AT
Linz
A Danube city of digital art and music, with a baroque main square and a hilltop railway
A Danube city of digital art and music, with a baroque main square and a hilltop railway
One of the largest town squares in Austria, with the baroque Holy Trinity Column and the old town hall.
Photo: Tournasol7, CC BY 4.0
A museum of art, technology and science on the north bank of the Danube. Its glass façade lights up in changing colours at night.
Photo: Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Lentos modern art museum stands on the riverbank opposite the Ars Electronica Center, beside a riverside park.
Photo: Fyrtaarn, CC BY-SA 4.0
The neo-Gothic Mariendom, completed in 1924, is the largest church in Austria by capacity.
Photo: Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Pöstlingbergbahn, one of the steepest adhesion railways in the world, climbs to a pilgrimage church with views over the Danube valley.
Photo: Fyrtaarn, CC BY-SA 4.0
Try Linzer Torte (a lattice-topped jam tart with nuts), Upper Austrian dumplings and Most (cider).
The old town and the area around the Hauptplatz have traditional inns and cafés.
Linz has frequent trains to Vienna (about 1 hour 15 minutes) and Salzburg (about 1 hour). Linz Airport has limited flights.
Trams run through the centre to the Pöstlingberg railway. Austria is in the Schengen area. Non-EU visitors are registered in the EU Entry/Exit System on arrival, and visa-exempt travellers will need an ETIAS travel authorisation once it launches, expected from late 2026. Drivers need a motorway vignette (digital or sticker), sold by ASFINAG and at petrol stations. Check current rules before you travel.
Austria uses the euro. Prices are similar to Germany; museums and concerts are moderately priced, and city cards can save money on transport and entries. Linz is generally cheaper than Vienna and Salzburg.
Prices are approximate.
Square, river and hill.
See the Hauptplatz, walk the Danube promenade to the Lentos and cross to the Ars Electronica Center.
Visit the New Cathedral, then ride the Pöstlingberg railway for the view.
🛂 Entry rules: EES and ETIAS
Austria is in the Schengen area, which has two EU border systems for non-EU visitors.
EES (in force): since 10 April 2026 the EU’s Entry/Exit System registers non-EU visitors’ passport details, fingerprints and a photo the first time they enter the Schengen area, replacing passport stamps. Allow extra time at the border on your first trip; later crossings are quicker. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens are not registered.
ETIAS (not yet running): a €20 online travel authorisation for visitors who don’t need a visa, such as UK, US, Canadian and Australian citizens. It hasn’t started and no start date has been confirmed, so nobody can apply yet; ignore websites that offer to “pre-register” you for a fee.
Visa-free visitors can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area, not per country.
Official information: EU: Travel to Europe (EES & ETIAS) · Reviewed September 2026
The Ars Electronica Festival is held each September.
Buy it from a traditional bakery.
The Danube cycle path passes through Linz.
Trams and buses use a simple ticket system.
Quick answers for planning time in Linz.
A museum of art, technology and society on the Danube, known for its illuminated façade.
By the Pöstlingbergbahn from the Hauptplatz.
A tart with a nut-based pastry, jam filling and a lattice top, named after Linz.
About 1 hour 15 minutes by train.
April to October; September for the Ars Electronica Festival.
German is spoken; English is widely understood in tourist areas.
Free
Planning a wider trip? Our Austria travel guide covers getting there, costs, when to go and more.