Vienna

Stephansdom, Schönbrunn and a Nussdorf Heuriger in three days

Spend three days in Vienna: day one inside the Ring at St. Stephen's, the Hofburg, the Albertina and the Kunsthistorisches Museum, with a tram loop of the Ringstrasse at dusk; day two at Schönbrunn with a timed ticket; and day three at a Heuriger wine tavern in Nussdorf, reached on tram D.

Day one stays inside the Ring. Be at St. Stephen's early and climb the south tower before the queues, then walk to Hoher Markt for the excavated foundations of Roman Vindobona. Late in the morning, cut through the Hofburg courtyards to the Albertina. Give the afternoon to the Kunsthistorisches Museum: see the Bruegel room first, while you are fresh, and take coffee under the dome. At dusk, ride tram 1 or 2 along the Ringstrasse, then join the queue for a standing place at the State Opera if there is a performance.

Day two is Schönbrunn. Take the U4 out for opening time with a timed ticket for the state rooms, then climb through the gardens to the Gloriette. In the afternoon, cross town to the Upper Belvedere for Klimt's The Kiss and walk down through the terraced garden to the Lower Belvedere. Eat Tafelspitz in the 4th district that night.

On day three, graze along the Naschmarkt (closed on Sundays), then drift through the MuseumsQuartier into the lanes of Spittelberg. Late in the afternoon, take tram D north and spend the evening at a Heuriger in Nussdorf, or cross the river to Stammersdorf for a more local crowd.

Tafelspitz, the Melange and a late Käsekrainer

Viennese cooking borrowed freely from every corner of the old empire, but the core dishes are few and worth learning. Wiener Schnitzel is veal beaten thin and fried in breadcrumbs, served with potato salad. Tafelspitz is boiled beef brought to the table with its broth, apple horseradish and chive sauce. Kaiserschmarrn, torn caramelised pancake with plum compote, is eaten as a main course without anyone blinking.

Coffee houses run on their own rules. Order a Melange, close to a cappuccino, expect a glass of water alongside, and stay as long as you like over the newspapers on their wooden holders. Cake belongs to the ritual: Sachertorte and apple strudel are the standards. For something faster, a Würstelstand grills Käsekrainer, a cheese-filled sausage, until late, and the Naschmarkt has stalls and small restaurants ranging well beyond Austria.

Wine grows inside the city limits. Heurigen on the slopes below the Kahlenberg pour the owner's young wine with a cold buffet of cured meats and spreads, and a bunch of pine twigs over the gate means one is open. Grinzing is geared to coach parties; Nussdorf, at the end of tram D, and Stammersdorf across the Danube are calmer.

Ball season, the Donauinselfest and the Opera's summer break

Visit Vienna in May or September, when highs reach 21 to 22°C, or in winter for the ball season. July and August peak near 27°C with short thunderstorms, and the State Opera closes, but the Donauinselfest fills the Danube Island with free concerts in late June and the Rathausplatz film festival runs all summer.

Summer peaks at about 27C in July and August, and June to August are also the wettest months, at around 80 mm each, much of it in short thunderstorms. The State Opera goes dark in July and August, but life moves outdoors. The Donauinselfest fills the Danube Island with free concerts in late June, and the film festival on Rathausplatz screens opera and concert recordings on a giant screen through the summer, with food stalls in front of the city hall. Locals swim in the Old Danube and off the island.

Spring and autumn are the long walking seasons. May reaches about 21C and September 22C, the concert halls are in full flow, and the harvest comes in on the vineyards of the city's northern edge.

Winter is cold, with January highs of 4C and nights around freezing, yet it is a full season in its own right. Christmas markets open in mid-November on Rathausplatz, at Schönbrunn and around Spittelberg. Ball season follows in January and February. The Opera Ball, the Vienna Philharmonic Ball and the coffee-house owners' Kaffeesiederball are the sought-after tickets, held in the Hofburg, the opera house and the city hall, and many guild balls sell tickets to anyone.