The Cavern Club, Liverpool

The Cavern Club, Liverpool (must see)

Opened on 16 January 1957 as a jazz club and later becoming a center of Liverpool's rock-and-roll scene in the early 1960s, the Cavern Club became closely associated with the Merseybeat music genre and, famously, regularly played host to The Beatles in their early years, initially as part of the weekday "beat sessions" at lunchtime.

The Beatles made their first appearance at the club after returning to Liverpool from Hamburg, Germany where they had been playing at the Indra and the Kaiserkeller clubs. There and then, on Tuesday, February 9, 1961, they were signed up as the club's resident lunchtime group, working in alternation with Gerry and the Pacemakers. Narrow, cobbled, uneventful Mathew Street thus began to lead an unexpected new life in daylight hours. At noon, Mondays to Fridays, a four-abreast line would begin to form at the Cavern's hatchlike entrance, growing by the minute until it stretched back past the warehouses and delivery trucks and piled-up fruit crates, eighty-odd yards to the junction with Whitechapel. Inside, there was no "security" whatsoever, and no alcohol was sold either at lunchtimes or at night, only coffee and soft drinks.

From 1961 to 1963, the Beatles made 292 appearances at The Cavern. By summer of 1963, "Beatlemania" was sprouting across England, and with girls demanding to see the Beatles and screaming just to get a glimpse of them, the group had to hide or sneak into concerts, and the small club could no longer satisfy audience demand. So on 3 August 1963, the Beatles made their final appearance at The Cavern.

In the decade that followed, a wide variety of popular acts appeared at the club, including The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, The Hollies, The Kinks, Elton John, Black Sabbath, Queen, The Who, and John Lee Hooker.

Even if you're not that bothered about the Beatles, The Cavern is a must-visit experience when in Liverpool. The live music is still brilliant, and the door charge of £2.50 per person after noon is not much to pay for such a historic place.

Why You Should Visit:
To check out the most legendary cellar club on the planet that has been the beating heart of Liverpool’s iconic music scene for over seven decades, visited by millions of people from all over the world passing down its famous stairway.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Liverpool. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

Download The GPSmyCity App

The Cavern Club on Map

Sight Name: The Cavern Club
Sight Location: Liverpool, England (See walking tours in Liverpool)
Sight Type: Food/Drink
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Liverpool, England

Create Your Own Walk in Liverpool

Create Your Own Walk in Liverpool

Creating your own self-guided walk in Liverpool is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Beatles Tour in Liverpool, Part I

Beatles Tour in Liverpool, Part I

The hometown of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Star, Liverpool is called “The Beatles Capital” for a reason. The city saw the dawn of the Fabulous Four's musical career and is brimming with Beatlemania: Beatles-themed bars, restaurants, hotels, and other places associated with the iconic band.

The Beatles Story, an immersive museum, chronicles the Fab...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.4 Km or 2.1 Miles
Beatles Pub Crawl

Beatles Pub Crawl

Alright, so you're in Liverpool, the hometown of The Beatles, and you're thirsty. There are lots of pubs in Liverpool, all different in character, with some claiming that The Beatles drank or played there at some point.

Indeed, the lads performed in many small venues throughout the city, but the joints they usually played were not the ones they liked for their drinks. Now, if...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.8 Km or 1.1 Miles
Beatles Tour in Liverpool, Part II

Beatles Tour in Liverpool, Part II

Liverpool is permeated with The Beatles who seem to be everywhere! There are so many places associated with the band in the city: childhood homes, schools, bars... Some of them are rather unassuming, at a glance, and thus can be easily overlooked.

George Harrison's Birthplace, located at 12 Arnold Grove, is where the lead guitarist of The Beatles was born on February 25, 1943. Despite its...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.1 Km or 2.5 Miles
Beatles Tour in Liverpool, Part III

Beatles Tour in Liverpool, Part III

Now that you have been to a good number of spots around Liverpool associated with The Beatles, it is high time to explore the “early days” of the Fab Four in their hometown and see where it all started.

One such place is Strawberry Field, immortalized in their song "Strawberry Fields Forever." It was a Salvation Army children's home, and although the original building no...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 5.3 Km or 3.3 Miles
Liverpool Historical Sites Walking Tour

Liverpool Historical Sites Walking Tour

For a city steeped in history and culture as much as Liverpool, it is only natural to have many historical sites illustrative of its glorious past. Three of Liverpool's most remarkable buildings, collectively known as the Three Graces of Liverpool, are situated in the Pier Head. These include the Royal Liver Building, the Cunard Building, and the Port of Liverpool Building.

The...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.3 Km or 0.8 Miles
Liverpool Introduction Walking Tour

Liverpool Introduction Walking Tour

Famously, the hometown (aka the “capital”) of the Beatles, Liverpool is more than just the Fab Four. Closely associated with the arts, music, culture, and architecture, as well as industrial innovation, the city is renowned for its multitude of historic landmarks, world-class sport arenas and shopping/entertainment. The abundance of art galleries, national museums and listed attractions in...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.6 Km or 2.2 Miles