Some say travel opens your eyes, but music opens our hearts. It stirs memories we didn’t know we had, lifts our spirits, cracks them open, and lets the light pour in. A single chord can make us weep. An entire chorus can set us free. Just like travel, music takes us somewhere new. And, sometimes, if we’re lucky, it takes us home.
This is an ode to the cities that never stop singing. These are the places where music pours through the windows, rises from the streets, and lingers in the silence long after the final note. Whether it’s a fiddle tune in a windswept Irish pub or a thundering bassline in a Berlin warehouse, these are the places where the sound shapes the soul of the streets.
Nashville, Tennessee
There’s a heartbeat in Nashville that pulses through every sidewalk and stage. They call it the home of country music, but it’s more than that. It’s a cathedral of sound, where lyrics are gospel and steel guitars are preached in every bar.
On Lower Broadway, the honky-tonks never sleep, spilling out songs into the sticky Southern air. From the grandeur of the Grand Ole Opry to the intimacy of The Bluebird, Nashville tells its stories through the melody.
And, when the amps switch off, you’ll still find the rhythm in the hush of the Cumberland River, the biscuit breakfasts downtown, and the legends you’ll meet at the Johnny Cash Museum. The man himself once said he “walks the line,” and, even today, the city is still happy to walk right alongside you. Here’s more on the best time to visit Nashville, filled with a ton of insider travel tips.
Galway, Ireland
Galway is alive with music. You’ll hear it on Shop Street, where buskers lace the salt-sweet air with fiddles, guitars, and voices full of heartache and joy. Step inside Tig Cóilí or The Crane and you’ll find sessions where locals swap reels and stories long into the night.
There’s always a fiddle, a flame, and a Friday night to be had on Shop Street – and Galway carries them all with grace. It’s the way the crowd leans in for every note. It’s the clapping, the stamping, and the laughter in between the choruses. It’s also the hush afterward, when the final chord fades and the pint glasses clink good night.
Outside the pub walls, there’s the Galway International Arts Festival in July, summer lights in Salthill in the form of Trad on the Prom, and the Atlantic breeze that beats to its own drum. We can promise you one thing: Galway will feel like home from the moment you arrive. Here are ten additional things to do in this glorious city.
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo is a city of symphonies, both digital and delicate. One moment, you’re seated in a hushed concert hall, the strings of a koto trembling in ancient tones. The next, you’re shoulder to shoulder in an underground venue in Shimokitazawa, where punk and pop blur into something entirely new.
This is a neon symphony, where even midnight sings. Grab a mic in a karaoke box and you’ll see it’s not about the pitch; it’s about the passion. Don’t forget to explore Shibuya’s labyrinth of record stores or feel your chest swell with the perfection of a full orchestra at Suntory Hall.
When all is said and done, let the silence carry you gently to a tea garden, a quiet shrine, or a steaming bowl of ramen at 3 a.m. And, when you’re ready to do it all over again the next night, kick things off with this list of the best places to watch the sunset in Tokyo.
Berlin, Germany
In Berlin, the techno scene alone is legendary. It pulses through cavernous clubs like Berghain and Sisyphos with a primal, heart-thumping energy. But, beyond the warehouse walls, Berlin is a city where every corner has a new sound: jazz in Kreuzberg, punk in squats, and string quartets echoing through centuries-old halls. These are the beats that never sleep. They seep into your skin and keep you dancing long past dawn.
Whether you’re standing under the angular glass of the Berlin Philharmonic or tucked into a graffiti-splashed bar, the city teaches you how to listen. And, when the bass finally slows, you can walk the East Side Gallery, picnic by the Spree, or just breathe in the grey-blue quiet of a city that’s always just about to sing again.
New Orleans, Louisiana
In New Orleans, music dances around every corner. It wails from brass bands on Royal Street and seeps from the saxophones on Frenchmen. It’s in the sway of Preservation Hall, where jazz lives on in creaky wooden benches and sweat-damp brows. It’s also in the joyful chaos of a second line, or informal parade, dancing through the heart of the Quarter. This is where jazz was born and never left. Every note is a prayer, a protest, and a party. During the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in the spring, you’ll hear it all: gospel, zydeco, funk, blues, and more.
Then, in the quiet moments, get a little powdered sugar on your fingers from Café du Monde, watch the moss sway from the oak trees, and listen to the soft hush of a street that can’t sit still. (Some of these restaurants will help you secure the best beignets.) Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday once asked, “Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?” If you don’t, you will.
