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Magical Mystery Tour itinerary

The 2-hour Magical Mystery Tour starts at the Albert Dock and finishes at Mathew Street, home of The Cavern Club.

Meet your guide at the Magical Mystery Tour Ticket Office, Anchor Courtyard, Albert Dock, Liverpool L3 4AS

Please arrive onto the Albert Dock to check in 30 minutes before your tour departure time . Coach boarding will begin 10 minutes before departure time. Unfortunately, we cannot offer refunds for missed tours nor can we move passengers to a later tour time without prior notice.

The ticket office is open 7 days a week from 9:30am to 4pm and sells a great range of souvenirs including tour guide maps, T-shirts, keyrings and postcards. Tel: 0151 703 9100.

The Magical Mystery Tour finishes at Mathew Street, Liverpool L2 6RE .

Liverpool ONE Car Park, Strand Street, Liverpool L1 8LT is a few minutes walk from the start and finish points.

The tour lasts 2 hours and includes the following locations with stops for photos on the way:

Childhood home of Ringo Starr
George Harrison’s Birthplace (passengers get off the bus here)
Penny Lane (passengers get off the bus here)
St Peter’s Church Hall (where John and Paul met for the first time)
Strawberry Field (passengers get off the bus here)
John Lennon’s childhood home
Paul McCartney’s childhood home (passengers get off the bus here)
Former schools and colleges of John, Paul, George and Ringo including the Art College and the Liverpool Institute (now LIPA)
The world famous Cavern Club, birthplace of the Beatles,

The Magical Mystery Tour is the only Beatles tour that finishes at Mathew Street, home of The Cavern and steeped in Beatles heritage. Magical Mystery Tour customers can enjoy free entry** into The Cavern Club on the day of their tour.

**Free entry excluded on annual International Beatleweek Festival dates (21st – 27th August 2024). Admission can be purchased in advance for the festival at www.internationalbeatleweek.com (subject to availability)

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Costa Vertical

Costa Vertical – The outdoor specialist for rock climbing, walking and more in Spain's Costa Blanca

Rowland’s Magical Mystery Tour, Sierra de Toix – Sea Cliff climbing in the Costa Blanca

One of our favourite routes here in the area is Rowland’s Magical Mystery Tour. Located on the Toix sea cliffs the route is a small expedition and can be climbed all year long. Ok, in summer you’ve to get up quite early.

Last weekend we guided Nicki & Joan from Finestrat on their first sea cliff adventure. And, it seems that they have enjoyed it. Thanks a lot for the nice day out.

Review: Liverpool’s Beatles-themed Magical Mystery Tour

Head down the Beatlemania rabbit hole in search of the origin stories and inspiration points that defined the world’s most famous band in this Magical Mystery Tour review.

The Magical Mystery Tour coach (Photo: Paul Stafford for TravelMag.com)

It’s the middle of a Tuesday afternoon and the cheery yellow and blue Magical Mystery Tour coach we’re on stops outside an unassuming row of terraced houses in southern Liverpool. Everybody piles off and we wander down a cul-de-sac.

It’s eerily quiet, making me increasingly self-conscious that I, and 40 other people, are gathered outside somebody’s home, with its red brickwork and white lace curtains, our camera shutters clicking away. Anywhere else in Britain, the neighbours, or indeed the occupants, would be straight on the phone to the police. But this is Liverpool, and this was the house was where George Harrison was born.

George Harrison’s birthplace (Photo: Paul Stafford for TravelMag.com)

Practically anything touched by a member of the Fab Four is worshipped these days. And while Liverpool contains many cultural riches from various bands that have come from the Merseyside area, only The Beatles can boast their own dedicated daily tour.

George Harrison’s birthplace remains an ordinary, occupied home, but for the regular procession of Beatles fans who come to take photos and pay their respects. But even the faintest whiff of his greatness, knowing he spend time there, transforms an ordinary terrace into something finer than a sultan’s palace. It’s just one of a handful of houses located in suburban, southern neighbourhoods of Liverpool like it.

