The most beautiful cities in Austria

Welcome to one of Europe’s most beautiful countries. Austria’s landscapes, regions and townscapes provide almost the full range of European variety in the centre of the continent. Austria is often associated, rightly, with winter sports, but there is so much more on offer. Its alpine areas are rugged and picturesque, but that’s far from being the whole story.

Linz

Linzer Schloß was the favourite residence of the emperor Friedrich III and traces of his palace remain today around the rebuilding of Rudolf II and 21st century museum spaces. Nearby on the hill is the tiny early Gothic Martinskirche, one of Austria's oldest churches.

Far more imposing Baroque churches dominate the city streets, but the largest of all is the mighty Neogothic Mariä-Empfängnis-Dom. The Renaissance Landhaus and its arcaded courtyard are on the edge of the old town and the city's grand houses have made their prestige statement for centuries.

If Salzburg is the city of Mozart, Linz is the city of Anton Bruckner. The organist and composer was born nearby 200 years ago and the city's orchestra, concert house and music festival are all named for him. The city has a powerful arts profile led by the Lentos museum, the Francisco Carolinum, the Ars Electronica Center in media arts and the open-air Mural Harbor in street art.

To explore the darker side of the 20th century, take a trip to the memorial for concentration camp Mauthausen, which was centre of a system in which tens of thousands of prisoners were put to work or put to death over an eight-year period.

For a commanding view of the city and the Danube valley of upper Austria, take the Pöstlingbergbahn tram to the top of the hill, where the Wallfahrtsbasilika looks out over the city.