Linz travel guide
Lentos, Ars Electronica and the Pöstlingberg tram
Upper Austria's capital on the Danube, a steel town turned media-art city with the Lentos, the Ars Electronica Center and the Pöstlingberg mountain railway. May to September is best, with the big festivals in September. One or two days is plenty. Prices are high, and many nationalities get 90 visa-free days.
Upper Austria's capital sits on a bend of the Danube, roughly halfway between Salzburg and Vienna and 30 km from the Czech border. It is a working steel town that has spent recent decades reinventing itself around media art and its riverbank, and it sees a fraction of Salzburg's crowds. A day or two is enough. Many people simply break the train ride between the two bigger cities here.
The Danube banks are the centre of gravity. On the south side, the Lentos art museum is a long glass box that glows in changing colours after dark, and the Donaulände park in front of it fills up on summer evenings. Across the Nibelungen Bridge, the Ars Electronica Center plays the same trick on the north bank and holds a hands-on museum of technology and digital art.
Hauptplatz, one of the largest squares in Austria, runs from the bridge up into the compact old town, with the Trinity Column in the middle and the castle museum on the slope above. A short walk south, the New Cathedral is the country's biggest church by capacity, with room for 20,000. Its tower stops at 134 m because it was not allowed to top St. Stephen's in Vienna. Look for the Linz Window among the stained glass.
Above the north bank rises the Pöstlingberg, with a pilgrimage church on top. The Pöstlingbergbahn climbs to it from Hauptplatz, one of the steepest adhesion railways in Europe, with no rack or cable to help. Ride up for the view along the Danube valley. Children usually want the Grottenbahn, a dragon train through a fairy-tale grotto at the summit.
September is the month to aim for. The Ars Electronica Festival takes over the city with installations and talks, while the Klangwolke turns the riverbank into an open-air sound and light show. Book beds early for those weeks.
Food is plain and filling. Linzer Torte, a spiced almond pastry with a lattice over a layer of jam, is the local sweet. Late-night stands sell Bosna, a sausage in a bun with onions and curry ketchup. Upper Austrians drink Most, a still cider. Plan Sunday evenings carefully: much of the Altstadt closes, and you may have to eat in the next district.
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Top things to do in Linz
Danube museums, a steep mountain railway, a vast neo-Gothic cathedral and the sombre memorial at Mauthausen.
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Best time to visit Linz
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Warm evenings by the river, cycling on the Danube path and outdoor bars on the Donaulände.
Ars Electronica and the Klangwolke bring the busiest weeks of the year for hotels.
Grey and cold at times, with Christmas markets on Hauptplatz and in the Volksgarten.
Ars Electronica fills hotels in early September; book well ahead or stay in Urfahr or near the station.
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Getting there
Direct trains from Vienna airport
Fly into Vienna and take a direct train from the airport terminal to Linz Hauptbahnhof in about 1 hour 40 minutes; Austrian Airlines can sell it as part of your ticket. Linz's Blue Danube Airport at Hörsching has mainly Ryanair to London Stansted and charters. The Hauptbahnhof has hourly trains to Vienna and Salzburg and ICEs to Germany.
- Airport bus
- Linz airport to the city in about 20 minutes
- Train via Hörsching
- Local train to Hörsching station, then a free shuttle bus to the terminal
- From Vienna airport
- Direct trains in about 1 hour 40 minutes
- From Munich airport
- About 3 hours 45 minutes, changing at Munich Hbf
- Taxis wait at the Linz terminal but cost far more than the bus.
- ÖBB ticket counters sell the Linz Card, so you can buy it with your train ticket.
- From Munich airport allow about 3 hours 45 minutes, changing at Munich Hbf.
Where to stay
Hauptplatz, Urfahr or the Landstrasse end
Linz is compact enough that any of three bases works, and the Landstrasse tram line ties them together. Choose the old town if you want to walk out of the door to the Lentos and the river; Urfahr if Ars Electronica and the Pöstlingberg are the point of the trip. In early September, when the festival fills the centre, look further out early.
