Car Hire: Take advantage of the special easyJet inflight rates. Visit the Europcar desk on arrival or call +43 (0)1 7007 32699. Open from 7.30am-11pm Monday-Friday and 8am-11pm at the weekend.

Airport Transfer: Pre-book your door-to-door transfer with easyJet’s transfer partner, Holiday Taxis—from home to the airport, then city or resort (easyjet.holidaytaxis.com).

Train: Catch the CAT (City Airport Train) to the centre. Trains leave every 30 minutes. Tickets: €9 single; €16 return.

Taxi: The journey to the centre of Vienna costs €30.

Vego
( 81 Neubaugasse. Tel. 01 522 5907 )
Serves up veggie curries and the all-you-can-eat buffets will help stave off the January jitters.

Reinthaler
( 17 Gluckgasse. Tel. 01 512 3366 )
This central beisl (tavern) boasts traditional Viennese fare at fine prices. It's packed with suited chaps enjoying a swift schnitzel.

Kokoro
( 16 Rotenturmstrasse. Tel. 01 968 0138 )
Sepp Hausberger is fast becoming one of the most talked about chefs in town. Find out why at Kokoro, which champions “world cuisine with Zen-inspired creations".

Korso
( Hotel Bristol, 2 Mahlerstrasse. Tel. 01 5151 6546 )
A favourite with opera-goers, Korso cuts a dash on the gastronomic scene. Housed in the historic Hotel Bristol, it lays on a ravishing culinary performance.

Lebemann & Hirn
( 34 Gumpendorferstrasse. )
Popular with students from the nearby Academy of Arts, this laid-back hang-out has a home-from-home flavour. Table football downstairs.

Tunnel
( 39 Florianigasse. Tel. 01 405 3465 )
The unpretentious Tunnel club has hosted live acts for two decades. A hit with students, it’s also a handy spot for food, with a range breakfasts to kick the day off.

Nachtwerk
( 9 Dr Gondagasse. Tel. 01 616 8880 )
You’ll either love or loathe this epic number, which draws hundreds of wide-eyed revellers each weekend. If cheese and cheap chat-up-lines are not up your street, don’t even think about it. Open till 5am.

In search of vintage style? Then head straight for Flo Vintage, which stocks only the chicest togs (15A Schleifmuhlgasse). Prices are high, but come Saturday the Linke Wienzeile flea market will offer bargain back-up.

Adrenaline junkies can relive cult classic Point Break by bungee jumping off the Donauturm (www.donauturm.at).

Often overlooked by tourists, Belvedere is a palatial complex that’s well worth investigating. The Upper Belvedere houses a gallery of 19th-century Austrian and German art, including Klimt and Schiele, the lower is a treasure trove of the Baroque. Beautiful gardens bridge the gap between.

Catch the end of the Crown Prince Rudolf exhibition at Schonbrunn Palace. The ill-starred heir died with his lover in a supposed suicide pact at Mayerling, sparking all kinds conspiracy theories (until 30 January).

Puchberg am Schneeberg  – Sublime snowcapped scenery is just a short trip away. Take a train to the spa town of Puchberg am Schneeberg, the perfect base for some yodelling adventures.

Archduke Otto von Habsburg, son of the last Austrian Emperor Karl, was known as 'Otto der Schöne' (Otto the Beautiful). It seems he was not the shy and retiring type—one evening he was spotted outside a potential conquest's room at the Hotel Sacher wearing only a sword.

Compiled by Nick Hodge/www.vienna-life.com