Festive Vienna

It is perhaps in winter that Vienna is at its most delightful. While snow falls on the Christkindlmarkt, the oldest Christmas market in Europe (see our article), you can warm yourself up in one of the many Belle Epoque coffee houses, sample young wine in the taverns of Grinzing or stroll along the brightly lit streets around the Stephansdom (St Stephen's Cathedral), the true heart of Vienna. Since the completion of restoration work at the end of 2003, the magnificent Palais Coburg is also one of the most prestigious places to eat in Vienna. Last but not least, until 31 January the Austrian capital is paying homage to the painter Egon Schiele, who died in 1918 at the age of 28, and whose Bohemian landscapes are on public display for the first time.