Linz - Austria

The Hauptplatz in Linz

Dubbed Austria's third City behind Salzburg and the capital, Vienna, Linz is a pretty place with plenty of character, if not the most exciting.

I was lucky to be staying close to the centre, which like so many of the world's great cities, has a river running straight through the middle of it. In this case, it is the Danube, close to the Czech border.

I was expecting Austria to be cold, being November, but Linz in particular was bitterly cool. My first morning run saw me head straight for the river. From my hotel, my route took me through the main town square (above). Approximately 7 minutes of running and I was at the South Bank of the Danube.

The Lentos Modern Art Museum across the Danube

I continued for approximately 3 miles, taking in some football matches which were being played on pitches a matter of feet from the water strangely. I was forced to cross over the river as there were works taking place on the footpath along the bank.

I headed back along the North bank from where I got a great view of the city. There seemed to be endless amount of spires on the horizon.

Around 3.2 miles later I reached the main bridge into the heart of the city, which lead me past the Lentos Modern Art Museum, situated on the South Bank, (which was illuminated at night - pictured above) until I reached the main square.

Picturesque Linz - colder than it looks!

In the week I was in Linz, I did this run six times, twice of which at night, with the milage around 7.9 miles in total. I would highly recommend this route along both banks to anyone visiting Linz.

The terrain is very flat, mainly a soft asphalt and grass, with stunning views of the city and river. There were also seperate paths for cyclists and pedestrians which meant a stress free run!

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Summary:

Start - Muhlviewtierhof, 32 Graben (Street)

Journey - 1.1km north west to Danube River through Hauptplatz.

Along south bank of river for your desired distance (there are numerous bridges to cross). Cross river, back along north bank to Nibelungenbrucke, cross, back through Hauptplatz.

Finish - 2 Klosterstrasse