Mr & Mrs Smith

Great location, easy walking distance to all the Christmas markets. Wanted to visit a really good traditional restaurant, found Purstner. Absolutely fantastic: great food, wine and service, plus English-speaking staff if your German is limited. Highly recommended.

When in Vienna, eat cakes! We went to the Cafe Central, which was a favourite meeting place for writers, thinkers and aspiring politicians over the last two centuries. It's incredibly popular, quite a tourist must-see, but we were surprised to find it does a delicious and very reasonable lunch. The setting is gorgeous, the service impeccable, and the cakes transcendentally beautiful. Sometimes, the obvious place is the best.

Right in the center of Vienna, is the beautiful Levante Parliament hotel. When I arrrived, I was offered some sparkling water for refreshing and pointed in the direction of the local Christmas markets.

Outside of the tourist area, I got to experience the local Christmas markets with a warm mug of Gluhwein.

The hotel helped me secure my evening entertainment at both the StaatsOper and VolksOper during the busy festive season.

The rooms were modern and large in size. The rain shower and bath products made for a refreshing hot shower before dinner.

For an evening out, I went to the popular Fabios Restaurant and Bar for a fantastic meal and cocktails.

The next day it was off to Cafe Central for a true Viennese lunch experience before I went to the Royal Apartments and Spanish Riding School. Later in the afternoon, I was off to more Christmas markets in Maria Thereissen Platz.

I wouldn't reccommend any other place to stay in order to experience Vienna.

We were at the Levante Parliament for three days and are very satisfied with the hotel. It's in the centre of Vienna and you can reach all Hofburg Palace and museums by foot in 10 minutes. The hotel's rooms are very clean, the breakfast service is very good and the staff was helpful. We highly recommend this hotel.