Must-see entertainment in Europe

  • Lipizzaner horses at the Spanish Riding School, Hofburg.

    Spanish Riding School

    Vienna

    Vienna's world-famous Spanish Riding School is truly reminiscent of the imperial Habsburg era. This equestrian show is performed by Lipizzaner stallions…

  • bolshoi theatre moscow russia

    Bolshoi Theatre

    Moscow

    An evening at the Bolshoi is still one of Moscow’s most romantic and entertaining options for a night on the town. The glittering six-tier auditorium has…

  • Streetside view approaching Burgtheater

    Burgtheater

    Vienna

    The Burgtheater hasn't lost its touch over the years – this is one of the foremost theatres in the German-speaking world, staging some 800 performances a…

  • Exterior of Teatro San Carlo.

    Teatro San Carlo

    Naples

    San Carlo's opera season runs from November or December to June, with occasional summer performances. Sample prices: a place in the 6th tier (from €35),…

  • Maria, from The Sound of Music, in wedding dress at the Salzburger Marionettentheater.

    Salzburger Marionettentheater

    Salzburg

    The red curtain goes up on a miniature stage at this marionette theatre, a lavish stucco, cherub and chandelier-lit affair founded in 1913. The repertoire…

  • Hungarian State Opera House

    Budapest

    The gorgeous neo-Renaissance opera house is worth a visit as much to admire the incredibly rich decoration inside as to view a performance and hear the…

  • Royal Shakespeare Company

    Stratford-upon-Avon

    Stratford has two grand stages run by the world-renowned Royal Shakespeare Company – the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and the Swan Theatre on Waterside – as…

  • Liverpool Football Club

    Liverpool

    A dominant footballing force for most of the 1970s and 1980s, Liverpool FC remains one of the world's most famous and best-supported clubs, despite not…

  • Teatr Wielki

    Warsaw

    Dating from 1833, destroyed in WWII and rebuilt to Antonio Corazzi's original design in 1965, this magnificent building is home to the Polish National…

  • Staatsoper

    Vienna

    The glorious Staatsoper is Vienna's premier opera and classical-music venue. Productions are lavish, formal affairs, where people dress up accordingly. In…

  • Jazz Club Ferrara

    Ferrara

    There are few places in the solar system more cinematic than this extraordinary and intimate house of swing and syncopation occupying a restored…

  • L’Archiduc

    Brussels

    This intimate, split-level art deco bar has been playing jazz since 1937. It’s an unusual, two-tiered circular space that can get incredibly packed but…

  • Le Sucre

    Lyon

    Down in the Confluence neighbourhood, Lyon's most innovative club hosts DJs, live shows and eclectic arts events on its super-cool roof terrace atop a…

  • Russia, St Petersburg, Mariinsky Theatre, facade of historic theatre of opera and ballet

    Mariinsky Theatre

    St Petersburg

    St Petersburg's most spectacular venue for ballet and opera, the Mariinsky Theatre is an attraction in its own right. Tickets can be bought online or in…

  • Former Manifattura Tabacchi now Cineteca Bologna in Bologna

    Manifattura Tabacchi

    Florence

    An exciting work in progress, this ex-industrial plant near Parco delle Cascine hosts some of the city's edgiest contemporary art events and happenings…

  • Shot at night to capture lightstreams.

    Royal Albert Hall

    Kensington & Hyde Park

    This splendid Victorian concert hall hosts classical music, rock and other performances, but is famously the venue for the BBC-sponsored Proms. Booking is…

  • Jazz group playing in Cafe Central.

    Café Central

    Madrid

    In 2011 the respected jazz magazine Down Beat included this art-deco bar on the list of the world's best jazz clubs, the only place in Spain to earn the…

  • Sala El Sol venue in Madrid

    Sala El Sol

    Madrid

    Madrid institutions don’t come any more beloved than the terrific Sala El Sol. It opened in 1979, just in time for la movida madrileña (the Madrid scene),…

  • Wiener Musikverein at evening

    Musikverein

    Vienna

    The opulent Musikverein holds the proud title of the best acoustics of any concert hall in Austria, which the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra embraces. The…

  • Musiikkitalo

    Helsinki

    Home to the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Sibelius Academy, the glass- and copper-fronted Helsinki Music Centre,…

  • MADRID, SPAIN, OCTOBER 2018 - Aerial view of Santiago Bernabeu stadium
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Aerial view of Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid

    Estadio Santiago Bernabéu

    Madrid

    Watching Real Madrid play is one of football's greatest experiences, but tickets are difficult to find. They can be purchased online, by phone or in…

  • Filmoteca de Cataluña, Spain, is a cultural institution dedicated to the preservation of film material and the dissemination of film culture

