Start your music tour in Belfast, where the Oh Yeah Music Centre is a veritable institution. Part music-maker resource, part music hub and rehearsal space with a café, recording studio and workshop, the center is well worth a visit. Spend the day exploring local music tourism and heritage while immersing yourself in the music of Northern Ireland.

Finish up with a ride on the Belfast Music Tour bus and head to Derry-Londonderry, a historic walled city known for its music scene. The city plays host to the annual IMBOLC International Music Festival, one of the country’s most popular folk and world music events. The festival is named for an ancient Celtic celebration that commemorates midwinter, and regularly draws huge crowds.

Follow the Causeway Coastal Route, home to the Giant’s Causeway, the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, old Bushmills Distillery and Rathlin Island. It’s also the location of the four-day Atlantic Sessions festival of original sounds, held each fall. If your travel dates don’t allow for festival fun, plan your own musical route that takes in local pubs, including Mary McBride’s in Cushendun and The Harbour Bar in Portrush, where you can settle in by the fire with a pint (or two) and enjoy local live music.