Ticket to ride (the Beatles bus)

In Liverpool, you can visit the childhood homes of John Lennon (Mendips, at 251 Menlove Ave.) and Sir Paul McCarthy (20 Forthlin Road) aboard the 14-passenger Beatles minibus. Memorabilia, photos and displays chronicle the composers’ early lives.

Both properties are conserved by and may be visited only on a tour booked through the National Trust (phone +44 [0] 151 427 7231, www.nationaltrust.org.uk). The 2½-hour tour costs £16 (near $25.50) per adult, £3 per child (5-16) or £7.50 for members of the National Trust or its American affiliate, the Royal Oak Foundation (New York, NY; 800/913-6565, www.royal-oak.org).

Membership ($55 per year for one person or $80 for two) provides free entry to Britain’s 350 National Trust properties, gift shop discounts and the magazine and newsletter. Among other trust properties are the homes of Winston Churchill, Sir Isaac Newton and Florence Nightingale.