Casbah Coffee Club Historic Site
BEST FOR
Ages 0-16
WHERE
Liverpool
What it’s like
Walk into the actual basement club where the Beatles played their first gigs, on a pre-booked tour that traces the birth of Merseybeat.
This is a proper piece of music history rather than a museum reconstruction. You go down into the basement club itself and hear how it started, how the Beatles came to play their first live shows there, and how the whole Merseybeat sound grew out of that room. It's a tour, not a wander round with a leaflet, so someone talks you through it as you go.
It suits families with older kids best. Under-16s are welcome on the standard tour, but there's a separate one, Tour C, that includes the bar and a concert, and that one is strictly over-18s only. If you've got a Beatles-mad ten-year-old, that's the one to skip and save for a night out without them years from now.
Everything has to be booked ahead. Opening times move around rather than following a fixed weekly pattern, so you sort your slot before you turn up rather than chancing it on the day. Tour C is the one that catches people out because it needs six weeks' notice, so if that's the version you want, sort it well in advance rather than a fortnight before a trip to Liverpool.
Facilities
Need to know
- Best for
- 8 to 16; younger kids may not get the history
- Booking
- Tours must be pre-booked. Opening times vary
- Book your tour ahead, opening times aren't fixed day to day
- Tour C is over-18s only and needs six weeks' notice
- Standard tours are open to under-16s
Plan your visit
Can children come on the tour?
Yes, the standard tour is open to under-16s. It's just Tour C, the one with the bar and concert, that's over-18s only.
Do we need to book ahead?
You do, tours are pre-booked rather than walk-in. Opening times vary, so check what slots are running before you plan the day around it.
What actually happens on the tour?
You go down into the historic basement club where the Beatles played their first live shows and hear about the Merseybeat sound that grew out of it.
What's Tour C and can we take the kids?
It's the version that includes the bar and a concert, and it's adults only, no under-18s. It also needs six weeks' notice to book, so it's one to plan well ahead.
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