Austria
Linz
Away-day guide
unverified draftLinz is Austria's third city, strung along the Danube between Vienna and Salzburg — an industrial town that spent the last two decades turning itself into a design and technology city, with a compact old centre and a proper new ground. LASK's Raiffeisen Arena, opened in 2023, replaced the old Gugl bowl and is a much better place to watch a European tie.
🚺 To Raiffeisen Arena
The ground is on the Froschberg hill south-west of the centre, beside the old Gugl stadium — about 25–30 minutes' walk from the Hauptplatz, or a tram down Landstraße and a bus up the hill. A taxi from the centre is €10–12.
- Nearest stop
- Gugl / Froschberg stops on the hill; trams on Landstraße for the connection
- Lines
- Linz AG buses towards Froschberg; trams along Landstraße
- Walk from centre
- 28 min
- Parking
- Very limited around the ground and the residential streets on the hill are restricted on matchday — use public transport or walk up.
Public transport
Linz AG runs trams, trolleybuses and buses, and the tram down Landstraße is the spine of the city. A single ticket is around €2.60 and a day ticket roughly double that; buy from the machines at stops or in the app and validate as you board. Austrian ticket inspections are frequent and unsentimental. The centre is walkable, and the ground is 25–30 minutes on foot from the Hauptplatz or a short ride out towards Froschberg. The Pöstlingbergbahn, one of the steepest adhesion railways in Europe, climbs to the church on the hill and is worth the fare for the view.
Typical prices
- Beer (0.5L)
- EUR 4.8
- Coffee
- EUR 3.6
- Meal, mid-range
- EUR 22
- Taxi from airport
- EUR 30
- Single transit ticket
- EUR 2.6
✈ Airports & cheaper alternatives
- Linz Airport (Blue Danube) LNZ primary 13 km A shuttle bus and regional trains link the airport with Linz Hauptbahnhof in about 20 minutes; a taxi is €25–35. Very few scheduled routes — check whether anything flies your way before assuming this is the answer.
- Vienna International Airport VIE alternative 190 km Train from the airport to Wien Hauptbahnhof, then a railjet to Linz — around two hours in total, and cheaper booked in advance with ÖBB Sparschiene fares. The realistic option for most travelling fans: every airline flies to Vienna and the train is fast, frequent and comfortable.
- Salzburg Airport SZG alternative 130 km Bus into Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, then a railjet to Linz in about 1 hour 10 minutes. Well served from the UK, especially in winter; an easy alternative if the fares work.
- Munich Airport MUC alternative 250 km S-Bahn into Munich, then a direct railjet to Linz in about two and a half hours. Worth checking for long-haul or cheaper connections; the through train makes it painless if slow.
🍺 Supporters' pubs
LASK
Home fans: LASK's support drinks in the old town before games — the Bermudadreieck bars and the places around the Hauptplatz — and heads up to Froschberg together; the bars on the approach roads near the ground fill from a couple of hours before kick-off.
Away fans: The Hauptplatz and the Danube-side bars are neutral, comfortable and well used to visiting fans, and it is a manageable walk or a short bus ride to the ground from either. Austrian cities are relaxed about colours in the centre.
Linz's senior club, back among Austria's best over the past few seasons and playing at the new Raiffeisen Arena rather than the old Gugl stadium next door.
Sourced from supporters' forums — always follow your club's and police advice for the fixture.
Nightlife
The bar quarter is the Bermudadreieck — the 'Bermuda triangle' of narrow streets in the old town near the Hauptplatz, where a dozen bars sit within two minutes of each other and the evening tends to disappear. Along the Danube, the Donaulände fills with people in summer and has open-air bars; the Ars Electronica Center and the Lentos museum light up the river at night. It is a smaller, quieter scene than Vienna's, but the beer is good and the prices are reasonable by Austrian standards.
Food & drink
Upper Austrian cooking: schnitzel, Knödel, Bauernschmaus, and the Linzer Torte — a lattice-topped almond and redcurrant tart claimed as the oldest cake recipe in the world, and sold in every café in town. Add Most, the local farmhouse cider, and the beer from the region's breweries. Café Traxlmayr is the grand old coffee house for a Melange and a slice of the Torte; the Danube beer gardens do the summer version.
Cheap eats & beer
Austria is not cheap, but Linz is better than Vienna. Lunch menus (Mittagsmenü) run €10–14 on weekdays and are the best value going. Würstelstand sausage stands, kebab shops and bakery snacks cover €5–8. A half-litre of beer is €4–5 in a bar, less in the student places and the Danube gardens, and around €1.20 from a supermarket — note that Austrian supermarkets shut on Sundays entirely, so stock up on Saturday.
Staying safe
Linz is safe, orderly and quiet, and away fans are treated well. The practical points are Austrian ones: validate your transport ticket or expect a fine, do not jaywalk in front of police, and remember that shops close on Sundays and public holidays. Austrian stewards and police manage away support firmly but fairly; pyro is heavily punished. The Danube cycle path is busy — look before crossing it.
On matchday
LASK play at the Raiffeisen Arena on the Froschberg, next to the old Gugl stadium, about 25–30 minutes' walk south-west of the Hauptplatz or a short tram and bus ride. It holds around 19,000, is steep and close to the pitch, and is a genuine improvement on the athletics ground it replaced. Away fans get a designated sector with their own entrance and an escort from the centre for the bigger ties; ID and ticket checks are routine, and beer is sold inside. For a big European night, get to the ground early — the approach roads up the hill are narrow.
This city guide is still being fact-checked — some details may be inaccurate.