John Lennon lived here (Photo: Paul Stafford for TravelMag.com)

Back aboard the bus, our tour guide Neil Brannan, a former actor who also works as a DJ at the much vaunted Cavern Club, leads the group on a singalong of Love Me Do as we continue on to the childhood homes of Ringo Starr, John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Each one ratchets up the degree of fervour, despite the fact that for quite a few people aboard the coach, this is not their first time taking this tour.

We stop near Mendips, the home of John Lennon’s Aunt Mimi where he spent much of his childhood. It’s a larger home, with a front garden. Nobody spoils the integrity of the closed gate separating our pavement viewing platform from the private property of a stranger, where a man who passed away 43 years ago once lived. Yet it’s treated like a holy shrine. After all, his music is alive and vital as ever.

Paul McCartney’s childhood home (Photo: Paul Stafford for TravelMag.com)

The final home we visit is at 20 Forthlin Road. Again, we merely stand and admire the post-war brickwork, deep in the knowledge that it protected Paul McCartney from the wind and rain. Here, the atmosphere is particularly reverent. A separate National Trust tour is the only way to get inside. Somehow the knowledge that Paul McCartney composed many of the early Beatles hits in the bathroom (for acoustic, rather than digestive complaint reasons) gives it a hallowed quality.

Back on the bus, the playlist has now moved on to the band’s later material. While My Guitar Gently Weeps plays, as the hopeful, love-struck songs of the early Beatles oeuvre are replaced by songs of a deeper lived experience as global superstars. But while The Beatles by this point had left Liverpool, the city never really left them.

Strawberry Field entrance (Photo: Paul Stafford for TravelMag.com)

This was particularly evident on their double A-side single released in early 1967 that included the songs Strawberry Fields Forever and Penny Lane . Both titles nod towards places in Liverpool where the band members spent time in their youth. Both sites are visited on this tour next, with the graffiti on the closed red entrance gate to Strawberry Field holding a particular sense of pathos.

By the end of the tour, as the coach heads back into central Liverpool, there’s a contemplative quiet aboard. While the whole exercise of visiting places many of The Beatles themselves have not visited for decades felt a little odd at first, by the end it all seems to make an absurd sort of sense.

Penny Lane might have the world’s most photographed road sign (Photo: Paul Stafford for TravelMag.com)

Sure, a lot has changed here; it’s not the Liverpool where these four boys grew up. But there’s something about how normal all these places are that holds power. They are parks, and church graveyards, schools and simple family homes that are not unlike those in the lived experiences of most people. There’s nothing particularly remarkable or special about any of them that you could point to and say: “this is why they made the music they made”. Then again, the songs written by The Beatles have an uncanny ability to reach out across boundaries and generations and speak to people with a clarity and familiarity that very few have come close to emulating before or since.

Having completed the tour, we disembark outside The Cavern Club, where it all began to take off for The Beatles. When you head downstairs into this hallowed space for live music, fresh from the sightseeing, it’s really only then that you can truly appreciate how remarkable and rare it is that these creative minds were able to come together and make music, for little more than a decade, and still hold so much power over so many people more than half a century later.

Where to Book

Inside the Cavern Club (Photo: Paul Stafford for TravelMag.com)

The Magical Mystery Tour runs between twice and five times a day depending on the time of year and day of the week. The coach departs from the Albert Dock area and tours last around two hours. You can book tickets through Getyourguide.com at £20 per person.

If you’re thinking of visiting Liverpool from London on a day trip, there are tours that can take care of all the planning for you. The best option is this one with Viator.com , which for £192 per person includes round-trip rail tickets, tickets to the Magical Mystery Tour, access to the Beatles Story Exhibition and entry to the Cavern Club.

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Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

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RAIN – A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES: MUSICAL MYSTERY TOUR

To avoid overpaying for your Kravis Center tickets, always purchase them from our official website, kravis.org. Outside ticketing companies and ticket brokers often appear to be trustworthy, but they are not affiliated with the Kravis Center. As a result, tickets purchased through these unauthorized ticket distributors are often double or triple the cost. We cannot provide customer service notifications or refunds for tickets purchased from unauthorized sites, unauthorized ticket distributors or brokers. View page for more information.