    Filmoteca de Catalunya

    El Raval

    Relocated to El Raval in 2012 as part of plans to revive the neighbourhood's cultural offerings, Catalonia's national cinema occupies a modern 6000-sq…

  • National Opera Theatre, Kiev, Ukraine, Europe

    Taras Shevchenko National Opera Theatre

    Kyiv

    Performances at this lavish theatre (opened 1901) are grandiose affairs, but tickets are cheap. True disciples of Ukrainian culture should not miss a…

  • Details of an ornate retro mosaic facade of the restaurant called Villa Rosa famous for flamenco performance in Madrid, Spain

    Villa Rosa

    Madrid

    Villa Rosa has been going strong since 1914, and in that time it has seen many manifestations. It established itself as a flamenco venue and has recently…

  • The Puppet Theatre Barge, which is permanently moored in Little Venice

    Puppet Theatre Barge

    Notting Hill & West London

    This utterly charming marionette (aka puppet) theatre can be found in a converted barge moored in Little Venice – an area as pretty as it sounds. The…

  • James Bay audience at ROMA SUMMER FEST 23, Auditorium Parco della Musica "Ennio Morricone" in Rome

    Auditorium Parco della Musica

    Rome

    The hub of Rome's thriving cultural scene and home to Rome's world-class Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (www.santacecilia.it), the…

  • 500px Photo ID: 132609521 -

    Clwb Ifor Bach

    Cardiff

    Named for 12th-century Welsh rebel Ifor Bach, the legendary Clwb ('Club') has broken many a Welsh band since it first opened its doors as a Welsh-language…

  • Belgrave ground-floor bar

    Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen

    Leeds

    Belgrave is the city's best live-music venue, with a diverse roll call of acts from burlesque to comedy and folk to hip-hop. Its three floors also…

  • Jazzhus Montmartre

    Copenhagen

    Saxing things up since the late 1950s, this is one of Scandinavia's great jazz venues, with past performers including Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster and Kenny…

  • Videodrome 2 exterior

    Videodrome 2

    Marseille

    Fewer video shops would have gone the way of the dodo if they’d followed the lead of Videodrome 2: simultaneously a DVD rental shop, bar-bistro and tiny…

  • 500px Photo ID: 133041995 - Music Village.Brussels, December 2015

    Music Village

    Brussels

    A polished 100-seat jazz venue housed in two 17th-century buildings with dinner (not compulsory) available from 7pm and concerts starting at 8.30pm or 9pm…

  • Actors perform during the presentation of the opera LA ROSA DEL AZAFRAN at the Zarzuela Theater in Madrid. January 23, 2024 Spain.

    Teatro de la Zarzuela

    Madrid

    This theatre, built in 1856, is the premier place to see zarzuela (Spanish mix of theatre, music and dance). It also hosts a smattering of classical music…

  • Marionettes during a play for children at Theatre Royal de Toone.

    Théâtre Royal de Toone

    Brussels

    Eight generations of the Toone family have staged classic puppet productions in the Bruxellois dialect at this endearing marionette theatre, a highlight…

  • GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - JANUARY 28:  Nina Nesbitt performs on stage at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut on January 28, 2016 in Glasgow, Scotland.  (Photo by Roberto Ricciuti/Redferns)

    King Tut's Wah Wah Hut

    Glasgow

    One of the city’s premier live-music pub venues, hosting bands every night of the week. A staple of the local scene, and a real Glasgow highlight.

  • Concertgebouw

    Amsterdam

    The Concert Hall was built in 1888 by AL van Gendt, who managed to engineer its near-perfect acoustics. Bernard Haitink, former conductor of the Royal…

  • Le Lieu Unique

    Nantes

    Within the one-time LU biscuit factory (crowned by an iconic angel-sculpted, domed tower, which you can ascend for €2), this industrial-chic lieu unique …

  • La Seine Musicale

    Paris

    A landmark addition to Paris' cultural offerings, La Seine Musicale opened on the Seine island of Île Seguin in 2017. Constructed of steel and glass, the…

  • Bush Theatre

    Notting Hill & West London

    Located in the former Passmore Edwards Public Library building, this West London theatre is renowned for encouraging new writing. Its success since 1972…

  • Fado Com História

    Tavira

    If you haven't experienced fado, this comprehensive introduction is even more worthwhile. Space is limited, so buy your ticket a couple of hours ahead…

  • La Friche La Belle de Mai

    Marseille

    This 45,000-sq-metre former tobacco factory is now a vibrant arts centre with a theatre, cinema, bar, bookshop, artists’ workshops, multimedia displays,…