Trenes a Viena

You can hop on a direct train to Vienna from more than a dozen countries across Europe. No other capital city in the European Union can boast as fine a choice of international rail connections. Be it the daily Railjet to Berlin, the thrice-weekly Nightjet to Paris or the seasonal direct train which takes passengers and their cars to Split on Croatia's Dalmatian coast, Vienna is a premier rail hub.

All who explore Europe by rail end up changing trains in Vienna. And wiser travellers most certainly make time for a stop, for Vienna is one of Europe's most likeable and liveable cities. Fine museums, a easily-walkable and compact city centre plus a fine tradition of good food and wine make Vienna the perfect stop, whether for just a couple of nights or a longer stay.

Vienna is a showpiece capital, one which draws on its Habsburg history to inflect a buzzing cultural scene with these days often comes with a radical twist. The absence of cars within much of the Old Town is a real blessing, and one can easily spent a pleasant few hours wandering through the interlinked squares and back streets that surround St Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom).

Some of the grander boulevards and formal gardens drip with Habsburg nostalgia. There are churches and palaces aplenty with cream cakes galore. In short, Vienna lives up to every stereotype. But you need not be smothered by Imperial Vienna. There is an edgier side to the city too, marked out in Vienna’s vibrant club scene. In spring and summer, head for the city's green spaces such as the Wienerwald. In winter, escape to Europe's oldest ski resort at Semmering, just an hour south-west of Vienna by fast train.

In Vienna, check out the shadows of Harry Lime (remember Carol Reed's classic 1949 film The Third Man), join the ghost of Sigmund Freud pondering the nature of dreams as he walked the Vienna woodlands and make time for classic Viennese schnitzel and sausages.

Almost all mainline trains arrive and depart at the city's glitzy new Hauptbahnhof, which is a little south of the city centre, and well served by U-Bahn (métro), bus and tram services. Exceptions include the Westbahn trains from Vienna to Salzburg, Innsbruck, Munich and Stuttgart which use the Westbahnhof. From the Hauptbahnhof, comfortable Railjet trains run regulaarly to Graz and Salzurg, each about two and a half hours from the capital and both excellent day trips from Vienna. Make time too for excursions closer to Vienna. Our favourites include the undulating wooded hills of the Wienerwald.