Linz: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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For a few years at the end of the 15th century Linz was the seat of the Holy Roman Emperor, and a century later it was home to the astronomer Johannes Kepler. The old town between the castle hill and the cathedral is small, and every corner of it has a name attached. This walk starts on the Hauptplatz and ends under the tallest church tower in Linz. About two hours, flat except for the short climb to the castle.

A short history of Linz

The Romans called it Lentia, and it grew as a trading town on the Danube. Between 1612 and 1626 Johannes Kepler lived here, and in 1619 he published "Harmonices Mundi" (The Harmony of the World), in which his third law appeared. In 1832 the horse-drawn railway from Linz to České Budějovice opened, one of the first on the Continent. Anton Bruckner played the cathedral organ. In the 20th century large steelworks were built here, and in 1979 the Ars Electronica festival of art and technology was founded. In 2009 Linz was European Capital of Culture. It is the capital of the state of Upper Austria.

The ten best sights in Linz

1
Hauptplatz
One of the largest town squares in Austria; trams cross it, so look both ways
2
Mariendom
A huge neo-Gothic cathedral; the stained glass is best on a sunny afternoon
3
Alter Dom
Baroque Jesuit church where Bruckner played the organ
4
Linz Castle
Regional museum above the old town; the terrace view is free
5
Lentos Art Museum
Modern Austrian art in a glass box that glows at night
6
Ars Electronica Center
A hands-on museum of the future across the bridge; give it half a day with kids
7
Nordico City Museum
The history of Linz, including its hardest chapter, told openly
8
Linz Synagogue
The community's synagogue, rebuilt where the old one burned in 1938; visits by arrangement
9
Tabakfabrik
A 1930s tobacco factory turned into studios, cafés and events
10
Mauthausen Memorial
The former concentration camp, 25 minutes east; plan at least three hours

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Linz →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Linz:

Free walking tours in Linz

Emperors, Kepler and Bruckner

Trinity Column · The white marble column was raised in 1723 to give thanks for the town's escape from plague, war and fire.
Alter Dom · Anton Bruckner was the cathedral organist here from 1855 to 1868, before he left for Vienna.
Landhaus · Johannes Kepler taught at the school in this building, and it was in Linz that he published his Harmony of the World in 1619.
Linz Castle · Emperor Frederick III made the castle his residence and died here in 1493, the years when Linz was briefly the centre of the empire.
Landstraße · The street follows the old road south out of town, and it is still the way most people walk from the station into the centre.
Mariendom · It is the largest church in Austria by capacity, and its tower was kept just below the height of St. Stephen's in Vienna.

The river of light and sound

Linz was long an industrial city of steel and chemicals, and it remade itself around culture and technology on the Danube banks. Since 1979 the Ars Electronica festival has brought digital art here every September, and the riverside buildings light up after dark. This walk crosses the Nibelungen bridge and follows both banks east to the old factories and the harbour. About three hours on foot, or rent a bike; come back at night to see the façades glow.

Nibelungenbrücke · The bridge is named after the Nibelungenlied, the medieval epic whose heroes travel down this stretch of the Danube.
Ars Electronica Center · Its glass skin holds thousands of LED panels, and on some evenings visitors can control the colours of the façade themselves.
Lentos Art Museum · The collection includes works by Klimt, Schiele and Kokoschka, inside a box of glass panels lit in changing colours at night.
Brucknerhaus · The concert hall hosts the Linzer Klangwolke, a sound-and-light show for the whole city played out over the Danube park.
Tabakfabrik · The factory, designed by Peter Behrens and Alexander Popp in the 1930s, made cigarettes until 2009 and is now a hub for creative businesses.
Mural Harbor · Artists from around the world have painted the walls and silos of the working harbour, making one of the largest graffiti galleries in Europe.

