Vienna Austria

If you're a classical music lover and you haven't been to the Austrian capital, it is definitely time you paid a visit, enthuses

- Michael Beek

I must admit I am fortunate. This is my fourth visit to Vienna in eight years, but it's a city that never fails to excite me, surprise me and nourish me. The Austrian capital has many faces and the richest history – and that's just in terms of music, not to mention the most delicious food, from all kinds of Schnitzel and hearty goulash to the sweetest pastries and the ever-present 'Mozart ball'.

Everywhere you turn in the heart of Vienna's old city you're faced with its musical past, and the famous names who once walked its winding streets or lived and worked behind its handsome facades.

A short stroll from the towering St Stephen's Cathedral (Haydn's old stomping ground) and down the bustling Kärntner Strasse is the beautiful Vienna Opera House, whose nearby pavements feature a composer 'Walk of Fame' (or Musikmeile) of some 100 great names connected to the city. Another short stroll takes you by the famous Hotel Sacher Wien, home of the famous (and oh-so chocolatey)