Linz and Salzburg are the biggest cities in north-western part of Austria. They are only an hour away from each other so we could get to know them in a few days.
Linz is connected with the Danube river that was giving home to people for centuries, even Romans started settling there. Linz was once a boring industrial centre and a lively port but is now also known as educational and cultural centre. Linz was an European capital of culture in 2009 and it met some big changes in that year. They renovated buildings, industrial areas were brought to life, they fixed up many parks and opened a few new museums. Ars Electronica Center was the one I found more attractive. Every science and new technology fan should stop there. They present new achievements and knowledge. A modern building is also an every-year meeting place of technologically-oriented artists at September festival Ars Electronica. It was built right above the Danube hill and overlooks at the old city centre. The museum is especially attractive at night when it is lighted with different colours and light effects. The same idea was also used on the modern gallery Lentos on the opposite hill. A shopping street Landstrasse is running by and the most interesting part of the street begins at the big square with plague column. The traffic is limited to trams. Because of them the smaller streets became more attractive that run parallel and are also home of many shops, restaurants and coffee shops. Many parks and an attractive botanic gardens are also waiting for you in Linz. If you like to run, bike or just walk, there are many paths by the river Danube that lead from the city centre to the big port. The port was also livened up with many art projects, mostly with big murals. Danube river invites you to see the city from the water on one of the tourist boats.
We could sleep in
HI hostel but because it was raining, we decided to look for the sun in 150 kilometre far Salzburg. The weather was better and we found an accommodation in one of the four
HI hostels, not far from the city centre on Aigner street. The hostel is located in a calm neighbourhood and is surrounded by a big park. We were kindly welcomed at the reception and they gave us all the needed information for exploring the city, despite the late hour. We rented a room with three beds and a big bathroom with two sinks. They were very useful. The hostel’s long hallways, a staircase and the dining room were livened up by mosaics. The breakfast also stood out, they offered enough choice even for vegetarians.
The wi-fi was available only close to the reception where one will also find a room for hanging out. But this isn’t a minus as you have an opportunity to chat with other guests.
Nearby is a bus stop so we parked the car on a free parking lot and explored the city by bus. But for a start we started just walking to the city centre, which is 20 minutes away, through one of the most green parts of the cities with a quiet neighbourhood and some parks.
If we ate Linz cake in Linz, the greatest temptation in Salzburg were Mozartkugels. Yes, a lot of things are running around the most famous citizen, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. We visited his birth house, his museum, were amazed by the souvenirs, walked on the Mozart Square where you can find a tourist office. There are also many baroque buildings, churches, palaces and mansions around the square. The most attractive is definitely Mirabell. You can find it on the other side of river Salzah that divides the city. If you like mansions, you also have to visit the castle on the panoramic hill and mansion Hellbrun about 5 kilometres outside of the city. Its specialty are parks with waterfalls and fountains that were once a form of fun for aristocrats. The mansion is also called baroque Disneyland.
Salzburg got its name after the salt mines nearby that brought big wealth to the city. Today Salzburg is a university city with many festivals that don’t just showcase classical music. Salzburg definitely offers many reasons to visit it.
While getting to know both cities, we used these two tourist discount cards:
As usual, they offer free entrance to many museums, free city buses and trams, discounts at hostels, restaurants, events, tours and many more.
