Innsbruck, verdict by verdict

Innsbruck is two trips in one: a compact Habsburg old town wrapped in serious Alps. The Goldenes Dachl and the Hofburg cover the imperial checklist, and the Nordkette cable car lifts from the city centre to 2,300 metres in about twenty minutes, a trick no other European city pulls off. The Innsbruck Card bundles nearly everything and pays for itself quickly.

The caveats are size and sleepiness. Innsbruck is small and the food scene is hearty rather than exciting, so a food or nightlife-led city break lands flat; the two main lanes fill up in July, and altitude, weather swings and steep walking come with the territory. April and November are dead months, and long stays overstay, since two to three days covers the city comfortably.

Winter is arguably the better season, with markets, doorstep skiing and quiet valleys for anyone willing to ride the buses, while June to September is hiking season. The shape is two to three days with one mountain or cable-car excursion built in, and day trips reach Neuschwanstein and Swarovski Kristallwelten. The old town is tiny and walkable, and for anyone torn between Austria's mountain cities, Innsbruck or Salzburg is the one real question.