May 1, 2024

Tickets start at $30

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Alexander W. Dreyfoos Concert Hall - Premium

All programs, artists, dates, prices and details subject to change.

Today: 2024-04-28 11:20 am

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Directions & Parking

The Kravis Center is located near downtown West Palm Beach and is easily accessible via I-95 and the Turnpike. Complimentary self-parking and paid valet parking is available.

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Albert Dock

Step aboard the colourful Magical Mystery Tour bus for a fun and fascinating 2 hour tour of Beatles Liverpool!

Tours Times

Monday to Sunday at 11am and 2pm.

Additional tours operate throughout August and September. Please check here to see available tours on your chosen date.

Includes free entry into the Cavern Club (excludes International Beatleweek Festival Dates (23rd – 29th August 2023)

15% discount off food served at The Cavern Restaurant

Free souvenir postcard to remember your trip

Step aboard the colourful Magical Mystery Tour bus for a fun and fascinating 2 hour tour of Beatles Liverpool. You’ll see all the places associated with John, Paul, George and Ringo as they grew up, met and formed the band that would take the pop world by storm.

Tours start at the Albert Dock – meet your guide at the Magical Mystery Tour Ticket Office in Anchor Courtyard just a few metres from the bus stop where you will get on board the colourful Magical Mystery Tour coach for an unforgettable 2 hour tour. See the Beatles childhood homes, schools and colleges and get up close to places that inspired some of their most memorable songs – Penny Lane and Strawberry Field CLICK HERE FOR FULL TOUR ITINERARY . You’ll be kept entertained along the way by one of our professional Beatles Guides and some Fab Four tunes.

Please enquire about arranging an exclusive private 2 or 4 hour tours for groups in one of the Magical Mystery Tour vehicles.

Tickets Times & Packages

Adults – £19.95

Child (Age 2 to 16) – £10.00

Family Ticket (2 adults & 2 children (16 and under)) – £50.00

Babies (0 to 2) – Free

Group discount ticket for 10 also available.

Advance booking recommended – BUY TICKETS ONLINE or call in to the Magical Mystery Tour Ticket Office, Anchor Courtyard, Albert Dock, Liverpool L3 4AS Open daily 10am-4pm , Tel: 0151 703 9100 or email: [email protected] Tickets also available at the Cavern Pub in Mathew Street CLICK HERE FOR MAP

Due to transport regulations every person on board the Magical Mystery Tour requires a ticket (including children and babies). A complimentary ticket can be organised for children under the age of 2 (subject to availability). Please call our ticket office directly if you would like to book for a child 0151 703 9100

Evan Evans package day trips from London by train including Beatles Magical Mystery Tour ticket Golden Tours package day trips to Liverpool from London by train with Beatles Magical Mystery Tour ticket My Bus package day trips & overnight breaks from London to Liverpool by train including the Magical Mystery Tour

Printed translations of the tour are available in English, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Swedish, Indonesian and Spanish for just £1 per copy at the Ticket Office.

Car parking – Liverpool ONE, Liverpool L1 8LT is just 5 minutes walk from the tour start and finish points.

Toilets – the majority of the tour is through the suburbs of Liverpool. There are toilets at Britannia Pavilion, Albert Dock before you join the tour, one toilet stop en route if required and one at The Cavern Club on Mathew Street at the end of the tour.

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The Beatles’ songs – complete A-Z list

Magical Mystery Tour

Recorded just four days after the completion of the Sgt Pepper album, ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ was Paul McCartney ’s attempt to maintain momentum within The Beatles and to give them a new direction and sense of purpose.

John and I remembered mystery tours, and we always thought this was a fascinating idea: getting on a bus and not knowing where you were going. Rather romantic and slightly surreal! All these old dears with the blue rinses going off to mysterious places. Generally there’s a crate of ale in the boot of the coach and you sing lots of songs. It’s a charabanc trip. So we took that idea and used it as a basis for a song and the film.

