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With its monumental palaces, gilded opera houses and stately boulevards Vienna feels like an imperial capital still looking for its long lost empire. The city’s high-brow arts scene remains unparalleled and its legendary cafés, once the haunt of Freud and Trotsky, still draw in the intellectuals for a rich Franziskaner or powerful Kapuziner – as well as people simply mesmerised by the cake trolleys. Yet among the dreamy nostalgia a new wave of stylish restaurants and cool bars is springing up and filling the Austrian capital with a energetic lease of life.
The Viennese like to waltz and Vienna’s ball season is a major part of the social scene. There are over 300 balls to choose from between the beginning of November and late June, from the excessive Opera Ball to the carefree Bad Taste Ball. See www.vienna.info for details.
Our round-up of the hippest hideaways and romantic boutique hotels in Vienna
The Levante Parliament is a Vienna design hotel whose creators have dispensed with the superfluous and concentrated on streamlined chrome and transparent glass – lots of it.
Planes, trains, automobiles, or maybe even helicopter – we tell you the best way to go.
Possibly the most raved-about restaurant in Austria. At the entrance is a 20-foot-long Rococo banqueting table topped off by a video screen showing the food being prepared in the kitchen. After your meal, choose from a selection of more than 60 cheeses from Steirereck's own cheese cellar. If you don't want the razzamatazz of Steirereck, opt for a bite in the stylish lower-floor ‘Meierei’.
Steirereck im Stadtpark
This restaurant on Stubering is set in a neoclassical hall next to the Museum of Applied Arts and serves traditional Viennese cuisine with a modern twist prepared by one of the city’s most famous chefs. Ask for a table on the right of the main restaurant under the curved ceiling.
Stubenring, 5
Diners at this bright, modern restaurant run by Markus Artner, enjoy attentive service and fine, Austrian food, a feature of which is the delicious goats cheese made by the Artner family on their own farm. They also produce their own excellent wine.
Floragasse, 6
A no-nonsense eaterie located in a quiet back street and serving simple, tasty dishes in bright sunlit surroundings. Try to get a corner table next to the front windows.
Das Gasthaus, Schottenbastei 4, 1010 Wien
Fabios club/bar/restaurant has been fashionable for so long, we’re surprised it hasn’t gone out of favour yet. Luckily, the staff are doing their best to make sure that the quality doesn't slip at this super-sleek venue beloved of Vienna’s beautiful people.
Tuchlauben, 6
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