Bright, breezy and filled with music, Liverpool City Sights is far more than a convenient way to travel around the city. Its open-top bus tours combine famous landmarks, and plenty of personality with real-live guides, making them a brilliant introduction to Liverpool…especially for anyone with a love of The Beatles or history.

I’ve always enjoyed The Beatles’ music, but before taking the tour, I knew surprisingly little about the stories behind the songs or the lives of the four young men who became one of the world’s most famous bands. This fresh-air experience brought that history to life, not only by sharing the stories, but by taking us directly to the places where they actually happened.

The 90 minute Beatles tour travels beyond Liverpool city centre and into the neighbourhoods that shaped John, Paul, George and Ringo. Along the way, you’ll see real locations connected to their childhoods and early careers, including their former homes, Penny Lane and Strawberry Field. Seeing these places in person adds an entirely different dimension to the music, turning familiar names and lyrics into genuine pieces of Liverpool history.

The guides make the experience particularly memorable. The commentary blends music, fascinating facts and entertaining stories, creating a tour that feels lively rather than like a traditional history lesson. A new core memory will be sitting on a open-top bus with 50+ strangers all smiling and singing Yellow Submarine at the tops of our lungs. Even if you’re not a Beatles expert, it’s easy to become completely absorbed in their journey from local Liverpool teenagers to international icons.

There are also opportunities to hop off, explore and stretch your legs at selected stops. This breaks up the journey nicely and gives you time to take photographs and properly appreciate some of the locations rather than simply watching them pass by through a window.

Liverpool City Sights also operates a hop-on hop-off city tour, which is a great way to discover Liverpool’s wider attractions at your own pace. You can sit back and enjoy the complete route or use the bus to move between key sights, hopping off whenever somewhere catches your attention and rejoining the tour later.

Be sure to pick up a map from the company before setting off. The one we received included some incredible savings around the city, from generous food discounts to special extras at participating venues. One of the highlights was enjoying complimentary bubbles at the beautiful Philharmonic Dining Rooms, an attraction in its own right thanks to its grand interiors and unmistakable Liverpool character.

There may be plenty of ways to explore Liverpool, but we loved Liverpool City Sights for its winning mix of music, history and fun. The open-top buses offer a relaxed way to see more of the city, while the guides give each location context, humour and heart.

For Beatles fans, curious visitors or anyone hoping to experience more than Liverpool’s central tourist streets, the Beatles tour is an absolute highlight. We arrived knowing the songs, but left understanding far more about the people, places and stories behind them, and loving The Beatles, and Liverpool, even more.