Inspired by Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters and their LSD-fuelled bus, McCartney decided The Beatles should try something similar. He devised a rough concept for the new project, which would involve the group travelling around the England in their own coach, filming whatever took place.

I used to go to the fairgrounds as a kid, the waltzers and the dodgems, but what interested me was the freak shows: the boxing booths, the bearded lady and the sheep with five legs, which actually was a four-legged sheep with one leg sewn on its side. When I touched it, the fellow said, ‘Hey, leave that alone!’ these were the great things of your youth. So much of your writing comes from this period; your golden memories. If I’m stuck for an idea, I can always think of a great summer, think of a time when I went to the seaside. Okay, sand sun waves donkeys laughter. That’s a pretty good scenario for a song.

The resulting TV film was a mess, and critically panned, though the soundtrack double EP (expanded to a full album in the US) was a best-seller.

‘Magical Mystery Tour’ was co-written by John and I, very much in our fairground period. One of our great inspirations was always the barker. ‘Roll up! Roll up!’ The promise of something: the newspaper ad that says ‘guaranteed not to crack’, the ‘high class’ butcher, ‘satisfaction guaranteed’ from Sgt Pepper . ‘Come inside,’ ‘ Step inside, Love ‘; you’ll find that pervades a lot of my songs. If you look at all the Lennon-McCartney things, it’s a thing we do a lot.

The title track was McCartney’s initial idea, based on ideas written on an overnight flight from America on 11 April 1967 , though what he took to the studio was little more than the title and three chords. He attempted to rouse the other Beatles into contributing lyrics, but their enthusiasm was low and later completed the lyrics alone.

Because those were psychedelic times it had to become a magical mystery tour, a little bit more surreal than the real ones to give us a licence to do it. But it employs all the circus and fairground barkers, ‘Roll up! Roll up!’, which was also a reference to rolling up a joint. We were always sticking those little things in that we knew our friends would get; veiled references to drugs and to trips. ‘Magical Mystery Tour is waiting to take you away ,’ so that’s a kind of drug, ‘it’s dying to take you away’ so that’s a Tibetan Book of the Dead reference. We put all these words in and if you were just an ordinary person, it’s a nice bus that’s waiting to take you away, but if you’re tripping, it’s dying, it’s the real tour, the real magical mystery tour. We stuck all that stuff in for our ‘in group’ of friends really. ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ was the equivalent of a drug trip and we made the film based on that. ‘That’ll be good, a far-out mystery tour. Nobody quite knows where they’re going. We can take ’em anywhere we want, man!’ Which was the feeling of the period. ‘They can go in the sky. It can take off!’ In fact, in the early script, which was just a few fireside chats more than a script, the bus was going to actually take off and fly up to the magicians in the clouds, which was us all dressed in red magicians’ costumes, and we’d mess around in a little laboratory being silly for a while.

In the studio

The first ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ session took place on 25 April 1967 . The Beatles spent much time rehearsing and improvising the song, with Paul McCartney at the piano suggesting ideas to the others in the group.

Eventually they recorded three takes of the basic rhythm track: two guitars, piano and drums. Take three was the best. After this they raided the Abbey Road sound effects collection, creating a tape loop of the sound of coaches to be added at the mixing stage.

On 26 April McCartney recorded his bass part, and all The Beatles plus Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans played percussion instruments, including tambourine, maracas and cowbell. McCartney, John Lennon , and George Harrison also taped extra vocals.

The following day still more vocals were added. McCartney taped his lead, with backing from Lennon and Harrison.

An overdub of four trumpets was added on 3 May . The session began by McCartney humming notes to the brass players to let them know what he wanted, but he mostly failed to get his intentions across.

In the end the players were sent away while McCartney and George Martin worked out the notation on the piano in Abbey Road’s studio three. One of the trumpeters, Gary Howarth, reportedly became so impatient that he wrote a score himself. According to Philip Jones, a friend of the session musicians, that was the idea The Beatles ended up using.

