Viennese waltz: top travel tips for a spin around Austria’s capital

From the ferris wheel featured in the Third Man to an evening with Mozart and the world’s largest collection of Klimts, here’s how to make the most of a break in Vienna

Walk some of the city’s 23 districts, each one with its own distinct identity and history. The 9th district is a great place to start. Elegant and rich in art nouveau and art deco architecture, it was also home to Beethoven, Schubert and Freud. Visit one of the most famous addresses in psychoanalytic history, Wien IX, Berggasse 19, Sigmund Freud’s apartment before he fled the Nazis for London in 1938; and the Narrenturm (Fool’s Tower), the first hospital for the mentally ill in Europe, where Freud would have gained first-hand experience. Nearby is the French Quarter: the bakery La Mercerie on Berggasse 25 has the best croissants in Vienna, while Servitengasse is lined with pretty shops and restaurants – a neighbourhood favourite for pasta is La Scala. Try walking guide Alessandra Brucchietti at viennaviral.com.