Must-see entertainment in Western Europe

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

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    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…

  • 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…

  • 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,…

  • 606 Club

    Kensington & Hyde Park

    Named after its old address on the King's Rd, which cast a spell over London's jazz lovers back in the ’80s, this choice, tucked-away basement jazz club…

  • Wigmore Hall

    The West End

    Wigmore Hall, built in 1901 as a piano showroom, is one of the best and most active classical-music venues in town, with more than 460 concerts a year…

  • Philharmonie de Paris

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    Major complex the Cité de la Musique – Philharmonie de Paris hosts an eclectic range of concerts, from classical to North African and Japanese, in the…

  • Green Note

    North London

    Camden may be the home of punk, but it also has the Green Note: one of the best places in London to see live folk and world music, with gigs every night…

  • Concertgebouw

    Bruges

    Bruges’ stunning 21st-century concert hall is the work of architects Paul Robbrecht and Hilde Daem. It takes its design cues from the city’s three famous…

  • Bird Jazz Club

    Rotterdam

    Named after American jazz saxophonist Charlie 'Bird' Parker, Bird is the city's temple to jazz but also programs soul, hip-hop, funk and electronica…

  • Prince Charles Cinema

    The West End

    The last independent theatre in the West End, Prince Charles Cinema is universally loved for its show-anything attitude. Singalongs and quote-a-longs …

  • EP7

    Paris

    Paris' first piece of 'interactive architecture', this cultural cafe and concert venue was unveiled in 2018. Contemporary works of pixel art prance across…

  • Pheasantry

    Kensington & Hyde Park

    Currently run by PizzaExpress, the Pheasantry on King's Rd is a 19th-century building that has been a ballet academy, a boho bar and a nightclub (where…

  • Fado ao Centro

    Coimbra

    At the bottom of the old town, this friendly cultural centre is a good place to acquaint yourself with fado. The evening 6pm show includes plenty of…

  • Café Universel

    Latin Quarter

    Café Universel hosts a brilliant array of live concerts with everything from bebop and Latin sounds to vocal jazz sessions (see its Facebook page for the…

  • Summerhall

    Edinburgh

    Formerly Edinburgh University's veterinary school, the Summerhall complex is a major cultural centre and entertainment venue, with old halls and lecture…

  • Creation Theatre

    Oxford

    This ambitious theatre company produces highly original shows – often Shakespeare, but also anything from Dracula to The Wind in the Willows – that are…

  • BOZAR

    Brussels

    This celebrated classical-music space is home to the National Orchestra and Philharmonic Society. From the outside, the Horta-designed 1928 art deco…

  • Storyhouse

    Chester

    The 1930s art deco Odeon has been converted into an award-winning modern arts centre with two theatre spaces – a larger 800-seater arena and a 150-seat…

  • Cinematek

    Brussels

    In a wing of the BOZAR cultural centre, the modern and stylish Cinematek includes a little museum where you can browse archives and memorabilia. The real…

  • Stella Theatre

    Dublin

    A cinema night may not always be a glamorous event, but at the Stella Theatre it is. A narrow entrance opens up to sumptuous art deco glory with…

  • HOME

    Manchester

    One of Britain's best arts centres, HOME has two theatre spaces that host provocative new work in a variety of contexts, from proscenium sets to promenade…

  • Paard

    Den Haag

    Call it a club, a temple to live music or just a great place to hang out, Paard is a Den Haag institution. The program of live music is eclectic –…

  • Cork Opera House

    Cork City

    Given a modern makeover in the 1990s, this leading venue has been entertaining the city for more than 150 years with everything from opera and ballet to…

  • Constellations

    Liverpool

    Whether you're looking to join a drumming circle, take part in a martial-arts workshop or lose yourself at a rave, this terrific venue in a former…

  • Druid Performing Arts Company

    Galway City

    Internationally renowned, the Druid Performing Arts Company was established in 1975 and is famed for staging experimental works by young Irish playwrights…