The recording of ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ was completed on 7 November . During the editing of the film, Lennon had added a spoken introduction: “Roll up, roll up for the Magical Mystery Tour! Step right this way! Hurry, hurry, hurry!” It was decided that this should be added to the record release too.

McCartney recreated Lennon’s spiel, although he left out the “Hurry, hurry, hurry!” section. A tape loop of traffic noise, assembled back on 25 April, was also added. The song was then mixed in stereo and mono.

Latest Comments

Hi all! Does anyone know what mix of this song was used in the ‘Anthology’? I have the original vinyl (Canadian) and the remasters, and the mix in ‘Anthology’ definitely has different panning; in my two versions the electric guitar is on the left with the drums, percussion, etc. In the ‘Anthology’ clip (chapter 7, 23:20-24:06,) the drums appear in both speakers, the percussion and piano remain on the left and the electric guitar is hard-panned to the right with the trumpets. By giving greater exposure to the electric guitar, piano and percussion in this way (the guitar and piano notes being in roughly the same range,) the mix “moves” more than the other one, creating more of a rock song. Does anyone A) notice this difference and B) know where to find this mix in its entirety? Thanks…

i’ve just checked my Anthology and it’s not on there as i thought, but the version of this song in the film is different to the released version, maybe it’s this mix you refer to? as it has been widely bootlegged.

i think the Anthology was the movie version. I myself have 3 versions of the song.

‘Magical Mystery Tour is waiting to take you away,’ so that’s a kind of drug, ‘it’s dying to take you away’ so that’s a Tibetan Book of the Dead reference.’

I love Paul as a musician, but quotes like this are just stupid.

no its not. its really true. with a comment like that we can see , you know nothing about the beatles…

It’s not so stupid… ingesting LSD and other psychedelics produces a state of consciousness paralel to the one the brain experiences when it is dying. Hence the tibetan book of the dead reference.

No you are stupid not him. You clearly know nothing about the drug and the book yet u made a silly clueless comment.

Thank you dude Someone had to say it

Yeh I agree, I feel the fact John is constantly held up as the lyrical genius gets to him, and he feels the need to prove himself (including with his new book!). Such a talented musician, he doesn’t need to prove himself to anyone.

Yeah, I feel that way too. It’s the same as with “Got To Get You Into My Life”, which I don’t really believe was a love-letter to pot, despite Paul’s claims. Paul, to me, seems to feel the need to prove his edginess and counteract any suggestion that he’s a lightweight – like it’s not enough to be a brilliant musician and songwriter

Agreed, 100%. A real shame Paul made these retrospective comments…or felt he needed to. Lyrically, the songs don’t even fit the story he put out. ‘Got to get you into my life’ is the classic example…it’s a great uptempo love song and that’s it.

I disagree completely… just read the lyrics of the first verse! Even John posited that Got To Get You Into My Life was about LSD, so if anything Paul is retreating and making himself less edgy by saying it was pot. I think it’s telling when people conclude deceitful motives when none are apparent… sometimes you see what you want to see.

You are correct. It’s about acid, but Paul has downplayed that to say it’s an ode to weed, which is fine. Whoever said it’s just a love song is clueless.

I Think Paul knows what He wrote his songs about than us. Even Lennon said Got To Get You Into My Life was a drug song.

The rest of the song is good, but oh God just that coda in the end is sooo magical… incredible really. 😮

That’s always been my favorite part of the song, the haunting piano coda!

Who wrote/played that coda? It has a very emotional effect on me

Paul played the piano at the end there, I believe

Isn’t it, though? Amazing little thing. Beautiful

It really is, sounds like something that The Doors might do :] But what’s most impressive to me is drumming and this part, kind of 8 when Paul sings: “You got everything you need…”. It’s really good.

That piano coda sure sounds like Mike Garson. Listen to the piano solo in Aladdin Sane.

Paul gave John significant credit for helping to write this “Paul” song – one of the few examples where he does that.

Love Me Do, Paperback Writer, What You’re Doing, Here There And Everywhere, Good Day Sunshine, Penny Lane — even When I’m 64 could also be mentioned, but you’re right; there aren’t *that* many…songs that Paul seems to give John more credit than John himself seemed to feel he deserved.

