Santorini
After the caldera sunset, this is one of the finest ways to spend a Santorini evening. On the road into Kamari, this tree-surrounded, open-air cinema…
Must-see entertainment in Mediterranean Europe
Cádiz
Paint-peeled, sea-splashed La Perla, set romantically next to the crashing Atlantic surf in the Barrio de Santa María, hosts flamenco at 9.30pm most…
Corralejo
For almost 30 years, Mandy and musician husband Gary have made this bar one of the most popular in town. There is acoustic music nightly, playing to an…
Duomo & San Babila
One of the most famous opera stages in the world, La Scala's season runs from early December to July. You can also see theatre, ballet and classical-music…
Athens
Having settled into state-of-the-art digs within the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, the Greek National Opera is going from strength to…
Venice
One of Italy's top opera houses, La Fenice stages a rich roster of opera, ballet and classical music. The main opera season runs from January to July and…
Verona
This is where Placido Domingo made his debut, and the annual opera season from late-June to late-August still draws the world's top names.
Barcelona
The massive stadium of Camp Nou ('New Field' in Catalan) is home to the legendary FC Barcelona. Attending a game amid the roar of the loyal crowds is an…
Athens
The city's premier performance hall presents an impressive program of entertainments, including classical concerts, opera, theatre and dance shows,…
Athens
Housed in an eye-catching piece of architecture that livens up the dull urbanity of Leoforos Syngrou, this visual- and performing-arts centre is well…
Duomo & San Babila
This risk-taking little repertory theatre was opened in 1947 by Paolo Grassi and theatre director Giorgio Strehler, who then embarked on a nationwide…
Athens
One of the city's finest neoclassical buildings hosts contemporary theatre and ancient plays. The organisation also supports performances in other venues…
Milan
This trailblazing theatre with seating for 960 people was designed by Marco Zanuso in 1998 to address the size constraints of the original Piccolo Teatro…
Athens
Across from the Acropolis, this is a lovely old-style outdoor cinema in a garden setting. Sit towards the back if you want to catch a glimpse of the…
Milan
Abandoned after WWII, the Cinema Massimo was transformed in 1999 into the state-of-the-art home of Milan's legendary Giuseppe Verde Symphonic Orchestra…
Syntagma & Plaka
The Paris was established in the 1920s and it's still a magical place to see a movie. On a rooftop in Plaka, it offers great views of the Acropolis from…
L'Eixample & Southern Valencia
A spectacular arts venue, part of the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, that offers mostly opera, but also concerts and recitals.
Santa Maria Novella
Be it an exhibition celebrating 50 years of the moon boot, a Pitti Immagine fashion show, lavish food and wine tastings, DJ sets or a festival dedicated…
Naples
Naples' premier classical-music association organises chamber-music concerts in venues that include the Museo Diocesano di Napoli. Local talent mixes it…
Turin
Sold-out performances can sometimes be watched free on live TV in the adjoining Teatro Piccolo Regio, where Puccini premiered La Bohème in 1896, and it's…
Gazi, Keramikos & Metaxourgio
Look for the glowing headlight on a steam locomotive behind Rouf station. Attached is a string of old train cars converted into a restaurant, bar-cafe,…
La Rambla & Barri Gòtic
Barcelona’s grand old opera house, skilfully restored after a fire in 1994, is one of the world's most technologically advanced theatres. Taking a seat in…
Bergamo
Named after the famed composer who was born in Bergamo, this is one of Lombardy's grand opera houses and dates back to the 18th century. The dazzling,…
La Cartuja
This 2000-seat high-tech auditorium in Isla Cartuja has a front stalls section that retracts to provide standing space, expanding capacity to 3800. Live…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Rome's premier opera house, aka Teatro Costanzi, boasts a dramatic red-and-gold interior, a Fascist 1920s exterior and an impressive history: it premiered…
Monti, Esquilino & San Lorenzo
Students, artists and activists are breathing new life into San Lorenzo's former Palace Cinema with a bevy of exciting creative happenings: think film…
Athens
This classic open-air cinema is in a lovely spot in the quieter reaches of Kolonaki, adjacent to a very good all-day cafe and the ancient cistern of…
Venice
Named after the city’s great playwright, Carlo Goldoni, Venice's main theatre has an impressive dramatic range that runs from Goldoni’s comedy to…
Como
Como’s neoclassical theatre attracts culture vultures from as far away as Switzerland and has been enlarged three times to its present 900-seat capacity…
Palma de Mallorca
This spacious, modern theatre is Palma's main stage for major performances, ranging from opera to light rock, ballet, musicals, tribute bands and gospel…
Thessaloniki
Inside the Olympion complex in Thessaloniki's Plateia Aristotelous, this ornate, crimson-hued cinema was built in 1950 and hosts the Thessaloniki…
Centro di Musica Antica Pietà de' Turchini
Naples
Classical-music buffs are in for a treat at this beautiful deconsecrated church, an evocative setting for concerts of mostly 17th- to 19th-century…
Naples
Need to escape the chaos of Spaccanapoli? Dive through the grand doorway of Palazzo Marigliano, up the winged staircase and into one of Naples’ most loved…
Catedral & Barrio de Santa Cruz
Located on a pretty Santa Cruz plaza, this is Seville’s oldest tablao (choreographed flamenco show), dating from 1966. Its two-nightly shows feature a…
Palma de Mallorca
Built in 1854 on the site of a 17th-century predecessor, destroyed by fire in 1858, rebuilt in 1860 and again restored in 2007, this is the city's…
Palermo
Tucked away in a crumbling baroque courtyard, this intimate, family-run theatre hosts wonderful concerts of world and folk music, as well as theatrical…
Palma de Mallorca
Palma’s RCD Mallorca, which plays at the Iberostar Estadi, about 3km north of central Palma, is one of the better sides battling it out in La Liga. Never…
Palma de Mallorca
Tiny, intimate Voyeur hosts live bands nightly for much of the year – jazz is the focus, but you'll also hear flamenco, blues, funk and the occasional jam…
Orvieto
This theatre plays host to Umbria Jazz concerts in winter and a programme of everything from ballet and opera to folk music, prose readings and Genesis…
Madrid
Las Tablas has a reputation for quality flamenco and reasonable prices; it's among the best choices in town. Most nights you’ll see a classic flamenco…
