Although a 1st District address is plum, the neighbouring districts, such as 4th, 7th and 8th, are still convenient and the hotels often better value. Viennese hotels are, almost without exception, well-run and pristine (even the most modest pension has good quality linen), but many are decorated in an oppressive Biedermeier style. We have tried to ferret out the elegant ones, as well as recommending a number of fresh, contemporary boutique hotels.

The restaurants in Vienna are some of the world’s best. There is plenty of old school Austrian cuisine to pick from, ranging from the famed local frankfurters and schnitzel to the tafelspitz boiled beef in broth. Make sure to make a pilgrimage to Zum Schwarzen Kameel (The Black Camel), which is where Beethoven dined and has been serving patrons for 400 years! It’s Viennese ham is the talk of the town. Another great spot is Steirereck, named as one of the world’s 50 best restaurants, with 120 types of cheeses to go with everything else on the menu.

Vienna’s largest open-air food market, the Naschmarkt, opens Monday to Saturday.
– John Doe

Admire the stalls’ bounty, from buckets of tulips to pickles, wines and plump, purple-flushed figs, stopping for breakfast at Do-An or Tewa. On Saturdays, it’s worth getting here at 7am or earlier to clock a bargain at the flea market, located beside Kettenbrückengasse U-Bahn station. Alongside the market, look out for the lovely Otto Wagner Houses at nos.38 and 40 – the latter’s tiles embossed with vines and flowers.