Natalie Marchant

City breaks in the summer holidays are fun and all, but we’d go as far as to argue that a ton of the most well-loved holiday hotspots in Europe are even better in winter. After all, winter is when summer destinations lose their throngs of tourists, and cosy wintery cities lean into the wintery-ness.  If we’ve tempted you into heading out on a very wintery city break this year, don’t go anywhere. We’ve rounded our favourite winter city breaks on the continent for 2025, including famous classics, underrated spots and cities with packed-out festive events calendars. Here are the best winter city breaks in Europe for 2025, chosen by our experts.  Europe’s best city breaks at a glance 💏 Best for couples: Paris, France 🍜 Best for foodies: Edinburgh, Scotland 🎊 Best for families: Zagreb, Croatia 💎 Most underrated: Ljubljana, Slovenia At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by experts across Europe who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

The cliché of Austrian cuisine is nowhere more present than in the capital itself. Wiener Schnitzel?  To be found on every corner. Apple strudel? A must on every serious coffee house menu. And breakfast? One of the most important meals in Austria, with ’Semmel’ (apricot jam and soft-boiled egg).  While typical Viennese cuisine is not difficult to be found in Vienna, you often need a few tips for all the other delicacies that also make up the lively capital. But don’t worry, you don’t have to spend a fortune to eat well in Vienna. Even the sausages at the Würstelstand will be memorable. Here are my top picks for 2025.  RECOMMENDED:📍 The best things to do in Vienna☕ The best cafés in Vienna🏘️ The best Vienna Airbnbs🏨 The best hotels in Vienna⛪ The best attractions in Vienna This guide was recently updated by Vienna-based writer Susanne Garber. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.

People who don’t live in cities will tell you they’re busy, lonely and expensive places. But there’s a reason so many people choose to live in them: with world-class art and culture, unbeatable food and nightlife, buzzing neighbourhoods and a dizzying amount of stuff to do and see, there’s simply no better place to be.  Every year, we take the pulse of city living by quizzing thousands of locals across the planet about life in their hometowns. This year, more than 18,500 city-dwellers shared their insights on everything from food, nightlife and culture to affordability, happiness and the overall city vibe. When urban living can sometimes feel isolating and costly, this year we wanted to get a sense of what, exactly, makes a city feel like home. Sure, the nightlife is great, but is the city safe and walkable? Is good quality food and art available at a reasonable price? Is it easy to make friends, find love, and access nature?  Livability was a key factor in our ranking this year. But a great city to live in is, naturally, a great city to visit. So, along with the thousands of responses from locals around the world, we asked Time Out’s global network of city experts to vote on the places they think are particularly exciting right now. After crunching all that data, here we are: Time Out’s definitive ranking of the world’s best cities in 2025. Read on to see how your hometown fared… RECOMMENDED:🛍️ The coolest neighbourhoods in the world right now🌎 The best things to do in the

Our best things to do in Vienna span culture, food and the Great Outdoors, but we make it very clear that to enjoy this city you also have to commit to a whole lot of mooching. People don’t rush here: we sit in cafés, on terraces, in rooftop bars and Schanigartens. We take cold dips in outdoor pools, soak up the vibes at the Museumsquartier and walk three hours along the Ringstrasse. That’s because Vienna is a city best explored slowly, and our handy guide helps you do just that. Here are the best things to do in Vienna, picked by locals.  Is three days enough to visit Vienna? The short answer is yes, absolutely, as Vienna is a seriously flat, walkable city, especially if you visit in autumn when the weather is a bit cooler. There’s good transport links too, but you’re best off going for it on foot – you’d be surprised how much you can cram in on a long weekend.  RECOMMENDED:🍽️ The best restaurants in Vienna 💃🏻 The best nightlife spots in Vienna🏛️ The best attractions in Vienna🏠 The best Airbnbs in Vienna This guide was updated by Susanne Garber, a writer and photographer based in Vienna. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

‘Schifoan ist des leiwandste,’ as they say in Austria (that’s ‘skiing is the coolest’ to the uninitiated). Given that about 60 percent of the country is covered in mountains, it’s hardly surprising that skiing runs in our blood in Austria – a lifelong love affair for those of us who have been lucky enough to call this place home. I was first put on skis near Zell Am See at the age of four and decades later, I’m still making an annual pilgrimage to the Austrian Alps. In that time, I’ve been skiing as a child, as a teenager when I briefly dabbled with snowboarding, as an overconfident 20-plus year-old and as a more cautious middle-ager. Nowadays I also join my school friends and watch their kids having as much fun as we did.  Skiing is undeniably a privilege but the beautiful scenery, the fresh air and the sheer unbridled fun of it makes it worth every euro cent – be it on one of the panoramic glacial resorts or from one of the traditional small villages Austria is famed for. ‘Gemütlichkeit’ is a term often associated with Austria and, while there’s no direct English translation, the sense of cosiness it conveys is still what I feel whenever I come ‘home’. For there is nothing better than warming up with a Glühwein and tucking into a hearty plate of Kaiserschmarrn for those with a sweet tooth – or a Tiroler Gröstl for those who prefer savoury, like me – in a rustic mountain hut at the end of a hard day’s skiing.  ⛷️ Discover the most affordable ski holidays in Europe Everything

  Vienna’s culture scene is second to none. After all, it played a huge role in developing practically every art form that has flourished in Europe, remember? So it’s no surprise that the museums and galleries here are pretty much love letters to some of the world’s best artists, sculptors, painters, writers and more. From Sigmund Freud to Beethoven, here are the best museums in Vienna.  RECOMMENDED:📍 The best things to do in Vienna💃🏻 The best nightlife spots in Vienna🏛️ Unmissable attractions in Vienna🏠 Vienna's best Airbnbs This article was written by Natalie Marchant, who spent a number of years in Vienna. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. 

Legend has it that in 1683, a Viennese local grabbed the final bag of coffee beans left over by the Ottomans and started serving it up in Vienna. Since then, Vienna has become Europe’s coffee capital. And you’ll see it from the moment you touch down here. This city is full of beautiful cafés (some of them even have UNESCO status), and they show that the traditional Kaffeehaus is not just a place to sip and snack. These are social, community institutions at the very heart of Vienna’s culture. Here is our pick of the best.  RECOMMENDED:📍 The best things to do in Vienna🍴 The best restaurants in Vienna💃🏻 The best nightlife spots in Vienna🏛️ Unmissable attractions in Vienna🏠 Vienna's best Airbnbs This article was last updated by Susanne Garber, a writer based in Vienna. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.