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Vienna

In Europe's classiest capital, we'll tiptoe through the palace of Maria Theresa and be dazzled by the Hapsburg crown jewels. Then we'll picnic on the Danube, nibble strudel in an Old World café, blush at slinky Art Nouveau, and waltz to the three-four beat of Johann Strauss.

Demel Cafe

Demel is the ultimate Viennese chocolate shop. The room is filled with Art Nouveau boxes of Empress Sisi's choco-dreams come true: Kandierte Veilchen (candied violet petals), Katzenzungen (cats' tongues), and so on. The cakes here are moist (compared to the dry Sachertortes). The delectable window displays change about monthly, reflecting current happenings in Vienna. Inside, an impressive cancan of cakes is displayed to tempt visitors into springing for the cake-and-coffee deal. Just point to the cake you want (tel. 01/535-1717) .

Buffet Trzesniewski

Buffet Trzesniewski is an institution — justly famous for its elegant and cheap finger sandwiches and small beers. Point to whichever delights look tasty (or grab the English translation sheet and take time to study your sandwich options). Trzesniewski has been a Vienna favorite for a century...and many of its regulars seem to have been here for the grand opening (50 yards off Graben, nearly across from brooding Café Hawelka, Dorotheergasse 2, tel. 01/512-3291).

Hofburg Palace

The complex, confusing, and imposing Imperial Palace, with 640 years of architecture, demands your attention. This first Hapsburg residence grew with the family empire from the 13th century until 1913, when the last "new wing" opened. The winter residence of the Hapsburg rulers until 1918, it's still the home of the Spanish Riding School, the Vienna Boys' Choir, the Austrian president's office, 5,000 government workers, and several important museums.

Don't get confused by the Hofburg's myriad courtyards and many museums. Focus on three sights: the Imperial Apartments, Treasury, and the museums at the New Palace (Neue Burg).

Imperial Apartments (Kaiserappartements) — These lavish, Versailles-type, "wish-I-were-God" royal rooms are the downtown version of the grander Schönbrunn Palace. If you're rushed and have time for only one palace, do this (from courtyard through St. Michael's Gate, just off Michaelerplatz; tel. 01/533-7570). Palace visits are a one-way romp through three sections: the luxurious Imperial Apartments themselves, the Sisi Museum dedicated to the troubled Empress, and a porcelain and silver collection.

Hofburg Treasury (Weltliche und Geistliche Schatzkammer) — This "Secular and Religious Treasure Room" contains the best jewels on the Continent. Slip through the vault doors and reflect on the glitter of 21 rooms filled with scepters, swords, crowns, orbs, weighty robes, double-headed eagles, gowns, gem-studded bangles, and a unicorn horn (follow Schatzkammer signs to the Schweizerhof, tel. 01/525-240).

New Palace Museums: Armor, Music, and Ancient Greek Statues — The New Palace (Neue Burg) houses three separate collections: an armory (with a killer collection of medieval weapons), historical musical instruments, and classical statuary from ancient Ephesus. The audioguide brings the exhibits to life and lets you actually hear the fascinating old instruments in the collection being played (tel. 01/525-240).

Kaisergruft (Imperial Crypt)

Visiting the imperial remains is not as easy as you might imagine. These original organ donors left their bodies — about 150 in all — in the unassuming Kaisergruft (the Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church), their hearts in the Augustinian Church, and their entrails in the crypt below St. Stephen's Cathedral. Don't tripe.

Upon entering the Kaisergruft (behind Opera on Neuer Markt), buy the map with a Hapsburg family tree and a chart locating each coffin (tel. 01/512-6853).

Updated for 2010.