Anna-Claire Bevan

Musik Film Festival am Rathausplatz © WienTourismus / Christian Stemper When drag queen Conchita Wurst won the Eurovision song content for Austria in 2014, it put its capital into the limelight as the host for 2015. For a week in May, Vienna was alive with excitement. And when that was over, everyone headed for Vienna’s City Hall Square for the Music Film Festival (July 4 to September 6) to hear everything from Mozart to Elvis.

Situated on the top floor of an 18th century Rococo palace, The Nicholas Hotel Residence combines period elegance with a modern finish to offer nine charming rooms in the heart of Malá Strana. It’s so homely that you’ll have to force yourself to get out there and explore Prague.

It’s nature that put Norway on the map: snow-capped mountains, glaciers and elongated fjords. The spectacular journey from Oslo to Bergen encapsulates them all, but don’t rule out spending a couple of days in the cities at either end. Oslo is a city that masquerades as anything but. The hectic buzz, sprawling skyscrapers and hordes of scurrying people that define most metropolises are largely absent from the streets of Norway’s capital.