48 hours in Linz

WHY GO NOW?

WHY GO NOW?

Because Linz is on the point of emerging from the shadows. Extensively bombed in 1945, and later occupied by the Americans and Soviet Union, Austria's third city has been imaginatively rebuilt. And this week Linz becomes Europe's latest low-cost airline destination.

BEAM DOWN

Ryanair (0871 246 0000, www.ryanair.com) begins a daily service from Stansted on Thursday, with fares typically costing around £80 return. Linz's Blue Danube Airport is 12km south-west of the city; its tourist information office opens 5am-11pm daily. From Monday to Saturday, the airport bus service into town connects with the inbound flight, and leaves from directly outside the arrivals hall. The fare for the 20-minute journey is €2.10 (£1.50). It stops near most of the city-centre hotels. On Sundays, it is replaced by a free shuttle bus to the local railway station, from where an hourly service takes you to the Hauptbahnhof, the main station for €1.40 (£1). The taxi fare from the airport to the city centre is about €23 (£17).

GET YOUR BEARINGS

Linz lies on a bend of the Danube, and the great river is entirely responsible for the city's development as a port and trading centre, which dates back to Roman times. The city spreads across both banks, but the hub is south of the river, where all roads lead to the imposing Baroque square of Hauptplatz (formerly known as Adolf-Hitler-Platz after the Führer's triumphant return to his favourite town in 1938). The main tourist office (00 43 70 7070 1777, www.linz.at) is in the Old Town Hall , the Altes Rathaus, at Hauptplatz 5. It opens 8am-6pm from Monday to Friday, 10am-6pm at weekends (an hour later between October and April). Consider buying a Linz City Ticket for €20 (£15), which provides entry to a wide range of museums, a ride on the mountain railway, a day ticket for the central tram route, and a €10 (£7.50) voucher accepted by most restaurants.

CHECK IN

Ryanair's imminent arrival appears to have sparked a price war between the city's biggest establishments, three of which offer special rates if you book through the airline's dedicated hotel website (www.ryanairhotels.com). For instance, Linz's main business hotel, Schillerpark on Schillerplatz (00 43 7326 950, www.oberoesterreich.at/schillerpark) has reduced the price of some double rooms through this website from £135 to £73.50. The former convent that is now Hotel Wolfinger at Hauptplatz 19 (00 43 732 773 291, www.hotelwolfinger.at) has the best location, with a stately breakfast room overlooking the main square and bedrooms overlooking a hidden courtyard; €114 (£81) for a double. Hotel Kolping at Gesellenhausstrasse 5 (00 43 732 661 690, www.oberoesterreich.at/kolping-linz) is an attractive three-star option, with good-size rooms and even a three-lane bowling alley; doubles €95 (£68). On a budget, the best bet could be the Wilder Mann at Goethestrasse 14 (00 43 732 656 078, www.members.aon.at/wilder-mann) with clean, simple rooms for €48 (£34) for a double. All these rates include breakfast.

TAKE A HIKE

From the Hauptplatz head west down Klosterstrasse passing the Mozart House and turn right into the enclosed, intimate Altstadt - a labyrinthine, cobble-stoned old quarter. Take the steps up the narrow Hofberg to the Schloss and carry on up the Romerstrasse to one of Austria's oldest churches, the 8th-century Martinskirche . If it's closed, you can view the church's interior through a glass door. If it's open, have a look at the Roman oven excavated in 1947 and viewable through glass casing in the floor of the nave. Head back east to the Promenade, home of the State Theatre , and turn right on to Herrenstrasse until you reach the Neuer Dom .

LUNCH ON THE RUN

Try at least one of the dozens of coffee houses, many of which serve full meals. Cafe Jindrak at Herrenstrasse 22 produces the celebrated local speciality of Linzertorte, a pastry with raspberry jam and almonds. Stadtbrau Josef at Landstrasse 49 does an all-you-can-eat brunch from Monday to Friday between 11am and 3pm for €6.90 (£5). In the Arkade look out for the cafe-cum-deli Nothaft City Snack for home-made wienerschnitzel and many varieties of the local sausage meat, leberkase, served with a warmed roll, cheese, spinach and mustard for only €1.70 (£1.20). For vegetarians, self-service Mangolds at Hauptplatz 6 has an extensive range of inexpensive hot dishes and salads.

CULTURAL AFTERNOON

Adolf Hitler, who was born nearby and studied (without distinction) in Linz, returned to the city in 1938 and, encouraged by an enthusiastic reception, stood on a balcony of the Old Town Hall and announced the Anschluss, subsuming Austria into his Third Reich. Since 1945, the city has endeavoured to play down its Nazi heritage, and only one of Linz's 10 museums makes anything of it at all: the LinzGenesis at Hauptplatz 1, but if you don't speak German you'll need a guide. It opens 9am-1pm and 2-6pm from Monday to Friday. Those who prefer modern art to modern history should head for the Lentos Kunstmuseum on the south bank of the river at Ernst-Koref-Promenade 1 (00 43 732 7070 3600, www.lentos.at, open daily except Tuesdays 10am-6pm and 10am-10pm on Thursdays). This stunning new glass-clad building houses a world-class collection of 20th-century paintings, photographs and sculptures, including works by Picasso, Warhol, and Austrian favourite Gustav Klimt. Admission €6.50 (£4.60).

