Baden, Austria

With its sulphurous mineral springs (giving it an egg-like smell in parts) and its lush green parks, gardens and woods, this spa town on the eastern fringes of the Wienerwald is a picturesque anomaly. Baden has a long history of receiving notable visitors; the Romans came here to wallow in the medicinal waters, Beethoven blew into town in the hope of a cure for his deafness, and in the early 19th century it flourished as the favourite summer retreat of the Habsburgs. Much of the town centre is in the 19th-century Biedermeier style, resulting from rebuilding after Turkish invasions and severe fires. Note that Baden goes into hibernation between October and March.