If you’re looking for a European break this summer, you might consider taking inspiration from the 2022 BBC Proms (15 July to 10 September).

An incredible showcase for worldwide musical talent, each year it also brings new audiences to the enduring works of some of Europe’s greatest composers.

Why not combine your getaway with a walk in the footsteps of some classical music greats this summer?

From Vienna and Lombardy to Leipzig and Prague, keep reading for everything you need to know about these beautiful European destinations steeped in musical pedigree.

1. Vienna, Austria

Throughout the last few centuries, Vienna has been home to many of Europe’s greatest composers. The city’s Central Cemetery is the final resting place of Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Strauss, and Schoenberg.

At two square kilometres, the cemetery is a beautiful spot, popular with walkers, joggers, and cyclists. It’s also filled with wildlife, a natural habitat for deer, field hamsters, and kestrels.

Many of the composers that lived and worked in Vienna, did so under the patronage of the Hapsburgs. The rulers’ summer residence was Schönbrunn Palace, which is well worth a visit. It was in the Orangery here, in the winter of 1785/86, that Mozart lost in an opera contest to his contemporary, the Imperial Court composer Antonio Salieri.

Also, be sure to visit St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The seat of the Archbishop of Vienna, the 12th-century cathedral is one of the most impressive Gothic buildings in Austria. It is also the place where Mozart married in August 1782.

Beethoven and Haydn were also no strangers to the city.

Beethoven’s rooms in the spa district of Heiligenstadt have been a museum dedicated to the composer since 2017.

2. Cremona, Lombardy

A small, picturesque city in northern Italy, Cremona is arguably best known as the birthplace of Claudio Monteverdi and Antonio Stradivari.

While Monteverdi didn’t invent the opera, he is regarded as the genre’s first genius. His 1607 work Orfeo is opera’s first masterpiece.

Stradivarius, meanwhile, was a renowned maker of stringed instruments (or, a “luthier”), who produced more than 1,000 instruments in his lifetime. Most famous for his violins, he made around 960, of which around 500 are said to survive today.

The historic town boasts some beautiful architecture, including the Cathedral bell tower, the second-tallest brick tower in Europe, dating to the early 1300s.

The 12th-century cathedral and baptistery is also worth a visit. As is the Palazzo Comunale, the town hall that sits at the heart of the city.

If you’re looking to learn more about Stradivarius and his work, a visit to the Civic Museum is a must. With paintings, ceramics, and cathedral artefacts, from the middle ages onwards, there is a section dedicated to the world-renowned violin maker.

3. Prague, Czechia

The capital of Czechia, the so-called “City of a Hundred Spires”, is known for its Old Town Square’s baroque architecture, Gothic churches, and medieval Astronomical Clock.

Outside of the Old Town, you’ll find the 9th-century Prague Castle and the iconic Charles Bridge, completed in 1402.

Lined with sculptures of saints erected between 1683 and 1714, these days the pedestrian bridge is lined with buskers, hawkers, and a steady stream of tourists.

The success of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro was due largely to its popularity in the city. It was a debt the composer acknowledged when he premiered Don Giovanni at the city’s Estates Theatre on October 29, 1787.

A visit to the theatre should be on every classical music lover’s to-do list.

Smetana and Dvorák (born just outside the city) are also a firm part of Prague’s musical heritage.

Visit the Bedřich Smetana Museum just off the Charles Bridge. In Prague’s New Town, meanwhile, you’ll find the Baroque villa “America”, home to the Antonín Dvořák Museum since 1926.

4. Leipzig, Germany

Between 1723 and his death in 1750, Johann Sebastian Bach was employed at Saint Thomas Church, in Leipzig.

During this period, he composed some of his most enduring works, including the oratorio ‘St. Matthew Passion’ and ‘the Goldberg Variations’.

The church’s graveyard marks the composer’s final resting place. Nearby, you’ll find the Bach museum.

Leipzig also played host to Felix Mendelssohn, who visited the town in the late 1830s. The house in which he lived from 1845 until his death in 1847 is now a museum featuring artefacts, concerts, and more.

Plan your visit for the next few months and you’ll be in time to enjoy the museum’s “Festival Year for Felix”. Running until 4 November 2022, it commemorates the 175th anniversary of the composer’s death.

5. Budapest, Hungary

The beautiful city of Budapest should be on every traveller’s bucket list, with or without the further enticement of its classical music connection.

Completed in 1905, St. Stephen’s Basilica (named for the first King of Hungary) is the third-largest church building in Hungary and a stunning venue for classical performances.

Budapest’s most famous son, in the world of classical music at least, is the composer and pianist Franz Liszt. His former home in the city is now a museum dedicated to keeping the artist’s music alive.

Elsewhere in the city, visit Buda Castle and the Széchenyi Thermal Bath.