Built high and mighty on the riches of the 600-year Hapsburg Empire, the Austrian capital bombards you with its near-overwhelming ensemble of palaces, Klimt-filled galleries, stately baroque streets and hallowed concert halls where orchestra batons swing. Top this with one-of-a-kind coffeehouse culture, expansive parks sprawling along the banks of the Danube, and a first-class public transport system, and you can see why the city has winged into the number one spot in Mercer’s quality of living survey for 10 years running. A city with beauty waiting around every corner, Vienna is truly a photographer’s dream: Gothic, Art Nouveau and Expressionist architecture blended to create perhaps Europe’s most beautiful cityscape.