Vienna in 3 days

The Stephansdom before it fills. The south tower is climbed by stairs, the north one by lift; the patterned roof is visible only from the north side, which is the reason to go up.

A circuit of the Ring on tram 1 then 2, for a single fare, works as orientation. Half an hour shows you where everything you will visit over three days actually is.

The Hofburg from outside, and the Spanish Riding School. The Lipizzaners' morning training is €18–29, cheaper than the evening performance, and you stay as long as you like.

Lunch at the Naschmarkt or in one of the taverns in the side streets behind the Graben.

The Albertina — prints and modern art in one building, and the least tiring of the three big museums. Ninety minutes is right.

Dinner and, if you are going to a concert, a check on where: the Musikverein and Konzerthaus have serious ensembles; the palaces have tours in wigs.

The Kunsthistorisches at opening suits older art. The Bruegel room here is the largest collection in the world and justifies the trip on its own. This is the "whole day" museum from the rule above; do not rush the coin room or the Kunstkammer.

A coffee house, with no plan to get up. The table is yours until you give it up, and one coffee buys two hours — that is the whole arrangement, and why lunch here is never rushed.

The Prater — the wheel from 1897 that still turns, and behind the fairground an enormous green space the city runs in.

The Karlskirche and a walk through the Freihausviertel, the quarter behind the Naschmarkt with bars and bookshops.

Schönbrunn in the first slot. The palace ticket is €30, entered at a fixed, pre-booked hour; the park and the Gloriette need no ticket and are half the reason to come, while the maze is paid separately.

Lunch in Meidling or back into town; the centre is fifteen minutes by U-Bahn.

The Belvedere for one painting — Klimt's The Kiss. The collection is smaller than people expect, which leaves time for the gardens and the view over the city.

In season: a Heuriger in Grinzing or Nussdorf, a tavern serving this year's wine from its own vineyard. Tram D or 38 to the end of the line.