The World’s Best Cities for Music Lovers

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.