John, it has to be said, did take *a lot* of credit. Was he right to? Possibly, but slightly more would be pushing it a bit, and I guess the same goes for Paul.

I am one of the rare people who actually likes this song better than SGT. Pepper. You gotta love the raw, heavy guitar on Pepper but there is just something about MMT, especially on the remasters. Also, its obvious that the beatles (other than Paul, and maybe Ringo) quit on there potential on some of their later songs. Too bad because MMT could have really been a masterpiece. I love Johns chorus at the end. His voice tone really cuts into me and I absolutely love the second part where he says “…dying to take you away…” Just think how much better this song could have been if he and George werent so distracted by this point.

Is that really John singing the last two “The Magical Mystery Tour is … “? I always thought so.

I agree, Nolan. Just think about how much better the entire MMT ALBUM would have been if John and George had been at least a LITTLE more enthusiastic. I imagine these recording sessions being dominated by Paul (partly out of necessity), while John and George yawned and constantly glanced at their watches. If they had been more “into it,” the whole album would have ended up more, uh… “magical.” Of course, Paul probably DID come off like an overbearing alpha dog, so the distaction of the rest of the group is not surprising.

Frankly the only “magic” in the soundtrack portion of MMT for me is John’s “I Am The Walrus” and George’s “Blue Jay Way”. I am grateful for the contributions of the “distracted” ones. As for the 1967 singles portion of MMT, John’s contributions of “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “All You Need Is Love” (plus his half of “Baby, You’re A Rich Man”) are outstanding to say the least.

I agree with you, Joseph Brush. I think “Strawberry Fields Forever” and especially “All You Need Is Love” are the great songs. But I don’t like Blue Jay Way.

well Fool on the Hill and Your Mother Should Know, not to mention the previously-released Hello Goodbye, are all very typical Paul songs with great sing-along qualities and each has a bit of weirdness to keep it in line with the whole concept of the film/album. Add the singles and it’s really a great, great album. I don’t know if it’s fair to single out the John and George compositions and simply write off Paul’s efforts on this one.

I have to say that “Walrus” and “Strawberry Field” are phenomenal compositions by John and George Martin with the rest of the band doing their thing to back them up flawlessly. I just give Paul the slight overall edge in his contributions. He represents the frontman for me…Looking at all the beatles post work including Paul’s, it doesn’t even matter. Without all 4 of them together with the chemistry they had in relationship to one another, inspiring and demanding eachothers A+ game no matter what was going on, we wouldn’t even be having ongoing conversations like this 40 years later. Granted there are exceptions and if I ever get bored enough with their compact and complete catalogue, I would get a kick in naming the top 50 or 100 worst beatles songs. Paul would dominate that list as well but he also takes the cake in many of my all time favorite beatles songs. That’s why I love Paul’s work the most. He could afford produce some real clunkers because he could always make up for it ten times over with masterpiece after masterpiece. Hearing the remastered mono recording of MMT is really like experiencing this song for the first time for me. Comparing it to the 87’s is simply put an absolute disaster vs and absolute work of art. I always liked this song as a young boy. But I never loved it like the seemingly hundreds of other fantastic Beatles songs I got to experience over and over growing up.

“I am the Walrus” is certainly a fantastic song, but the most magical moment on MMT is the title song’s coda melting into “Fool on the Hill.”

I always liked the Walrus , Strawberry Fields and A Day in the Life. Lennon’s backing vocals make certain songs sound quite awesome. See how they run? It couldn’t get no worse? She’s leaving home ,bye,bye. I too felt the impact The Beatles made in the 60’s. They definitely had a different sound than their contemporaries. Obviously they were better together than apart. MMT was an interesting album. Capital records made a good decision by putting 1967’s singles on one side. Baby You’re a Rich Man is underrated. I agree with you regarding the mono mixes.

Dying is the ultimate Magical Mystery experience.

Love this song. It is just so fast paced and catchy.Basically a McCartney song. I also love the EP , film and album of the same name.

