Vienna

When the likes of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert have called a city home, you can bet that the culture scene there is pretty good. Well, it’s not just good: culture in Vienna is exceptional, by anyone’s measure. Vienna ranked third for the quality of its culture scene in our survey, with locals raving about opera, art and Donauinselfest – the largest (free!) open-air music festival on the planet. Locals named The Albertina and Albertina Modern as the city’s best venue, which is packed with masterpieces from art titans including Picasso, Chagall, Monet, Kirchner, and (of course) Klimt. If there’s one city with a license to name-drop, it’s Vienna.

‘Culture is part of Vienna’s very fabric and highly prized by those who live here,’ says Vienna-raised writer Natalie Marchant. ‘The city renowned as the capital of classical music also hosts contemporary cultural events such as Europe’s largest music festival, the free-to-enter Donauinselfest. A summer evening whiled away in front of City Hall watching music and films with a beer at the Filmfestival is one well spent, while cold winter evenings call for jazz at Porgy & Bess.’