I’d been in Vienna for only a few hours when The Economist Intelligence Unit announced the Austrian capital had topped its annual liveability index. The news didn’t come as a surprise; in 30 years of travel writing, I’d never visited such a perfect city. Even the drive from the airport to the city centre is scenic, an effortless journey that cuts through an industrial landscape of perfect symmetry, highlighted in bold colours, like the paintings of Jeffrey Smart.

Originally, I’d planned to stay only a day or two in Vienna – a much-needed stopover on an extended working tour in Europe. I ended up staying a week exploring a place that often falls under travellers’ radars in favour of better-marketed destinations such as Paris and Rome yet rivals them in terms of food, coffee culture, architecture, music, and art. What’s more, Vienna has many good beaches.