And the bassline, all the way through. One of Macca’s absolute best performances

Great title track for film, E.P. and album. Very 1967, would have been a hit if released as a single.

favorite song of all time, especially love John’s slow verse

Needless to say, I did ‘roll-up’ for the Magical Mystery Tour.

Which Beatle is the one giving the “Roll up” introduction at the beginning of the song? Does anyone out there know?

It was John in the film, but Paul on the record. Paul’s version was recorded on 7 November 1967 .

On the Cheap Trick cover of this song, on the bridge section I can clearly hear two voices overlapping, one is saying “Mystery Tour”, the other “Taking aTrip”. It’s harder to disentangle on the Beatles’ version, but is that what is happening? It actually sounds like Mystery Trip, but I think Cheap Trick have done us all a favour ?

Wow! I clearly hear “taking a trip” at slightly less volume than “mystery tour”. For years I’ve wondered what that garbled sounding second vocal was singing and now I know. Thanks!

It always sounded like ” a mystery trip” to me. (shrug).

There is no lead guitar in this song. Just two rhythm guitar parts.

Hello everyone! Can anyone explain why Magical Mystery Tour (song) is not treated as a Beatles hit, since the double EP with this recording as the title track entered the singles chart and shot to number 2. After all, this is an achievement equal to the success of the singles Please Please Me, SFF/PL or Let It Be. Moreover, like the single Please Please Me, in top music weekly newspaper Melody Maker, it reached number 1 for one week (January 13, 1968).

Even though the Magical Mystery Tour EP got to number 2 in the UK singles chart it is considered an EP and not a 45 stand alone single and therefore it does not qualify as a hit single.

Thanks for your reply, I know all of what you wrote, but my question still doesn’t have a clear, convincing answer. It is obvious that MMT was a double EP from a formal or technical point of view, but in terms of musical competition, i.e. classification on the charts, it was undoubtedly treated as a single. Thus, the title track should be considered another huge hit by The Beatles.

I understand what you say and ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ is a very well known song but as I said previously it was not a single. It was a Double EP. EP’s would often climb into the singles chart as all the early Beatles EPs did. ‘Long Tall Sally’ EP from 1964 is another example. It got to No.1 in the singles charts but is not considered a huge hit in the UK. The ‘All My Loving’ EP from 1964 also reached No.1 but ‘All My Loving’ is not considered a single. The fact that they wrote ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ makes no difference. All EPs were considered as singles in as much as they got into the singles chart in the UK and they all had single chart placings. ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ gets plenty of airplay on radio. I don’t think it gets treated any differently apart from the fact that it was not a single so is therefore not included on Beatles single compilations. See Here for more info. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_play?wprov=sfti1

Sheldon, thank you kindly. The matter is clear to me now.

The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour London Walk

London Beatles Walks crossing Abbey Road

Sundays and Thursdays at 11am Wednesdays at 2pm

From Tottenham Court Road Underground (Exit 1) (Northern Line, Central Line)

Meet point :

Outside of Exit 1

The tour lasts just over two hours and costs £15 for adults; £10 for full-time students and over 65s: £5 for Children under 15.

From May 1st 2024 the price will be £20 for adults and £15 for Students and over 65s

Roll up for the Magical Mystery Tour – Step right this way!

Abbey Road and more!

This walk is a unique opportunity to Imagine The Beatles and the swinging 60s in London.

It is a Magical Mystery Tour of the Beatles’ London haunts:

The Beatles’ Apple offices, where the group played the famous ‘rooftop session’
Paul McCartney’s offices where Paul can be seen occasionally
the well known London theatre which became ‘birthplace’ of Beatlemania
the site of John’s infamous ‘bigger than Jesus’ interview
what John Lennon was doing outside some public toilets in 1966!
the studio where The Beatles recorded Hey Jude
the shopping street that was the heart of ‘Swinging London’
Abbey Road Studios and the famous Abbey Road crossing

To complete your knowledge of The Beatles London, also come on my Beatles In My Life Walk

Reviews on Trip Advisor!

