It has been 15 years since I came across a photograph of Vienna's bathing-in-sunshine Heldenplatz a friend of mine had taken, depicting the verdant square and its marble-clad, former imperial palace, the Hofburg, in all of their timeless grandeur. And yet, that image is still as impressed in my mind as the day I first laid eyes on it.
Known also as the City of Music, and once home to groundbreaking composers like Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, and Strauss, Vienna is the sort of destination you simply can't dissociate from its past. Whether for the enduring allure of historical figures like 19th-century Empress of Austria Sissi, that of pioneering artists like Gustav Klimt and his protégé, Egon Schiele, or for the appeal of its self-indulgent coffee culture, which justifies hours-long afternoon breaks powered by caffeine, cream-topped hot chocolate, and viennoiserie, Vienna remains a popular option for an inspired weekend itinerary, also thanks to its compact (414.6 square kilometers) size. It's particularly popular at this time of year, too — known for its sprawling Christmas markets.
