Give Linz A Chance

Explore Austria: Linz, a riverfront state capital with dynamic culture, betwixt Munich, Salzburg, Prague, Vienna, and the Alps

Like any good city tour, we will begin in a gummy bear factory. Linz, the capital of Upper Austria, boasts three such establishments (sweetware manufacturers, technically). Gummy candies are just the beginning: licorice, lollipops, lions, love hearts—all friends of sugar can live it up in Linz. Another sweet treat, the Linzertorte or Linz Tart, originated here as well—and according to serious sources such as the state museum and the Austrian tourism bureau, is the oldest documented pastry recipe in the entire world. True or not, Linz is renowned in Austria as a confectionery paradise.

Alas, Linz, Austria’s third-largest city, didn’t always carry such a sweet reputation. When I first visited around 2020, outsiders trotted out the worn saying “In Linz, it stinks” (In Linz, da stinkt’s), due to the area’s heavy industrial base. But Linz has cleaned up. Today, although steelmaking and factories abound, environmental controls have cleared out the haze of past generations, and lighter manufacturing—such as sweets—has grown. Even the noxious old cigarette factory has morphed into a high-tech creative space.

Linz, city population 215,000 plus another 100,000 in the surroundings, sits as the most centrally located of Austria’s nine state capitals. Like Vienna further east, it controls a strategic turn along the Danube, with the old Celtic name Lentos (meaning river bend) evolving into Roman Lentia and later variations Lints, Lintz, and Linze, until we arrive at today’s Linz. Some locals also state that Linz derives from Links, which is German for left, referring to a left-hand curve downriver from the original fortress settlement.

Equidistant between Salzburg and Vienna at an hour-twenty each on high-speed rail, with its own international airport and several major Autobahn routes nearby—and easy access to the Alps, Munich, and Prague—Linz hosts many a global conference and is a convenient staging point for travelers in Central Europe. Locally popular destinations such as the Sankt Florian Monastery and the medieval city center of Wels are under a half-hour away, while Czech sites like the Old City of Český Krumlov (historically Krumau) and the brewing capital of České Budějovice (historically Budweis) are just over an hour north¹.

I take advantage of Linz’s central location to visit several times per week to work, take Portuguese lessons, socialize, run errands, or attend comedy and cultural events at one of the city’s handful of English-predominant bars. Although it lacks the elegance of Salzburg and the hustle-bustle of Vienna, Linz can be a charming, fun place for all ages and backgrounds.

I won’t exaggerate: nobody should make a special trip just to see Linz. But if you’re in the area, it’s worthwhile to drop in. You can see:

• The second-highest cathedral in Austria, the Mariendom, which hosts outdoor concerts, community gatherings, and of course church services.

  

• Tons of high-class shopping malls. Which sounds tacky if you hail from a suburban environment, but if you’ve ever seen a Central European shopping center, you know you’re in for a treat: artisanal stores, butchers, bakers, Asian buffets, wine shops, traditional clothing, plus all the usual supermarkets, chain stores, and pharmacies.

• Not just the Danube, but a second major river, the Traun, running through the city, providing ample parks and forests.

• A huge, beautiful castle smack in the city center, with free entry on the grounds, and a fascinating underground walk through the old dungeons.

• A late-medieval to early-Renaissance mixture in the Old City, and a completely avant-garde and striking architectural theme along the river.

  

• All of the typical small city tourist amenities such as a local fun train, many historical and art museums, a visitor’s center, ethnic restaurants, fine dining, parks, public restrooms, festivals, congress centers, and every kind of lodging imaginable.

  

• A major, modern university, Johannes Kepler, not in the main part of the city, boasting its own high-tech design and trendy student village. Plus a university of the arts, a private university, and several technical colleges—co-ed life is alive and well here, but without the students-only vibes one might find in places like Boulder, Colorado, or Oxford, England.

• Numerous hills and small mountains in the city limits, including one with a fairytale-themed train ride, the Pöstlingberg. Local buses and trams run up to all of the developed peaks, so you can get the view without the effort if you prefer!

• A huge swathe of sandy beaches from May to October, with river swimming, night festivals, and cold beverages for sale everywhere. Linz gets quite warm, averaging highs of 80°F or 27°C in the Summer.

  

• A hilltop botanical garden, major stadium, and Olympic training center all in the same neighborhood.

• Professional hockey or soccer games, or big-name concerts, for cheap. Sitting near the middle of Austria and along key transportation corridors, major events often occur in Linz, bringing big-city fun at small-city prices.

• The Linzer Bier brewery. Try some—Linzer is the Grain Belt or PBR of Austria.

• The Tabakfabrik, a converted cigarette manufacturing empire that now houses creative spaces, clubhouses, second-hand stores, cafes, and small manufacturers.

• And an absolutely jam-packed festival season running…the entire year! From alternative events to family-friendly clown and LARPing parties, you can find something for everyone, for free, in every season.

  

What makes Linz special is the mixture of characteristics from varied parts of Austria and neighboring countries, so you get a taste of Central European life, without having to swim in a sea of tourists or pay inflated prices. Linz offers some version of almost everything Vienna or Prague might have, just toned down.

For example, we enjoy Indian food—it’s one of the cuisines we miss most from the US. Whereas the Indian restaurants in Salzburg are expensive, the ones in Linz are down-home places with friendly owners, offering lunch specials for ten bucks.

I suspect the world will hear more from Linz in the future. The universities are growing, as is the city. The entire Danube valley through Austria has been heavily populated since Roman times, and continues to serve as a main east-west throughway of Europe—whether by road, rail, or riverboat. As young workers and families are priced out of Vienna and Salzburg, many have moved to the Linz area where rents are half and travel is efficient. Conversely, some Linzers commute to the bigger cities east and west—living in Linz opens up work options in the majority of Austria’s labor markets. You’re also in the Alps in under and hour, or north to Czechia just as quickly. People around the world dream of visiting Prague—when you live in Linz, you could easily pop up there every weekend.

As I ride Linz’s trams and buses across the urban rivers, I marvel at how much open space there is along the Danube and Traun. In Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Salzburg, I would have never imagined waterfront land not in use. I don’t mean parks, I mean parking lots and unkempt grass fields that sometimes host circuses or impromptu local gatherings. Someday that will all be developed, and those who bought a home in Linz in this era will be sitting on a valuable nest egg. You can also take a bus to the north end of the city and be 600 meters or 2000 feet high, marveling at the pines and the clear views. Or head west towards Leonding and stroll through the vineyards and orchards abutting the edge of the city.

Yes, the entire eastern side of the city remains industrial. But one day that will clear out and gentrify, or continue to clean up and provide jobs in the new tech world, just as the rest of the city has done. Because of the strict environmental standards in modern Austria, there is no longer widespread disdain towards steelmaking or the other industrial uses of the area, or towards blue-collar jobs. For all of the young people and newcomers to Linz, they know nothing but a clean city with plentiful factory and technical employment.

I’m obviously bullish on Linz’s prospects—it could easily be another Vienna one day—but again, it’s not such an amazing place that you need to make a trip there. It’s just so central—not just for Austria, but for Europe as a whole—and you will likely pass through if you’re ever visiting the Eastern Alps, Czechia, Bavaria, or other big cities in Austria. When you do, you’ll have several days’ worth of attractions to explore, and a fantastic Old City to wander. And don’t forget those three candy factories too!

1. Yes, Budweiser Beer in the US takes its name from Budweis, Bohemia, formerly part of Austria. The original Budweiser beer still brewed in Budějovice had to change its name to Budvar due to lawsuits, but now has won the right in many markets to call itself “Budweiser Budvar” again.