Following Conchita Wurst’s victory, Vienna is preparing to host the 60th Eurovision Song Contest. But apart from the contest’s sugary tunes, Austria’s capital has other dessert delights to offer. Here is a selection of the city’s sweet favourites.

Cafe Central, one of the oldest coffee houses in Vienna.

Wake up and smell it

Vintage Viennese coffee houses are an intrinsic part of the city’s social and cultural fabric. Having a coffee and dessert (sachertorte, anyone?) in one of Vienna’s fin-de-siècle coffee houses is like being transported to the first half of the 20th century when men wore hats and women went to balls.

If you only have time for one coffee, then have it at Cafe Korb, the traditional coffee house where the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society used to meet in the early 1900s. A worthy alternative is Cafe Sperl, which has been serving coffee since 1880.

That’s the life

In Vienna, there’s always something to do. The Austrian capital is a busy city, laying a spread of galleries, museums, cafes, bars, restaurants, churches and street markets. From the Mumok museum of contemporary art to Phil, a combination of bookstore, music shop and coffee house, there’s always something interesting to do.

However, Vienna still allows you to walk in the slow lane of life and enjoy the city’s sights. You can, of course, opt for a guided tour: offers for Mozart tours are everywhere. However, you can go on a solo adventure because this is a city that gives you the opportunity to be truly cosmopolitan: as Austrian novelist and playwright Stefan Zweig wrote about Vienna, “Nowhere [is] it easier to be European.”

Having a ball

Whenever you think of Vienna, it’s a cue for an elegant waltz or an opera score to sweep through your head. When in Vienna, make sure you visit the Opera House and catch a production. The Vienna State Opera is considered one of the most important opera houses in the world, with one of the largest and richest repertoires.

To keep within context, also visit the Spanish Riding School, where Lipizzan horses are trained to perform in the Winter Riding School in the Hofburg. Some training sessions are open to the public so you can see some classical dressage in action.

Feed your hunger

Vienna is not stuck in a fien-­de-siècle bubble. In the shadow of its architectural grandeur are modern and trendy bars where you can enjoy schnitzel, beer and cocktails.

When your hunger starts elbowing you in the stomach, head to Schilling restaurant for a traditional spread of veal butter schnitzel and pancake with plum sauce. If you want something a bit more modern, Skopik and Lohn serves deer ragout with red apple cabbage and black pudding with apple.

If you want your food to be the freshest possible, there’s no better place than the Naschmarkt, a century-old open-air market where a stretch of stalls serve up street food, spices and flowers.

In the club

Vienna has plenty of options which allow you to dance the night away. Fluc is a club built in a former pedestrian passageway at the Prater metro stop. There’s live music every night and beer on tap. To explore the underground scene, you can go to Brut, which calls itself a centre of international, ­experimental and innovative performance art: in other words, very loud music.