It’s no wonder Vienna wins titles for liveability —the Austrian capital fits imperial-scale cultural riches within its compact city limits, and yet vineyards and wooded hills are just a 15-minute metro ride away. Baroque mansions crowd the historic core around the cathedral and girdling the old town is the Ringstrasse, a sequence of grand avenues, home to palaces, art galleries and concert halls. Vienna’s other districts are no less desirable, with quirky museums and beloved local coffee houses. Wherever you stay, you’re likely to see Viennese character in the look of your lodgings —the city offers plenty of material for imaginative hotel designers to work with.
Best for living heritage
£ £ £ HOTEL SACHER
Forget Waldorf salad —for a hotel namesake dish, it’s hard to beat the chocolate-and-apricot cake served at the Sacher since it opened
