How to do gig-tripping right – a city guide to three European festivals

Gig-tripping – ie the practice of travelling abroad for music festivals or concerts – is bigger than ever. And it’s not hard to see why. Gig-trips essentially combine two of life’s great pleasures, music and travel. Who wouldn’t want to go on a gig-trip?

The benefits of going to a gig or festival abroad are many, including affordability, better weather (well, hopefully) and getting to experience different places’ musical cultures. For holidays, live music can provide a focal point – or an excuse to travel somewhere that might not otherwise be on your radar.

From Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour to the international popularity of beastly continental festivals like Roskilde, Primavera, Mad Cool and Open’er, 2024 has already been a massive year for gig-tripping. Planning on getting in on the act? Together with Samsung (which has just released its new earbuds, Galaxy Buds3 Pro), we’re bringing you a guide to doing gig-trips right for three upcoming European music fests. 

Paredes de Coura, Portugal
August 14-17, 2024

If you’re up for a road trip, Paredes de Coura offers not just a city break but a cities break. The festival can easily be incorporated into a week-long trip exploring the wonders of northern Portugal.

Day 1-2: Porto
You’ll almost certainly fly into Porto, so stick around a get to grips with Portugal’s second-largest city.

Do: Port tasting, Douro boat tour, art gardens of Fundação de Serralves, Ribeira neighbourhood stroll. Tick off as much of Time Out’s best things to do in Porto as you can.

Eat and drink: Eat tinned fish, pasteis de nata and francesinha (at the newly-opened Time Out Market). Drink: port and Super Bock.

Day 3-6: Festival
Paredes de Coura is a camping festival with music throughout both the day and night. Don’t expect to get up to much else whilst it’s on; the line-up is epic. Catch Fontaines D.C., Sleater-Kinney, Girl in Red, Idles, André 3000 and many more.

Day 7: Braga
On the drive back to Porto is historic Braga, one of Portugal’s most culture-packed cities. Far from just a place to break up the journey, there’s loads of stuff to do on a post-festival day.  

Things to do: Bom Jesus do Monte, Braga cathedral, Jardim de Santa Bárbara, a tour of city centre churches and squares.

Things to eat and drink: eat Bacalhau (salted cod), caldo verde (potato, leak and chouriço soup) and Pudim Abade de Priscos (créme caramel style pudding). Drink vinho verde.

Bonus: If you’ve got more time before or after PdC, the Spanish border is very close. Vigo, Pontevedra and Santiago de Compostela are Spain’s great wind-battered Galician metropolises. 

C2C Turin, Italy
October 31 to November 3, 2024

The ideal way to dive into Turin’s automobile heritage? Pore through museums by day, party in old car factories by night. C2C is held in Lingotto Fiere, a convention centre that was once a mighty Fiat plant.

But Turin has many more charms than its automotive history – and C2C is ideal for getting to grips with the Piedmontese capital. The structure of the four-day festival, which takes place almost entirely at night, means you’ll likely have time in the day to see and do stuff.

Day 1: Turin
Unlike other more sun-glazed Italian cities, Turin is used to a bit of cloudiness. In other words, its attractions aren’t dulled by the weather of late October and early November – when C2C takes place. On the first day, embark on a trip to somewhere harder to get to, then leave the other, more central Turin attractions for when the festival is on.

Do: Castello di Rivoli, a vast modern art museum 21km from Turin.

Eat and drink: Eat truffle dishes and risotto ai funghi (the surrounding area is known for its truffle and risotto rice). Drink bicerin (espresso, hot chocolate and whipped milk) and sweet vermouth.

Day 2-5: Festival
The music at C2C ends late, with final sets wrapping up at about 4am, but the music also starts late-ish too, at about 6pm. In other words, you’re likely to have a bit of time in the afternoons to explore – or, of course, to relax and recover from the previous night. Here’s a bunch of Turin attractions you could each feasibly squeeze into an afternoon.

Things to do: Mole Antonelliana, Parco del Valentino, Museu Egizio, Museo Nazionale dell'Automobile, Basilica di Superga, Quadrilatero Romano. 

Primavera Sound Barcelona, Spain
June 5-7, 2025

Airlines are savvy about hiking prices for huge festivals like Primavera Barcelona. The solution? Stay an extra day (at least) either side of the festival. Not only do you avoid the extortionate rates, but you get extra days in Barca, too.

Day 1: Barcelona

Tick off Barca’s best things to do on your first day, and scoop up the rest post-festival.   

Do: Montjuïc, Fundació Joao Miro, Parc de la Ciutadella, La Rambla, Gothic Quarter, Barceloneta beach.

Eat and drink: Eat classic staples like patatas bravas, paella and croquettes. Drink sangria (obvs).

Day 2-4: Festival
Primavera is a relentless festival, huge in size and with hours of all kinds of music. You’re best off not planning too much for the daytimes – and, to minimise exhaustion, staying near-ish the fest in the likes of Sant Martí and Poblenou.

Day 5: Barcelona
One of the best things about Barcelona is that if you’re in the mood for something relaxing there’s no shortage of options. For chilled out inspo, here are the city’s best beaches and finest museums.

Discover more of the world's best festivals here.