Review of Hotel Sacher Wien, by Matthew Barker

The Hotel Sacher Wien is a dashing old timer with sense of history and esteemed pedigree - rooms are laden with antiques and baroque furnishings; silk wall coverings and chandeliers provide a regal air. It was here that Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was played for the first time and Graham Greene wrote The Third Man. The new Madame Butterfly suite includes a balcony overlooking the State Opera House.

A foodie landmark. Franz Sacher, father of the hotel's founder Edward, created the (in)famous Sacher Torte. Younger members of the Habsburg Royal Family would frequently dash over from the nearby palace to enjoy dinner in the hotel after excusing themselves from the below-par offerings of the regal kitchens. The Anna Sacher restaurant serves traditional Viennese cuisine (venison fillet with orange-red cabbage salad and cranberry sauce; fried ribs of lamb with paprika pumpkin and polenta); the Café Sacher has a nicely authentic atmosphere.

Apart from the State Opera, the Wiener Stadthalle and Karntnerstrasse pedestrianised shopping street are both within walking distance. The Museum Quarter includes new halls for the Kunsthalle Wien and the Museum of Modern Art Foundation Ludwig, providing a comprehensive overview of art from the last century; the Saturday market at Kettenbrückengasse is not to be missed, nor coffee and cakes at Café Prückl.