Liverpool: Come for The Beatles, stay for a lot of other reasons. Liverpool is a popular day trip and is growing in popularity as a tourist destination. You can find all things Beatles here. Even the airport is named after John Lennon. Can’t think of any other airports named after rock stars! Nowadays you can take cruises there, but many people visit as a day trip from either London or Manchester, and that’s what I did. Overall, it was my favourite day trip I took that trip and in this post I’ll explain why, sharing the food I ate, where I went, and pictures of the city.

Coming Back… after 6 years

The first time I visited Liverpool was back in 2013 with my mum. My mum and I took a train from London to Liverpool and we spent most of the day taking The Magical Mystery Tour, seeing all the Beatles landmarks like Penny Lane, Strawberry Field, and the childhood homes of all The Beatles.

The tour finishes at the Cavern Club, where you’ll have free entry to hear music played there. It was a great experience and I knew I definitely wanted to visit Liverpool again, but when would that happen I don’t know. But the opportunity finally came again and I took it.

Double Fantasy: The John & Yoko exhibit

When I visited this time, it was excellent timing because there was a John & Yoko exhibit in the Museum of Liverpool. Why pay to go to The Beatles Story, when you can see this free exhibit? It’s absolutely worth the visit and get there quick, it’s in the museum until 3 November!

The exhibit starts with a comparison between John and Yoko’s childhoods. Despite the 7 year age difference and being born in different countries, they had a lot in common. Both are/were brilliant artists and it’s easy to see why they fell in love so quickly.

The exhibit is organised chronologically and walks you through their beginnings, when they met at the Indica Gallery, showing you Yoko’s artwork, photos of their wedding, clothes and accessories they wore, guitars, bagism (a satire of prejudice where people wear a bag over their body so they can’t be judged), records they made together, lyric sheets, John Lennon’s green card, and family photos with their son Sean. The really cool part is you can pick up a little business card and a pin that are replicas of things John and Yoko gave to each other.

Of course, my description won’t be enough and if you can’t make it to Liverpool before November, you can look at some pictures I took there.

An incredible, impactful exhibit.

Beatles Related Statues/Landmarks in the city centre

Of course, you gotta check out Mathew Street, the centre of all things Beatles in Liverpool. It’s where The Cavern Club is and you’ll find other Beatles themed pubs and clubs there and a Beatles Shop. You’ll find a wall of fame with a big list of bands who played the Cavern, a statue of John Lennon, and a statue of Cilla Black.

On Stanley Street, there’s an Eleanor Rigby statue.

It wasn’t here when I visited in 2013, but on the waterfront, near the Royal Liver Building, there’s the Beatles statue. You gotta get a picture here.

Here’s one picture with me…

And two without me!

You don’t have to take the Magical Mystery Tour to see lots of cool Beatles stuff! Just walk around.

Lunch at Frost Burgers

For lunch, I went to Frost Burgers, a 100% vegan fast food restaurant. I ordered a vegan bacon cheeseburger and chips with some water (because I don’t like fizzy drinks). They do vegan right because the water was in a can, which means no plastic and it can be recycled. I enjoyed my lunch and I found it was affordable.

Cat Cafe

After lunch, I met up with my friend Tony during his break and we talked about things to do in Liverpool and about classic rock. He suggested that I go to the cat cafe, since I love cats. The cat cafe takes walk ins or reservations, but you’re best off getting a reservation because it can be very busy.

The pricing structure is fair, charging you for each 15 minute interval and allowing you as many coffees/teas/juices as you want. The hot chocolate can be made vegan and they draw a cat in the hot chocolate, so cute! Pastries and snacks aren’t included though. If your phone is low on power because you’ve been taking a lot of pictures, no fear, there are plenty of power outlets throughout the restaurant.

The cafe is multiple storeys high, plenty of space for the cats to roam around and get away from patrons if they need to. So there’s no need to worry, they’re happy! My favourite cat there is a red Norwegian Forest cat. So photogenic!

There were not just one, but two of these ginger cats!

Shopping

Liverpool is wonderful for shopping. It boasts the world’s largest Lush store. Trust me, it’s better than the one on Oxford Street in London, and much less crowded. A very luxurious shopping experience. I didn’t buy anything though, but it was cool to look at.

You’ll find lots of vintage and vinyl shops too near Liverpool Central station. Most of the shops have 80s and 90s clothes and not a lot of 60s and 70s stuff, but that stuff is getting harder and harder to find, and sadly, more expensive!

I thought I wouldn’t buy any records and stuff, but I ended up getting 45s of The Jam’s “All Around the World” and The Small Faces’ “Itchycoo Park”. Brings me right back to my mod phase back when I was 18.

Live Music at The Cavern Club

If you haven’t been to the Cavern, have you really been to Liverpool? While you’re there, you should check out the live music, which starts at 11:15 AM and goes on all day. For the most part, entry is free, except on Thursday nights, Friday nights, and weekends. The live music for the most part is Beatles covers of course, what else did you expect to hear?

Do walk around and see all the cool rock and roll memorabilia and pictures of celebrities who have visited. No tea, no shade, this is better than the Hard Rock Cafe. The Cavern Club is the Most Famous Club in the World.

Dinner at Veggie Republic

Veggie Republic is a popular vegan restaurant and they have all kinds of dishes: pizza, burgers, and healthy options too. I was in the mood for a healthy option and I decided to order the raw pad thai. There’s a bit of something for everyone here. If I’m coming back to Liverpool, I’m going to come back to Veggie Republic.

More Pictures

I got lucky the day I visited because it was so sunny, which is a rarity in England, so I took advantage and walked around taking pictures of the city. It’s so beautiful here. It makes sense why when I was a teenager I wanted to move to Liverpool. Maybe one day that dream can come true.

Shout out to my good friend and Topaz level Patron, Patrick and my friend Matt.