Upper Austria is largely unknown to us in the UK, unlike Vienna or Salzburg, so I took a trip out to their various regions to find out what makes this place so amazing, and trust me, it really is amazing.
Here’s everything I discovered, and you need to know about Upper Austria.
Donau Region
Flying direct in just 1 hour 45 minutes from Stanstead to Linz, I then took an hours transfer to Schlögen for a day of active biking around the Danube.
Schlögen is located on the Schlögener Schlinge, the natural loop in Upper Austria’s Danube, and there’s a viewing point high above the trees here for breathtaking views of the plush forests.
I stayed at the popular hotel, ‘Riverresort Donauschlinge’ right on the loop. It is known for its easy access to the Danube Limes World Heritage bike and walking routes.
Hiring an e-bike from just outside the hotel complex, I headed out for the day along the heritage trail around the Danube, the route is fairly flat and makes it easy for novice bikers like me. The e-bikes also give you a little boost when you need it.
Excavated Roman sites sit along the trail with 24 hour access, and top AI tech which allows you to see what would have been there all those years ago. This addition to the trail is seriously impressive and you can tell how much time and effort has been put into showcasing Austria’s rich history.
There are tonnes of routes around this part of Upper Austria and the Danube, but if you like to try local produce, then head to the Monastery in Engelhartszell and indulge in their homemade beers and schnapps. Then catch a ferry over to the fish restaurant; ‘Gasthof Luger’ for a famous 4 star meal of the freshest fish plucked straight from the Danube. Every morning the chef here catches fish from outside the restaurant, I dined on Char and Barbel, fish I’d never eaten before.
The unique techniques to prepare fish here and the waters of the Danube, make this place an absolute gem. For anyone who’s not that keen on fish, I wouldn’t worry, you can always grab a traditional schnitzel or asparagus dish.
If you’re into the arts, the ‘Schutz Museum’ sits on the side of the Danube in Engelhartszell, and is definitely a statement piece. Imagine a traditional, quaint Austrian village with a very modern arts museum protruding from the canopy of green. With artists featured from all around the world and an onsite café, this is one stop I’d recommend not missing.
Bad Schallerbach
The spa and active region, Bad Schallerbach, is around 30 minutes from Linz city and there’s so much to do in the area you could definitely spend a good five days here experiencing the wellness side of Upper Austria.
Unlike Schlögen, Bad Schallerbach is more of a town and there are central hotels like ‘Parkhotel Stroissmuller’ where I stayed. The hotel boasts a central location, perfect for exploring, huge suites with balconies and both an indoor and outdoor pool.
How about freshly baked bread with your sauna?
One of the main attractions here is their thermal spas, and ‘Eurothermen Resort’ is one of the biggest you’ll find in the area. Austrians love their wellness resorts and I definitely think the UK and Austria have that in common. However, there’s one main differencein Austria, no textiles in the saunas! (That’s no clothes!)
There are three main areas to this resort, a huge kids area with pirate ships and water slides, their Tropicana space with aquariums, cocktail bar and a large central pool, and then an adults only alpine lodge inspired section. If you’re heading to the adults only area, be aware that Austrian sauna culture is different to ours in the UK and the whole area, including both pools and sauna, are no textiles areas, yes, it took a little getting used to!
There are absolutely loads of saunas to choose from in the adults area ‘AusZeit’, I headed into the largest cider barrel in the world – ‘Most-Fassl’ which holds around 40 people. Here you are served apple slices, apple juice and cider throughout the experience, and just a warning, those saunas get way hotter than most in the UK.
One very unique experience from the day was their bread sauna, where fresh bread is cooked in the wall of the sauna! You can see and smell the bread cooking while sitting inside. Once the bread is cooked, the experience is over and you each receive an individually freshly baked traditional bread. As a foodie, I can honestly say I loved it, and I can’t image you can experience this anywhere else in the world.
Dine like the locals and grab a taxi for a 10 minutes’ drive from the town centre to ‘Mostschank Greinecker’, where you will find a traditional restaurant serving ‘Kleine Brettljause’, and stunning views of the countryside. Kleine Brettljause is essentially like our charcuterie boards, but the Austrian version, a mixture of sliced meats and cheeses local to the area. Delicious!
The owners sell their fruit to a local distillery and they in turn make cider. The bottled cider was fresh, light and crisp and I would recommend trying both this and the more raw version while dining here.
The desserts were equally as delicious and my favourite had to be the ‘Pofesen’, a French Toast of sorts with a berry jam inside – fluffy and delicious. This place felt like a slice of real Austrian home life.
Linz
‘Out of the Ashes’
Expanding mainly after 2009, Linz has gone from an old industrial town to a vibrant city of culture. In fact, they won the City of Culture in 2009 and I can see why.
Heard of the ‘Linz Symphony’? Mozart visited here and created this masterpiece within the city walls.
The largest monastery in all of Austria? Right here in Linz.
This is a city with a beautiful old town square, quaint rooftop apartments juxtaposed with street art, young bars and modern museums.
Speaking of, Ars Electronica is a must see while in the city. Floors and floors of new tech I’ve never seen anywhere else before. One whole floor is dedicated to AI and what we can achieve with it? Yep, you could spend a whole day in this place and genuinely be mind-blown by the innovative thinking and work this place supports and showcases.
There are talks throughout the day from practitioners paving the way in their fields. The museum’s Deep Space 8K exhibition is the icing on the cake, a look into our most current technology. Their team choose what is shown at each time slot. I witnessed a piece of art the size of an A4 piece of paper blown up in 8K to fill a cinema screen. This experience was awe inspiring and with 3D glasses worn for parts of this, you genuinely feel like you’re flying through space.
And finally, if you’ve got a sweet tooth like me, you can’t visit Linz without trying their Linzer Torte, a pastry dessert filled with spices and with a red berry jam inside.
As a major trading city along the Danube, Linz’s signature sweet treat is evidence of that part of their history. There’s not much I can compare the torte to but I can tell you it’s utterly delicious, and a traditional spot to get this from is ‘Café Traxlmayr’, one of its kind left in the city, it will definitely transport you back to 1847.
What did I take the most from visiting Upper Austria? Beer and schnapps come with every meal, and that’s all good with me!
Review and images by Victoria James @exploredineyorkshire
