Penny Lane is the Resident Bear at Hard Days Night Hotel in Liverpool, who helps out at the hotel, bringing joy to guests, and sharing with them the exciting things to see and do in the city. Naturally a Beatles fan, she was named after the band’s 1967 single, and also a road in south Liverpool where three of The Beatles often went by on their bus journeys as students. 

While possibly more well-known as the hometown of The Beatles, Liverpool is also home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Officially named ‘Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City’, it comprises six locations in the city centre, and was awarded for its influential role as a commercial port in the 18th and 19th century.

This issue, Penny Lane shares with Hi Life! her adventures around the city of Liverpool that she takes with Sales Manager Ms Jan Morris, and her top places to visit.

Hi! I’m Penny Lane, and since April this year, I’ve been day tripping around the city of Liverpool, checking out all there is to see and do. Here are some of my favourite places!

The Beatles Statue

The larger-than-life bronze statues of the Fab Four is situated at Pier Head along Liverpool’s waterfront, and is one of the city’s most popular selfie spots. They weigh over 1.2 tonnes in total!

Abbey Road mural

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Abbey Road album by The Beatles this year, local artist Paul Curtis painted an Abbey Road mural in the Baltic Triangle, an artsy and edgy area in Liverpool near Wapping Dock and Queens Dock. The wall mural is a recreation of the band’s album cover, making it the perfect spot for fans and non-fans to snap a photo for the ‘gram (without running the risk of knocked down)!

Royal Albert Dock

The Royal Albert Dock (formerly just ‘Albert Dock’ before it was recognised by the Queen in June 2018) has its history dating back all the way to 1839. It had a revolutionary docking system (for that time) and also featured the world’s first hydraulic cranes. It’s no longer a working dock, but now has plenty of cafes, restaurants and other tourist attractions such as museums and hotels. It’s also one of six sites in Liverpool’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, officially called the Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City.

The Beatles Story

One of the musuems at the Royal Albert Dock is The Beatles Story, dedicated to Liverpool’s most famous quartet and their rise to fame. Even if you’re not a fan, you’ll enjoy seeing some of the band’s original instruments and other memorabilia, and even visit recreations of key locations from their career, such as The Cavern Club (where they were spotted by Brian Epstein, who became their manager), and Abbey Road studios (where the band recorded their albums).

Chinatown

Liverpool’s Chinatown is home to the oldest Chinese community in Europe, possibly due to Liverpool’s history as an important trading port. The first residents arrived in the 19th century as seamen and set up businesses to cater to the Chinese sailors. Other than sampling tasty Chinese and pan-Asian cuisine, tourists also like to visit to snap a photo of the Chinese Arch at Nelson Street, the largest in Europe, and tallest in any Chinatown outside mainland China, standing at 13.5 metres high.

The Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral

Liverpool has two cathedrals, and this is one of them. It’s also the largest Catholic cathedral in all of England. It had its foundation stone laid in 1933, although it was only completed in 1967, after an architect was selected from a global design competition. Many important guests have visit, such as Queen Elizabeth in 1977 and Pope John Paul II in 1982. Services are still held, and you can also visit the crypt and treasury.