My childhood friend and I are planning a U.K. trip for April 2009. We want to see everything that has to do with the Beatles. We plan to go, of course, to Liverpool and London for this. There are so many "tours" available online we already feel lost. We are on a budget but don't want to miss anything, as this will probably be our only chance for a big trip like this. Can anyone help a Europe-challenged twosome do it right?
We also would like to visit a few castles as well as stay the night in one, but are confused by this too.
Anyone out there that can help two old ladies have a memorable trip, please write. Thanks.

How long will you be in the UK? When you say UK do you mean both England and Scotland?

For castles right outside London I would recommend Windsor which is easy to reach with public transit

Not sure about staying overnight in a castle but wanted to point out that Liverpool has a new Beatles-themed hotel (I have not stayed there)
http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-tr-beatles16mar16

Some websites that might help (if you haven't already discovered them):

http://www.beatlelinks.net/links/Beatle_Places/

http://www.music.indiana.edu/som/cou...k/england.html

http://www.merseybeat.ndo.co.uk/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/thebeatles...607789,00.html

For castle stays in the UK

http://www.historic-uk.com/StayUK/index.htm

Agree that Windsor Castle is definitely worth a visit as are the Tower of London and Hampton Court.

For castles, don't forget to research the properties run by the National Trust. They have a large number of historic properties that they operate.

Castles are more like to be under "English Heritage"

Now what's the name of that pass to absolutely oodles of historic sites than only foreigners can get?

I believe this is what you are talking about alanrow:

http://www.britishheritagepass.com/

We will have 10 days to spend there. I'm not sure about Scotland. I want to go there if only just to say I've been there, you know.

I keep reading about a "fab four taxi tour"..........does anyone know anything about that?


We will, I'm sure, visit Windsor Castle. But is there a way to make a day of seeing old castles without renting a car?


Thank you all for your help! I never dreamed so many people would reply.
I Read about the Beatles hotel...looks beautiful but it is just too much money. With our American dollar at about 1/3 a pound we were thinking of maybe sticking to something like Premier Inn or a chain like that. Although we want to really get to know the country so we thought about B&Bs......but what if they aren't well kept?!?! Oh, I am so confused!

I will visit the websites you recommended.....thanks. Dawne

Zuzuspetalz, I think you need to look at the recent currency exchange rate for a Pound. The US$ is not 1/3 of a Pound. It is over 1/2 of a Pound. A bit of difference.

http://www.oanda.com/

You can reach all of those mentioned (Windsor, Hamptom Court and the Tower of London) via public transportation.

Windsor Castle:
http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/de...=34#directions

Hampton Court Palace:
http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPa...tingthere.aspx

Tower of London:
http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/...ttinghere.aspx

You can also visit Kensington Palace where Princess Diana lived. It is right in London (as is the Tower of London).

http://www.hrp.org.uk/KensingtonPala...tingthere.aspx

I think you could only do two castles in one day whether by public tranist or car --and that may be too rushed. Here is a link describing the combination of Windsor and Hampton court if you want to try both
http://www.londontoolkit.com/whattod..._transport.htm

For the taxi tour try
http://www.thebeatlesfabfourtaxitour.com/

You could do Hampton Court and Kensington Palace or Tower of London and Kensigton Palace easily in one day.

You can catch the 9 something train to Hampton Court, spend several hours there and then do Kensington Palace later in the afternoon.

Same thing with Tower of London and Kensington Palace. It's better if you get to the Tower early anyway so you don't have such large crowds. You could then do Kensington in the afternoon.

Again, thanks. I was totally misinformed about the exchange rate. I am glad you set me straight, bettyk.

Has anyone heard of Chillingham Castle?

Are we trying to do too much in 10 days with the Beatles tours in Liverpool and London, a day in Scotland and a few castle sightings?

http://www.chillingham-castle.com/Index.asp

Chillingham looks amazing.

My suggestion would be to forget Scotland on this trip unless you do an open jaw by flying into London and, say, out of Edinburgh or Glasgow. Then it MAY be possible.

