There's a tune drifting over the Mersey that everyone knows, without always knowing where it comes from. Liverpool gave the world the Beatles, two legendary soccer clubs and an inimitable accent; in the 19th century, it was also one of the world's leading ports, the one from which millions of emigrants set sail for America. The cruise terminal is in the best possible spot: on the river, right at the foot of the waterfront landmarks. You walk down the gangway and you're already at the centre of everything.

The Three Graces

Facing the quay stand the Three Graces, a trio of Edwardian buildings symbolizing the maritime might of yesteryear: the Royal Liver Building with its two mythical copper birds perched on the towers, the Cunard Building, from which transatlantic liners were managed, and the Port of Liverpool Building topped by its dome. On the Pier Head esplanade, the bronze statue of the four Beatles striding along draws a steady stream of photographers; a few metres away, a recent museum traces the city's history, from the triangular trade to Beatlemania. A century-old ferry, immortalized by the song Ferry Cross the Mersey, still links the two banks of the river.

The Royal Albert Dock

Fifteen minutes' walk along the water leads to the Royal Albert Dock, an 1846 basin surrounded by brick warehouses and cast-iron columns. Merchant ships have given way to museums, cafés and galleries: the Merseyside Maritime Museum tells of liners, shipwrecks and emigration, and the International Slavery Museum, upstairs, frankly addresses the dark side of this prosperity; The Beatles Story, for its part, brings back to life the rise of the most famous band in history, from the Cavern cellar to the Abbey Road studios. You can easily spend half a day here, between breaks on the cobbled quays.

The Cavern Club

Heading back up toward the centre, one narrow street concentrates the pilgrimages: Mathew Street, where the Cavern Club books musicians from midday. Today's club is a faithful reconstruction a few metres from the original, but the vaulted brick, the sweat and the covers of Twist and Shout keep the illusion brilliantly alive. All around, old-fashioned pubs, walls covered with plaques and statues of John Lennon make up an entire neighbourhood devoted to music.

Two Cathedrals for One City

On the ridge overlooking the centre stands an unlikely duo. At the end of Hope Street, the Anglican cathedral, the largest in Britain, overwhelms visitors beneath its red sandstone vaults; its tower offers a panorama that reaches, on clear days, all the way to Wales. At the other end of the same street, the Metropolitan Cathedral, Catholic, raises its crown of concrete and stained glass, round like a tent of light. The contrast sums up the city: monumental and inventive at the same time.

From the Terminal, on Foot

Die-hard Fab Four fans can go farther: specialized taxis take you on a two-hour tour to Penny Lane, Strawberry Field and the childhood homes of Lennon and McCartney. Others will be content to let the city sing its refrains to them on street corners.

As the ship pulls away, the waterfront towers slowly slide behind the stern and the Liver Building's birds seem to stand guard one last time. Local legend has it that if they flew away, the city would disappear. No danger of that: Liverpool has eternity in its bones, and a song ahead of the rest of the world.