Austria

You'll be lost without some leather shorts in the tiny town of Windischgarsten this summer as locals celebrate the annual Lederhosen Festival.The Alpine event forms part of the wider Summer of Culture festivities and is hosted around a market fair.Prizes are handed out for the most original lederhosen, the largest group wearing them, best child modelling a pair, as well as the hugely popular Miss Lederhosen competition which attracts a bevy of buxom beauties.As well as costumes and pageantry, the festival is as much a celebration of beer and Schnapps, with both drinks flowing freely throughout the day.Other attractions include an international meeting of the Volkswagen Beetle with a colourful host of the vehicles on display to admire.Windischgarsten can also be enjoyed in winter, albeit with more thermal attire, as the ski resort has direct access to 40km of downhill skiing with 13 individual pistes.

A cultural experience awaits guests at the four-star Altstadt Vienna in Spittelberg.Billed by its owners as a meeting place for the most artistic among travellers, including musicians, as well as those wanting to soak up a creative atmopshere, the 42-room hotel pays attention to detail.These include original features and a "touch of the past" in the rooms and suites, none of which is like another, and a cosy red salon with an open fireplace.In addition, personal and business services are available, such as getting tickets for a show.Originally the house was the palace of an industrialist and was transformed into the Altstadt in 1991 by its current owner Otto Wiesenthal.Concierge.com recommends that guests should ask particularly for the room "with the freestanding club-foot tub".Vienna is home to a host of museums, many of which are located in the Museumsquartier.They range from the Leopold Museum to the Museum of Modern Art Ludwig Foundation Vienna and many events take place throughout the year.

The Austrian capital's Cafe Central is a smart choice for a variety of reasons - not only was it the traditional haunt of Viennese intellectuals including Leon Trotsky, it is also one of the most beautiful dining venues in the city.If you can take your eyes off the delicious display of cakes and strudel for long enough, the splendid architecture offers a different kind of sensory feast.The soaring cathedral-like ceilings and impeccable restoration work make this 19th-century building one of the best places to sit back and sip coffee.The surrounds have unsurprisingly become a bit of a tourist trap, but bear with the bustle if only to sample the cafe's sweet speciality - the Dobostorte.Thin layers of biscuit sponge, a caramel/chocolate frosting and caramelised toffee glaze on top make this a dessert-lover's dream.For other Viennese cafes try the Mozart, which featured in classic novel/film The Third Man, or Diglas.

It does what the name suggests - for R&R and a few rounds on top head to Vienna's Chill Out Lounge on Salvatorgasse.Snug sofas and warm paint schemes immediately instil a homely atmosphere making this the perfect bar to unwind after a busy day sightseeing or simply to spend some quality time with a date as part of a romantic Austrian getaway.Striking a good balance between the late afternoon latte crowd and early evening cocktail clientele ensures the place remains lively despite the living room feel.Visit during the extended daily happy hour of 6 until 8 pm to make the most of the excellent drinks menu.Those hoping to sink their teeth into something more substantial than a cocktail cherry can order food and bar snacks until 1.30am.Other good drinking establishments in the city include American-style cocktail bar Dino's, which offers rat-pack cool and lot of their music too.

Mozarthaus in Vienna is a museum remembering of one of the city's most famous residents.The residence of Mozart for two-and-a-half years from 1784 to 1787, the luxurious historical apartment is a living monument to the famous composer.Visitors touring round the museum will begin on the third floor, where they can view an exhibition about his time living in Vienna.On the second floor, information about Mozart's operatic works are on show, while on the first floor there is a specific focus on the time that he lived in this apartment, where he spent more time than any other residence.Once fully informed about the life and works of Wolfgang Amadeus, visitors can then enter the apartment itself, where they are invited to use their imagination to picture what it was like when he lived here in the eighteenth century.Mozart was born in 1756 and died in 1791. During this time he wrote over 600 compositions for a wide range of music styles, becoming one of the most influential classical composers of all time.