Liverpool has reached global acclaim once again
A Liverpool experience is officially one of the best in the world(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Tripadvisor has announced the winners of its annual 2026 Travelers’ Choice Awards: Best of the Best Things To Do. The awards highlight the highest rated experiences and attractions around the world – and one Liverpool experience tops the list.
Based on millions of Tripadvisor reviews and ratings from its global community, the best things to do lists are broken down into categories. This year, the Royal Yacht Britannia in Edinburgh has been named the Number One Top Attraction in the World, while the Number One in the World is a Porto walking tour.
Closer to home, the UK’s Top Experience list has been revealed, and iconic part of Liverpool’s music history has claimed the title. Fending off competition from London, who occupies second and third place, the Beatles Magical Mystery Tour is in first position.
The Beatles Magical Mystery tour’s success isn’t only contained to the UK. The experience has also claimed the No. 4 spot in Europe and No 5 in the world, cementing the city’s global appeal.
Magical Mystery tour guide Del Pike with the Magical Mystery Tour bus(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
Laurel Greatrix, chief communications officer for Tripadvisor Group, said: “This is hard-won recognition, shaped by millions of travelers who booked, showed up, and rated what was actually worth their time.
“There’s a clear theme in this year’s winners: they bring out what makes a destination unique. These aren’t experiences that simply fill an itinerary — they’re the experiences that give you a better way to understand a place.”
The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour was set up by the Radio City in 1983 to cater for the increase in tourists visiting Liverpool, wanting to see places like Penny Lane and Strawberry Field.
The tour has gone from strength to strength over the years, taking more than 70,000 people a year through the streets of Liverpool and winning many awards over the years in the process.
Magical Mystery Tour guide Del Pike(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
The 2026 Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Things To Do Awards are determined based on the quality and quantity of traveler reviews and ratings posted on Tripadvisor over the 12-month period between February 1, 2025 through January 31, 2026, as well as an additional editorial process.
Experiences are classified as bookable tours and activities on Tripadvisor. Non-bookable experiences, or attractions, are activities on Tripadvisor that travelers can visit without booking any ticket.