WINDOW SHOPPING

Look no further than the two parallel streets of Landstrasse and Herrenstrasse, and the impressive Arkade shopping mall which seamlessly connects them, even though the streets are on different levels. International outlets rub shoulders with local emporia, but bear in mind that the latter tend to close early on Saturdays (1pm) and don't open at all on Sundays. On the Landstrasse, Eduscho is of interest: a coffee shop that, bizarrely, also sells vacuum cleaners, lava lamps and DVD players. Opposite the Carmelite Church, Pirngruber is the place to stock up with CDs of Mozart and the local 19th-century composer Anton Bruckner.

AN APERITIF

The area immediately west of the main square, heavily populated with bars and clubs, is known as the Bermuda Triangle, because visitors tend to go missing there. S'Kistl at Altstadt 17 is owned by one of Linz's leading wine experts, and is next door to the house where Mozart wrote his 36th Symphony (see "Icing on the Cake").

DINNER WITH THE LOCALS

Upper Austrian food is on the heavy side, with red meat as the staple and extensive use of dumplings (knodel), but by British standards it's cheap. Keintzel at Rathausgasse 6-8 (00 43 732 777 550) serves wienerschnitzel in many different forms: pork, veal, turkey or chicken. Three courses and a drink should cost around €25 (£18). Goldener Anker at Hofgasse 5 (00 43 732 771 088) is a family run place that's been serving the locals for more than 400 years. Its speciality, kaiserchmorren - a kind of scrambled pancake - is a filling dessert with accompanying pots of cooked apple and plums. Next to the State Theatre , the Promenaden Hof at Promenade 39 (00 43 732 777 661) has a candle-lit wine cellar where you select your own bottle. A house speciality is truffles with ham and cheese gratin.

SUNDAY MORNING: GO TO CHURCH

The 19th-century Gothic-style Neuer Dom at Herrenstrasse 26, is so vast that services in the chilly winter are mainly held in side chapels. It can accommodate 20,000 worshippers - the same capacity as the city's football stadium - but the steeple was left a metre or two lower than St Stephen's in Vienna so that the capital would retain the distinction of having Austria's tallest cathedral. It has a colourful array of stained-glass windows, one of which tells a pictorial story of the city's history. The main Sunday service is at 10am; the cathedral is open 8am-6pm daily.

OUT TO BRUNCH

Linz has an old-fashioned approach to Sundays - and largely shuts down for the day, so a decent brunch can be elusive. Try the riverside terrace at the Arcotel at Untere Donaulande 9 (00 43 732 76260), where you can view the Danube river traffic at close quarters while consuming a generous meal between 11.30am and 2pm. More central is Glockenspiel at Hauptplatz 18 (00 43 732 795399), which chimes a tune from its roof every hour, and opens 8.30am-midnight.

A WALK IN THE PARK

A short climb above the Altstadt takes you to the city's Schloss, or fortress , standing proudly on a promontory overlooking the Danube. The Schloss Café at Tummelplatz 10 (open 10am-midnight every day) has an attractive courtyard for alfresco eating and drinking.

TAKE A RIDE

Low-lying Linz gets a surprising mention in the Guinness Book of Records as having the steepest mountain railway in the world. With neither pulleys nor cables to prevent it slipping, the quaint electric Postlingberg train gains 255m in height in a journey of less than 3km, tackling a gradient of nearly 1:10 as it clanks to almost the summit of the mountain that dominates the city. This narrow-gauge marvel has been making the 16-minute journey since 1898, and runs up and down the hill three times every hour, 10am to 5pm from November to March (9am-7pm between April and October). To get there, take tram 3 from the city centre to its terminus opposite the picturesque 19th-century station on Landgustrasse. The return fare is €3.20 (£2.30) or €5 (£3.60) including the tram ride. On a clear day, the view from the top of the Postlingberg is superb, with the city and the wide sweep of the Danube filling the foreground, and the snow-capped Alps on the horizon. At the top of the mountain there's a good restaurant, cafés and beer gardens.

THE ICING ON THE CAKE

Mozart stayed in Linz for two periods in his short life. In 1783, he was persuaded to write a piece of music about the city, and in three, four or five days (depending on which guide you believe) he knocked out the Linzer Sinfonie. The composer's efforts are nicely commemorated in a courtyard at Klosterstrasse 20 . There's a bust on the wall and by pressing the button beside it you can hear a section of the master's work.

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