I think it would be best to concentrate on London and Liverpool. You might be able to get to Chillingham Castle altho I don't know what public transportation options are available. It is at least a 4 hour drive from Liverpool to Chillingham.

London Walks does Beatles tours & they're not expensive. Enter Beatles in their search box.

http://www.walks.com/Homepage/default.aspx

Never fear, Zuzu, we Fodorites are here to help. I just returned from another visit to England, and have lots of practical tips to give you on Beatles attractions. Right now I'm jet-lagged, and can't articulate the info very well, but "I'll be back" with some advice.

You do know that Paul McCartney's and John Lennon's childhood homes are open to the public- owned by the National Trust. Because they have limited capacity, you will need to pre-book your visit.
Most B&Bs are reliable- look for AA recommended or ask at Tourist Information Centres for recommendations.
Another castle I'd recommend visiting is Warwick- you could stop off there on your way by train from London-Liverpool or vice versa.

Hi again Zuzu....

As promised, I have lots of info for you on Liverpool. Yes, you may want to stay at Premier Inn. I stayed there once, when it was Travel Inn, and it was just fine. You might also like the Atlantic Tower--it has a fine view of the Mersey. Or you can try a serviced flat--the Mount Pleasant Apartments are nice.

http://www.stayliverpool.com

Hard Day's Night Hotel *is* expensive, but take a peek inside, anyway. They have a bar. Also, near Mathew Street (and the tourist info center) is a shopping mall called the Met Quarter. They have a lovely loo, and a nice French-style restaurant that never seems too busy.

Send away for the Liverpool tourism booklet at http://www.visitliverpool.com

As someone else noted, Mendips/Forthlin is owned by the National Trust. Here's that link:

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/beatles

It will be helpful to you to book ahead. Book a morning tour, not the afternoon one. The morning tours leave from city centre, and the afternoon tours from Speke Hall. It can be a bit daunting to take a city bus to Speke.


There are several private Beatles tours, but they are expensive. The public coach tour is available from the same folks who own the Cavern Club.

http://www.cavernclub. org
(Beatles Magical Mystery Tour)

http://www.beatlesstory.com for the Beatles museum at Albert Dock, a lovely spot to eat and shop....

You might like to wander through the Anglican Cathedral. It's right across the street from LIPA, the performing arts college that used to be the Liverpool Institute. I also love riding the ferry....a shuttle across the river and back is about 30 minutes.

http://www.merseyferries.co.uk

Oh, yes, I almost forgot the walking tours in London. London Walks features the two tours guided by Richard Porter. You will know the information anyway, , but take the tour just to see the spots and talk with other fans.

I trust you already know the location of Abbey Road. Take the tube to St. Johns Wood. Be sure to take a black felt-tip pen and leave a message on the wall. Be careful if you want to take a photo at the crossing. There's lots of traffic. There's also a webcam there--wave hello to us while you're there. (Richard's tours end at Abbey Road, if you want to do it that way.)

Dawne, check into these links, and get back to us with any more questions. You have oodles of time to plan!

Merseytravel produced a leaflet that details the buses that run to the Beatle tourist spots & some walks in between. It is also on the website so you could save some money by getting a day ticket to get you around.

The Atlantic tower was built from the top down - as each floor was built it got jacked up for the next floor to be built under it. It looks like a ship & overlooked the Mersey. Now it has competition from a plethora of hotels in front of it. I heard that it will be demolished soon to make way for another development.

The tall ships are due in at the start of July & there are 400 version of the banana lamb dotted around the place.

re the Abbey Rd Crossing....

Most tourists get this wrong. The one on the album cover isn't the on immediatel;y outside teh studio but the one about 75 yards further up the road.

The one outside the studio was built to stop tourists getting run over....

Also St John's Wood (where abbey rd is) is the "Norwegian Wood" of the song.

Outside of that there's not much in London from the Beatles - their houses (and Sir Paul's offices are off Dean St still) but that's about it. The rooftop in savile row is still there - but you can't get to it.

I used to see Ringo in Chelsea a fair bit. He might live there.

Hmm, CW, I've never heard that the actual crossing is up the road a bit. I'll have to look this one up.