Austria’s third largest city, Linz, is set to become big, as, along with Vilnius in Lithuania, it was 2009’s European Capital of Culture.

Linz sits astride the Danube river in Upper Austria, towards the Czech Republic border, and roughly halfway between Salzburg and Vienna. Long over-shadowed by its more traditional big sisters, Linz was overdue recognition as a tourist destination.

With a thriving economy, a diverse cultural scene, and over 60% of the city made up of green spaces, the quality of life here is high, making it perfect for a weekend break or stopover on a tour of Austria.

From its Baroque architecture and its medieval city centre, to its buzzing arts scene, Linz has plenty to explore…

Top 5 sights and attractions

Pick up the Linz City Ticket if you plan to see lots of sights, as it More...

Guide books and maps are, of course, necessary if we are to get the best from our holidays. They tell us what to see and how to get there, and if we buy them early enough they can also help us choose a good hotel in a convenient location.

The best ones do provide information on a wide range of places to see, even if some guides limit their contents to the most obvious and invariably overcrowded ones. But returning from holidays it's nice to bring back memories of places which, whilst not in the “must-see” league, speak more to us than the better known or historically and artistically more important sights. Here are my three from Vienna.

Beethoven's house
On Mölker Bastei, perched high up above the western part of the Ring is Pasqualatihaus, one the houses where Beethoven used to live. One of several houses, because the great composer was not the easiest of tenants and frequently had to change his lodgings; he tallied up over 30 addresses in his 35 years in Vienna. Apparently cleanliness was not one of his strong points – one cannot somehow imagine a sonata in B-flat, More...