This once fab English city makes a comeback.

Famous for four mop-headed lads who took the music world by storm in the 1960s, Liverpool is back in the spotlight as the European Capital of Culture for 2008. This rugged 800-year-old city in England's northwest is used to seeing its fortunes change. The tidal waters of the River Mersey transformed this former fishing village into a global port synonymous with the slave trade in the 18th century. The city has been overshadowed by economic blight, but it is now in the midst of a remarkable renaissance. In today's Liverpool you're as likely to find specialist sakes as neoclassical buildings of old.