London, England
London sings in every accent and every era. You can feel it in Abbey Road’s zebra crossing, hear it in the roar of a crowd at the Roundhouse, and catch a glimpse of it in the smoky corners of Camden Town. This city gave us punk and pop, grime and glam – and the ghosts of David Bowie, Amy Winehouse, and Freddie Mercury. London does it all: punk, pop, classical, and heartbreak. You can listen to string quartets ensconced in candlelight in churches before discovering the next big thing at an East End open mic night.
When all is said and done, don’t forget to slip through the vintage stalls of Portobello, stroll through Hyde Park, and ride the Tube with last night’s music rolling through your mind as you watch the city dance to its own soundtrack. Bowie once promised, “We can be heroes, just for one day,” and you’ll find that, even today, London still believes it. Here are 20 of the best hotels in this lovely, lovely city.
Austin, Texas
With over 250 live music venues, every corner in Austin has its own sound: blues on South Congress, folk on Rainey Street, and rock spilling out from Sixth Street rooftops. Best of all, Austin never waits for a special occasion to turn up the volume. Every day is a stage. During South by Southwest (SXSW) in March, the entire city goes electric. But, even outside festival season, you’ll still find songs in backyards, food trucks, and twilight parks.
When it’s time to kick back and relax, you can always cool off in Barton Springs, indulge in the decadent food scene, or lean back under a sky full of stars if you choose to camp somewhere like McKinney Falls State Park. As we know, “The road goes on forever, and the party never ends.”
Vienna, Austria
If you’ve been practicing your waltz, Vienna will be happy to sweep you into its graceful rhythm. It’s no secret this was the birthplace of Mozart and the ballroom of Strauss. Even today, the Vienna State Opera still gleams with golden opulence, and music flows through this city like the Danube itself.
But, don’t let the elegance fool you; Vienna isn’t frozen in time. Jazz clubs like Porgy & Bess know how to pulse with a modern heartbeat. And, when you want to savor some of the softer moments the city has to offer, walk down the cobbled lanes trimmed in lanterns, sip espresso in a coffee house lit by a chandelier, and drift down the river dreaming of all those beautiful cellists.
Reykjavík, Iceland
In Reykjavík, the music is like the land itself: wild, elemental, strange. You hear it in the haunting falsettos of Sigur Rós, the fierce experimentation of Björk, and the echo of your own breath in a cathedral glowing by candlelight. In a soundscape as strange and stunning as the land itself, Reykjavík’s music scene is intimate and raw. In November, Iceland Airwaves turns the city into a glowing, frozen festival where you’ll find bands performing in bookstores, swimming pools, and even laundromats.
But, even when the music dies, there’s still the hush of the snowy rooftops, the glow of the geothermal baths, and maybe, just maybe, the shimmer of the northern lights overhead. If you have time in your itinerary, see if you can add on some of these Icelandic towns that also deserve your attention.
Glastonbury, England
We hope you’ll allow us to sneak this one in. Sure, Glastonbury isn’t technically a city; it’s a small town in southwest England. But, one week every summer, it transforms into a muddy and magical place built from sound and soul. The Glastonbury Festival is a pilgrimage, a holy gathering, where the biggest names in the world share the stage with barefoot poets and unknown dreamers. Have you been watching the replays on YouTube? It sure looked hot out there this year.
Glastonbury is a sacred place for sound. Even when the festival fades and the fields fall silent, it still hums with ancient whispers of wonder. Add on a day or two to climb the Tor, an ancient hill linked to Arthurian legend. Visit the Chalice Well, a site linked to the chalice that once held the blood of Jesus. Then, pop in and out of all the shops filled with incense, crystals, and quiet enchantments. Once upon a time, a couple of Glastonbury headliners sang, “All you need is love,” and we believe they were right.
Let the Music Guide Your Soul
The moment you arrive, you’ll sense that these cities are more than destinations. They’re living compositions – places where you don’t just listen, you feel. Whether you’re tingling from the trad in Galway or spinning in a Viennese ballroom, always remember: the world is alive with song. and it’s singing to you.
Come on over and check out our extensive library of destination guides before you go. We’ll help you round out that trip to Galway or Glastonbury. And, knowing how the world works, we’re sure to meet you out there on the dancefloor one fine day.