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Voykit pocket guide · Austria
Linz
Give Linz one full day and one night as a rail stop between Vienna and Salzburg: old town, Lentos and Ars Electronica, then move on.
Linz is Austria's third-largest city and a Danube steel town that rebuilt itself as a media-art city. The baroque Hauptplatz, the Lentos glass facade and the Ars Electronica Center sit within a 20-minute walk, and the Pöstlingbergbahn climbs to the city's landmark church. Trains to Vienna and Salzburg run hourly, so most travellers use it as a one-night stop rather than a base.
- Country
- Austria
- Best months
- May–Sep, Dec (Christmas markets)
- Avoid
- Nov (grey and wet), late Jul–Aug heat spells
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Cards are widely taken, but some cafés, huts and small shops are still cash only.
- Daily spend
- Budget €55–85 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €160+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A1, Magenta and Drei are the networks; prepaid SIMs from shops and supermarkets (registration with ID).
- Emergency
- Police 133 · Ambulance 144 · Fire 122 · European emergency 112
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Same plugs as Germany; UK and US devices need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: Round up or 5–10%, told to the server when paying.; Café: Round up to the next euro.; Taxi: Round up or about 10%.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: €1–2.; Ski instructor or mountain guide: €10–20 a day for a good lesson, optional.
- Water
- Tap water is excellent. Ask for 'ein Glas Leitungswasser'; coffee in a café comes with a free glass of water.
- Toilets
- Public toilets in cities cost €0.50; cafés and museums have free ones for guests.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee in a café | €3–5 |
| Main course in a mid restaurant | €14–22 |
| Beer, 0.5 l draught | €4–5.50 |
| Linzer torte slice | €4–6 |
| Tram or bus single ride | €2.40–3 (check) |
| Museum entry (Lentos, Ars Electronica, Schlossmuseum) | €6.50–8 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €10–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- LNZ · Blue Danube Airport (Hörsching)
- Bus to Linz about 20 min, around €3; taxi €25–30; train to Hörsching €1.80 plus free shuttle (check)
- VIE · Vienna International
- Direct Railjet from the airport terminal to Linz, about 1 h 40 min
- MUC · Munich Airport
- S-Bahn to Munich Hbf, then long-distance train to Linz, about 3 h 45 min total
Typical fares
- Airport bus LNZ → Linz centre
- about €3, about 20 min (check)
- Taxi LNZ → Linz centre
- €25–30 (check)
- Pöstlingbergbahn return
- €8.50, or €12.80 with a one-day city ticket
- Train Linz → Vienna
- about €30–60, about 1 h 20 min (check)
Get around
Trams and buses cover the centre and the station; buy tickets from machines at stops or at tobacco and newspaper shops. A one-day ticket is €6 (€3 under 14), a 4-stop mini-ticket €1.50. The Pöstlingbergbahn (tram 50) climbs from Hauptplatz to the basilica. Most of the old town is walkable in 20 minutes end to end.
See and do
Known for
- Hauptplatz and Trinity Column
- Ars Electronica Center
- Lentos Museum of Art
- Pöstlingbergbahn and pilgrimage basilica
- Linzer torte
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Steyr | Train from Linz Hbf, about 40 min | About 1 h |
| Wels | Train from Linz Hbf, about 20 min | About 40 min |
| Freistadt | Train to Summerau or bus from Linz, about 1 h | About 1–1.25 h |
| Schärding | Train from Linz Hbf toward Passau, about 1 h 15 min | About 1.5 h |
| Hallstatt | Train to Attnang-Puchheim, change to Hallstatt station, then ferry | About 2.5–3 h |
| Vöcklabruck | Train from Linz Hbf, about 45 min | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Old town / Hauptplatz
- Everything walkable: Hauptplatz, Landstraße, Lentos and the castle. Quietest after dark, fewest beds.
- Hauptbahnhof area
- Best for one-night rail stops: lockers, Spar grocery, tourist info and trams into the centre in about 10 min.
- Urfahr (north bank)
- Across the Danube bridge; cheaper rooms and the Pöstlingbergbahn base at Landgutstraße.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Grüß Gottgruess got |
| Thank you | Dankedahn-kuh |
| Please | Bittebit-tuh |
| The bill, please | Die Rechnung, bittedee rekh-noong, bit-tuh |
| Can I pay by card? | Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?kahn ikh mit kar-tuh tsah-len |
| Where is the tram stop? | Wo ist die Haltestelle?voh ist dee hahl-tuh-shtel-luh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: 'Grüß Gott' or 'Guten Tag' entering shops and huts; handshakes; avoid: Walking in without a greeting
- Titles: Use Herr/Frau and academic titles in formal settings; avoid: First names with older strangers
- Coffee houses: Linger; call the waiter 'Herr Ober'; avoid: Expecting fast service
- Punctuality: Be on time; avoid: Arriving late to concerts: doors close
- Quiet: Keep voices down on public transport; avoid: Loud phone calls in trains and trams
- Mountain trails: Greet other hikers with 'Servus' or 'Grüß Gott'; avoid: Leaving gates open on pastures
Scams and watch-outs
- Nearly all shops close on Sundays except small shops at the main station.
- The Linz Card (1-day €16, 3-day €35) only pays off if you use three or more museums plus transport in a day.
- Pöstlingbergbahn return is €8.50, or €12.80 with a one-day city ticket; buy the combined ticket if you also ride trams.
- Check current opening hours for the New Cathedral and Old Cathedral before you go; both keep short daytime windows.
Linz is a safe, low-crime city by Austrian standards. The real issues are pickpockets on Landstraße and at the station, dark riverside paths at night, and Sunday closures that leave you without food or shops.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Linz yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Hauptplatz and Trinity Column
- Ars Electronica Center
- Lentos Museum of Art
- Pöstlingbergbahn and pilgrimage basilica
- Linzer torte
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Linz Tourism: www.linztourismus.at/en/leisure
- City of Linz: www.linz.at/
- Linz AG (trams, buses, Pöstlingbergbahn): www.linzag.at/portal/de/privatkunden/unterwegs/fahrplan___netz/liniennetzplan
- Blue Danube Airport Linz: www.flughafen-linz.at/
- ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways): www.oebb.at/en/
- Wikivoyage: Linz, revision 5336256 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5336256
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Linz
Zu dieser Adresse, bitte
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Austria has no US or UK embassy in Linz; embassies are in Vienna. US consular services for Upper Austria are handled from Vienna (check).
Tipping: round up or add about 10%, said to the server.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/linz). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.