- Altstadt and Hauptplatz
- The old town, a short walk to the Lentos and the Donaulände; quiet and partly shut on Sunday evenings
- Urfahr
- North bank across the Nibelungen Bridge, by Ars Electronica and the Pöstlingbergbahn; fewer restaurants
- Landstrasse and the station
- Practical for rail travellers and early departures, with trams straight down to Hauptplatz; less atmosphere
Getting around
Trams and the Pöstlingbergbahn
Ride Linz AG trams along Landstrasse from the Hauptbahnhof to Hauptplatz and over the Nibelungen Bridge into Urfahr; most visitors need nothing else. Buy tickets before boarding from stop machines or a Tabak shop. The Linz Card adds museum entry, and the Pöstlingbergbahn, Europe's steepest adhesion railway, climbs from Hauptplatz to the summit.
- Pöstlingbergbahn
- From Hauptplatz through Urfahr to the summit, Europe's steepest adhesion railway
- Linz Card
- One or three days, sold at the tourist office and in many hotels
- Mini ticket
- Up to four stops, handy for short hops along Landstrasse
- Danube cycle path
- Runs along the riverbank right through the centre
- Walk the centre: Hauptplatz, the Lentos and the castle are all within ten minutes of each other.
- Route maps and live timetables are on the Linz AG website.
- Under-14s travel at half price.
Know before you go
What makes Linz worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The Lentos after dark, when its glass skin glows in shifting colours over the river.
- The Pöstlingbergbahn, climbing from Hauptplatz to a hilltop church and long Danube views.
- Ars Electronica Center, where you are expected to touch and play with the exhibits.
- The Linz Window in the New Cathedral, stained glass in Austria's largest church.
- A late-night Bosna from a sausage stand after a drink in the old town.
Good to know
- Sunday evenings are thin: much of the Altstadt closes, so plan dinner ahead.
- The Mauthausen memorial, east of the city, deserves half a day and a sober frame of mind.
- The New Cathedral is open daily, but sightseeing stops during services, so check the Mass times first.
- Tickets come from stop machines or tobacco kiosks, so buy before you board.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Linz, month by month
Linz is warmest in July, about 25°C, which is also its wettest month at roughly 105 mm. January nights fall to around −2°C.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Linz (Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics, via Wikipedia).
New Cathedral to the Pöstlingberg summit in a single day
Morning: start at the New Cathedral, a short detour off Landstrasse, and look for the Linz Window among the stained glass (visits pause during services). Walk down Landstrasse to Hauptplatz and the Trinity Column, then climb the old-town lanes to the castle museum. Drop to the river for the Lentos and its modern art collection.
Afternoon: have a slice of Linzer Torte, then cross the Nibelungen Bridge to the Ars Electronica Center in Urfahr and give it two hours; the exhibits are made to be handled. Late in the day, ride the Pöstlingbergbahn up from Hauptplatz and watch the light fade over the Danube valley from the terrace of the pilgrimage church. Children will drag you to the Grottenbahn dragon train at the top.
Evening: back by the river, the Donaulände lawns in front of the Lentos fill with people on warm nights, and the museum's glass skin starts changing colour after dark. On a Sunday, book dinner ahead, because much of the Altstadt shuts.
Linzer Torte, a late Bosna and a glass of Most
The city's calling card is Linzer Torte, a short pastry made with ground nuts and spice, spread with redcurrant jam and closed with a lattice top. Cafés and bakeries across the centre sell it by the slice, and a whole one survives a train ride well.
Everyday eating is snack-stand Austrian. Leberkäse Pepi on Rathausgasse, open until the small hours most nights, sells thick slices of Leberkäse in a roll. At the sausage stands, order a Bosna, a grilled bratwurst in a bun with onions and curry ketchup, or a Käsekrainer stuffed with cheese. Lunch counters around the centre also do kebab, pizza and Chinese.
To drink, try Most, Upper Austria's still cider, and in December the Glühwein from the market huts on Hauptplatz. Drinks get cheaper once you leave the centre. Plan Sunday evenings carefully: old-town kitchens largely close, and you may end up eating in a neighbouring district.