Places of memory

The landscape east and west of Linz holds some of the gravest sites of the Nazi period in Austria. Mauthausen was the main concentration camp on Austrian soil, with a network of subcamps around it, and at Hartheim castle thousands of disabled people were murdered. These are memorials, not sights: they are visited quietly, with time to read. This route needs a full day by car; the Mauthausen memorial recommends a minimum age of 14, and guided tours should be booked ahead.

Linz Synagogue · The synagogue of Linz was burned in the November pogrom of 1938; the small community that re-formed after the war built the present one on the same site in 1968.
Hartheim Castle · From 1940 the castle was one of the Nazi killing centres for people with disabilities and mental illness, and some 30,000 people were murdered here; it is now a place of learning and remembrance.
Gusen Memorial · Gusen began as a subcamp of Mauthausen in 1940 and grew to hold more prisoners than the main camp, forced to work in quarries and underground factories.
Mauthausen town · Prisoners arriving by train at the station by the river were marched through the streets of this market town up to the camp, in sight of its residents.
Mauthausen Memorial · Of the roughly 190,000 people imprisoned in Mauthausen and its subcamps, at least 90,000 died; US troops liberated the camp on 5 May 1945, and it opened as a memorial in 1949.
Wiener Graben quarry · Prisoners carried granite blocks up the 186 steps out of this quarry, known as the Stairs of Death; among the first groups murdered here were Jewish men deported from the Netherlands in 1941.

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Getting to Linz and getting around

Linz Hauptbahnhof · Fast trains to Vienna and Salzburg; tram 3 or 4 to the Hauptplatz
Linz Airport · A small airport west of town; most visitors fly into Vienna or Munich
Danube boat landing · River cruisers and day boats tie up below the Lentos; bikes usually allowed on day boats

Cheap eats in Linz

Linz eats like the rest of Upper Austria, with one thing of its own: the Linzer Torte, sold by the slice in every café. For a fast lunch the answer is a Leberkäse roll or a sausage stand, and the old town around the Hauptplatz is full of kebab and Asian counters. Coffee houses here keep Viennese habits: a glass of water with every coffee, and nobody hurries you.

Leberkas-Pepi · Leberkäse in a roll, about €4-5
Jindrak · A slice of Linzer Torte, about €4-5
Honeder Naturbackstube · Bread and pastries off the square, about €2-5
Café Traxlmayr · Classic coffee house, coffee and cake about €8
Big Joe Falafel · Falafel wrap, about €7-9
Sami's Imbiss · Kebab and quick plates, about €7-10

Museums in Linz

Ars Electronica Center · Robots, AI and a giant 3D projection room
Lentos Art Museum · Klimt, Schiele and modern art on the river
Nordico City Museum · Linz history, told frankly
Linz Castle Museum · Upper Austrian art and history, with a view
Mauthausen Memorial · Exhibitions and the camp grounds; recommended from age 14

Nature and day trips near Linz

Pöstlingberg · The city's hill, with the best view over Linz and the Danube
Pleschinger See · Swim by the cycle path on a hot day
Botanical Garden · Glasshouses and one of Europe's big cactus collections
Danube park · Riverside lawns and sculptures between Lentos and Brucknerhaus

Things to do in Linz with kids

Grottenbahn · Dragon train and a fairy-tale town underground
Pöstlingbergbahn · Ride the steep little tram to the top
Linz Zoo · A small zoo on the hillside
Ars Electronica Center · Labs where kids build and program

Where to eat in Linz

Klosterhof · Big beer garden and Austrian classics
Gösser Keller · Beer hall food by the Hauptplatz
Alte Welt · Wine cellar in the old town
Keintzel · Austrian food just off the square
Das Bruckner · Café-restaurant on the Hauptplatz

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Frequently asked questions about Linz

What is there to see in Linz?

The top sights in Linz are Hauptplatz, Mariendom and Alter Dom. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Linz?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Linz without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Linz?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Linz, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Emperors, Kepler and Bruckner.

How do you get to Linz and get around?

The main ways are Linz Hauptbahnhof, Linz Airport and Danube boat landing. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Linz, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Linz that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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