This is a 2 1/2 hour walking tour visiting important Beatles sites around Soho led by Richard, the world’s #1 Beatles fan. Richard is super enthusiastic and a wealth of information. You visit Paul’s office on Soho Square, the Palladium, the gentlemen’s toilet where John did a skit for TV, Carnaby St, where John met Yoko, and more, ending up at the Abbey Road street crossing. You only visit the places on the outside, but Richard has plenty of photos to give you a sense what happened there. You end up at the Beatles Coffee shop at the St John’s Woods tube station that has a nice selection of high-quality Beatles t-shirts. It’s a must for every Beatles fan.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186338-d187739-r534350265-London_Walks-London_England.html#

Other reviews:

“RICHARD Porter is the smartest man in Britain – at least when it comes to The Beatles. In reality, considering the Sixties pop scene was a hotbed of sex and psychedelic drugs, he probably knows more about The Beatles than the remaining members of the Fab Four can remember themselves.” Brian Crisp National Travel Editor, Escape

“When it comes to possessing a thorough knowledge of the movements of the Beatles, there are few who can surpass Richard Porter. Dubbed the “Beatles Brain of Britain,” his personal kinship with John, Paul, George and Ringo makes the London tours he conducts for London Walks some of the most popular in the city. After more than 20 years and guiding around 150,000 visitors, Richard’s lead is the one to heed. His personal knowledge adds an element of credibility that is unavailable elsewhere.” USA Today

“The walls in front of the famous studios are smeared with a million cliches, long-standing graffiti proclaiming the fans’ undying love. Here, several years ago, Paul McCartney appeared while Porter was doing his tour. Springing cheerily from his limo, Paul consorted with the fans before vamoosing to cut his album. Porter had captured the moment. Snap! We are agog. For there it is: Paul looking cherubic. As does Porter, standing before us now, irrepressible, and so likeable that you wish you could set him to music. Will lightning strike twice? Will a Beatle casually materialise? But Porter is talking again, more facts, more memorabilia. Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Traveller

There is only one person who might be able to lead a Beatles Tour that would rival those conducted by Richard Porter but I don’t think Paul McCartney is offering Beatles tours (yet).(Peter Nosko)

Guide Richard Porter with Paul McCartney at Abbey Road Studios

THE ‘BEATLES ROOFTOP CONCERT’ – THEIR LAST LIVE PERFORMANCE FOR ‘LET IT BE’

The Beatles ‘Rooftop Concert’ took place on 30th January 1969. It was the culmination of a month-long project that saw the Beatles rehearsing at Twickenham Film Studios for a concert at a yet undecided venue, at which they were going to perform their new album live. However, after George Harrison walked out of the band, the Beatles relocated to the new Apple Studios in the basement of 3 Savile Row and continued to record their new album, with the film crew still present. As the recording sessions drew to a close, it was thought that some sort of climax for the film was needed, and Paul McCartney especially was keen to play live somewhere – but where?

For more click here

London Beatles Walks guide Richard Porter on the roof where The Beatles gave their last live performance

This tour is operated by London Walks – just voted the best Tourism Experience in London by Visit London

Guide Richard Porter and his tour group crossing Abbey Road – as the Beatles did in 1969

Guide Richard Porter with his tour group Outside Trident Studios on a London Beatles walking tour

12 thoughts on “The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour London Walk”

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hello i want to join to the next guide tour

You can reserve your place at https://www.walks.com/our-walks/the-beatles-magical-mystery-tour/

I reserved a tour. Do you not send out email confirmations?

Email confirmations are sent out by London Walks when tours are reserved. Please recheck you inbox, or trash.

Wish to book a place for two people Sunday 17th sept

all the best

Richard, I tried to book for 2 on 11/9/23 at 11am via http://www.walks.com but it is giving me errors. Is there another way I can make reservations? Thanks!

It seems to working now at https://www.walks.com/our-walks/the-beatles-magical-mystery-tour/ If you still can’t reserve there, I will just put you on the list for Thursday

Thanks, Richard. All good now. See you on Thursday.