Klangwolke, Pflasterspektakel and a half day at Mauthausen
Linz has a Danube-valley climate. July and August reach about 25C, while January struggles to 3C and dips below freezing at night. Rain falls in every month, but July is the wettest at around 105 mm, usually in short summer storms. May to September is the time for the Donaulände and the cycle path.
September is the city's big month. The Ars Electronica Festival brings installations, talks and performances on media art and technology to venues across town, and the Klangwolke, an open-air sound and light show over the Danube, draws crowds to the riverbanks. In July the Pflasterspektakel fills the old town with street performers. Advent puts Christmas markets on Hauptplatz and in the Volksgarten.
Set aside a separate half day for the Mauthausen memorial, the former concentration camp east of the city and one of Austria's central places of remembrance. Regional trains run to Mauthausen town, and from there you walk or take a taxi up to the site. Cyclists can instead follow the Danube path upstream towards Passau or downstream towards the Wachau and Vienna.
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How we research our Linz travel guide
Linz's train links, the Pöstlingbergbahn and the Linz Card were checked with the city, Austria.info and ÖBB.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of LinzAustria.infoÖBB Austrian Federal Railways
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Linz.
General
Yes, for a day. The Lentos, the Ars Electronica Center and the Pöstlingbergbahn fit comfortably between trains, and it is far less crowded than Salzburg.
One full day covers the main sights. Add a second for the Mauthausen memorial or a ride along the Danube cycle path.
Cafés and bakeries all over the centre sell the nut-and-jam torte by the slice. A Bosna is what Linz eats after midnight: bratwurst, raw onion and a curry-spiced sauce stuffed into a toasted bun.
Board the Pöstlingbergbahn on Hauptplatz. It runs through Urfahr and climbs to the summit church without rack or cable assistance.
Take a regional train to Mauthausen, then walk or take a taxi up to the memorial. Allow at least half a day.
Ride Linz AG trams along Landstrasse from the Hauptbahnhof to Hauptplatz and over the Nibelungen Bridge into Urfahr; most visitors need nothing else. Buy tickets before boarding from stop machines or a Tabak shop. The Linz Card adds museum entry, and the Pöstlingbergbahn, Europe's steepest adhesion railway, climbs from Hauptplatz to the summit.
Getting there
Direct trains leave from the airport terminal and take about 1 hour 40 minutes. Austrian Airlines passengers can often have the train included in their ticket.
Yes, a bus runs from the terminal to the city in about 20 minutes. You can also take a local train to Hörsching station and the free shuttle to the terminal, or a taxi.
Timing & weather
Every September, around the same time as the Klangwolke sound and light show on the Danube.
The best time to visit Linz is May to Sep. Evenings on the Donaulände and the September festivals.
- Best overall: May - September (Warm evenings by the river, cycling on the Danube path and outdoor bars on the Donaulände)
- Festival month: September (Ars Electronica and the Klangwolke bring the busiest weeks of the year for hotels)
- Winter: November - February (Grey and cold at times, with Christmas markets on Hauptplatz and in the Volksgarten)
July is the warmest month in Linz, with average highs of 25°C, and January the coolest, with lows of -2°C. July is the wettest month, at about 105 mm of rain; February is the driest. Linz is warmest in July, about 25°C, which is also its wettest month at roughly 105 mm.
Prices & payment
Free or reduced entry to around two dozen museums, galleries and tours, on a one or three-day card. ÖBB counters sell it together with a train ticket.
Stay & facilities
The south bank around Hauptplatz puts you on foot to the Lentos and the old town. Urfahr, on the north bank, suits Ars Electronica and the Pöstlingberg, and the Hauptbahnhof area works for early trains.
Visa & documents
Austria is a Schengen country. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Crime rates in Austria are very low. The main risks are in the mountains: changeable weather, avalanches and hiking accidents. Check avalanche warnings before skiing off-piste, start hikes early after checking the forecast, carry insurance that covers mountain rescue, and call 112 in any emergency.
