Private Walking Tour: Liverpool Highlights, including Cavern Club entry

St George’s Plateau by Cenotaph
Our tour starts at the Plateau, where we take a moment to pause and remember those who lost their lives in both World Wars. The main part of the memorial is the Cenotaph, or empty tomb, built in 1930 to commemorate WW1 it later became a memorial to WW2 as well. The panels around the memorial depict images from troops marching, to mourners laying wreaths.

St George’s Hall and St John’s Gardens
We are surrounded by history wherever we look in this large, impressive area. Starting with St George’s Hall, a beautiful structure from the 19th century. When commissioned it was required to accommodate 1000 people for a concert or lecture with separate space for smaller meetings. Costs were estimated at £35,000, they spiralled £300,000, a huge amount for the time. The hall was restored in 2007, to the beautiful structure you see today, it was reopened by Prince Charles.

Central Library
You are now standing on the site of the first subscription library in England. Over the years it has seen a lot of change, today the site is shared by both the library and a museum, welcoming thousands of visitors each year. Don’t be fooled by the Neoclassical facade, walk in and be amazed by the modern open plan interiors. Follow your guide up to the terrace to enjoy spectacular views of the city.

Queen Victoria Equestrian statue
We can stop now to admire this beautiful piece of art, whilst your guide fills you in on some of the quirky details of Queen Victoria’s life.

Hillsborough memorial
This uniquely shaped structure is a memorial to the disaster at Hillsborough football stadium in late 1980’s. Nearly one hundred people died and many others were injured during human crush in the overcrowded stadium. This was the worst sporting disaster in the UK and is memorialised across the city.

Eleanor Rigby
We arrive now to our first connection with Beatles. Find out about Eleanor Rigby and the inspiration for one of Lennon-McCartney’s most famous songs.

Mathew Street plus the Cavern Club
Arguably the most famous street in Liverpool, its crammed full of pubs and bars. The Beatles were regulars in several clubs here, but famously The Cavern is recognised as their birthplace. Let’s go and peek inside, it’s not hard to imagine The Beatles on stage performing one of their hits. The Cavern has also played host to The Rolling Stones, Elton John and Queen to name just a few. There is plenty of opportunity to take photos with a statue of John Lennon or Cilla Black.

Blitz memorial
Liverpool suffered terribly during the Blitz period of bombing during WW2, the docks and their ships making it the most valuable target outside of London. This memorial shows us the civilian side of the conflict, we see a mother trying to persuade her child to stop playing and run to the shelter to hide from air raids. Around 4000 civilians lost their lives in the city during WW2.

Pier Head
Here we have The Three Graces, three iconic buildings that represent Liverpool in guidebooks and on postcards, built as a sign of international prestige. Each of the buildings have been used by shipping businesses in the past, but now they offer stunning venues for events and exhibitions. Explore the area and let your guide point out several interesting statues such as Superlambanana.

The Docks
This area was built in mid the 19th century, in a modern style for the period, with cast iron, bricks and stone. In 2018 the dock was granted a Royal Charter and we are now standing in Royal Albert Dock. Most of the buildings were used as storage, for goods shipped from all over the world. It’s a multi purpose space now as well as a heritage site. Follow your guide to find one more Beatles connection, Let it bean. Let’s leave it at that!

Liverpool One Shopping area
We finish our tour at this bustling shopping centre, where you can have a bit of a retail therapy and find a comfortable place for a drink and something to eat. Your guide will happily suggest ideas for the rest of your stay.