Budapest

One of Europe’s most important cultural cities, Budapest has a fascinating history: from proud seat of Hungarian kings to twin-capital of the Habsburg Empire, through the Iron Curtain era and now experiencing enormous investment in the arts and its historic architecture.

Held every summer in Pesaro, where the composer was born in 1792, the Rossini Festival has always attracted the world’s greatest bel canto singers. Marilyn Horne, Montserrat Caballe, June Anderson, Rockwell Blake, Chris Merrit and Juan Diego Florez are just a few of those who have sung in Rossini’s hometown.

5 nights price from £3397 per person

Founded by Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears in 1948, the Aldeburgh Festival presents world-class musicians in The Maltings concert hall, a spectacularly located venue overlooking the reed beds of this stretch of the Suffolk coast.

5 nights price from £2198 per person

Venice

La Fenice in Venice is one of the world’s most historic opera houses. Inaugurated in 1792 the opera house has, like its namesake the phoenix, been destroyed by fire and rebuilt, both in 1836 and 1996.

4 nights price from £2876 per person

Milan

La Scala, Milan is, for most opera lovers, the world’s most revered and important opera house. The theatre opened in 1778 with a performance of an opera by Salieri and since then many of the greatest Italian operas have received their first performance on its hallowed stage.

Verona

Performances of the world’s favourite operas have been given in the magnificent Roman arena on Verona’s elegant Piazza Bra for more than 100 years. 'Aida' was first performed here in 1913 to mark the centenary of Verdi’s birth and has been performed almost every year ever since.

4 nights price from £3546 per person

Lucca

Giacomo Puccini was born into a musical family in Lucca on 22 December 1858. As a boy Puccini sang in the choir of the Cathedral of San Martino and later received his musical education at the conservatory in Milan.

4 nights price from £2998 per person

Born in Hämeenlinna on 8 December 1865, Jean Sibelius went on to become a national hero. Instilling a Finnish nationalistic fervour through his music, Sibelius is credited as one of the driving forces behind the country winning its independence from Russia.

4 nights price from £2998 per person

Parma

The annual Verdi Festival takes place in one of Italy’s most beautiful historic cities, Parma, and the 2025 Festival brings together operas inspired by the plays of Shakespeare: Otello & Falstaff.

5 nights price from £2798 per person

The elegant Derbyshire spa town of Buxton will host the 29th edition of its acclaimed festival which celebrates the works of this great English operatic partnership. Productions by international companies of many of Gilbert & Sullivan’s best-loved works are presented in Frank Matcham’s stunning opera house.

4 nights price from £1984 per person