics. At Strawberry Field, you can get a glimpse of the Salvation Army children's home that inspired one of the band's most beloved songs.
Town where they were born
For a more personal touch, explore the childhood homes of Lennon and McCartney. 20 Forthlin Road is McCartney's former residence, where many of the band's early hits were composed and 251 Menlove Avenue is where Lennon lived with his Aunt Mimi.
Graves and statues
As you delve deeper into the Beatles' legacy, you'll discover hidden gems like Eleanor Rigby’s grave in the St Peter's Parish Church graveyard in Woolton. Fun fact: Lennon and McCartney first met at a church fete here in 1957 but McCartney, who composed the song, has no recollection of seeing Eleanor Rigby’s grave and believes the selection of her name was subconscious.
Statues
The tour ends with some classic photo opps alongside the Andy Edward’s larger than life bronze Beatles statue at Pier Head. The Fab Four took up their place alongside the Three Graces buildings on the waterfront in 2015. Now that’s something to twist and shout about.
How to get there
The Salt and Pepper halloumi fries at Middle Eastern-inspired Hafla Hafla is street food of the highest order, while Down the Hatch is where you want to be for vegan burgers, wings and mac and cheese.
Where to eat
Mainline trains arrive at Liverpool Lime Street from London, Birmingham, Norwich and Manchester among other towns and cities.
Accessibility
The sites themselves are wheelchair accessible, though the Rolls Royce is not adapted for wheelchairs. Wheelchair users should contact the organisers directly to see if a foldable wheelchair can be accommodated.
