By early evening the streets around the Hauptplatz are still busy with shoppers, and the first drinkers are settling into the cafés and bars of the old town. Later, the centre thins out and the action shifts towards the river, the harbour and the student quarters north of the Danube.
Linz is not a city that goes out cheaply in its centre, and its nightlife is spread across distinct pockets rather than concentrated in one strip. Drinking is varied, and venues outside the centre generally charge less than those in the middle. Expect a mix of traditional pubs, alternative music venues, student parties and cultural programming; the city suits visitors who want a varied evening rather than a single clubbing district.
Where to go out in Linz
1. The old town and Hauptplatz
The historic centre around the Hauptplatz and the Altstadt is where you will find large bars, pubs and cafés within walking distance of each other. It suits an unhurried evening of eating and drinking, with the option of moving on to a dance cellar or a bar with live music.
Note that drinks in the centre cost more than outside it, and that smoking is still common in Austrian bars and pubs.
2. The culture mile along the Danube
The stretch along the river, from the Brucknerhaus concert hall past the Lentos art museum to the Ars Electronica Center, is the city's main concentration of cultural venues. It suits an evening built around a performance or an exhibition rather than a bar crawl, and the stage companies here cover everything from classic opera to modern dance theatre.
The Brucknerhaus is the venue for the annual Brucknerfest and the Ars Electronica Festival.
3. The harbour and port area
The Posthof, near the port, programmes modern music, dance and comedy, and describes its offering as contemporary culture at the harbour. The Cineplexx in the harbour shows blockbusters, and Thursday is its cheapest day.
This area suits a planned evening around a specific performance or film rather than a spontaneous night out.
4. The alternative scene near the Ars Electronica Center
The Stadtwerkstatt, close to the Ars Electronica Center, is a popular meeting point for younger people with an alternative lifestyle and often hosts gigs by unknown bands. It has a café and live DJs in the evening, with local bands appearing at weekends.
Concerts take place in a stage area upstairs, away from the bar. The Kapu on Kapuzinerstrasse is a similar meeting point that began as a punk bar and still hosts gigs by little-known bands.
5. Student venues in Urfahr and Dornach
During university lecture periods, from October to January and March to June, there is a wide range of student parties across the campuses. The weekly Mensafest on Thursdays on the Johannes Kepler University campus in Dornach/Urfahr is one option, and gatherings at the Sommerhaus Hotel run during the SAICCA programme from mid-May to mid-June.
These suit visitors who want a cheap, informal night among students, and they depend on the academic calendar.
6. Pubs and small bars
The city has a scattering of pubs with distinct characters, from large bar-restaurants to small hard rock pubs. Some host occasional live music, games rooms or sports screenings, and a few have beer gardens on the street in summer.
Local beers include Zipfer, Gösser and Kaiser, and Upper Austria's Most, a still cider, is the regional drink. In winter, warm Glühwein is common.
7. Cafés and ice cream parlours
Some of the city's cafés keep evening hours and function as bars later on, with outdoor seating in summer and long drinks or cocktails alongside coffee. One ice cream shop on the Landstraße is open from March to September, Monday to Saturday, and is smoke-free.
These suit an early or low-key evening, or a stop before or after a performance.
How a night out unfolds
The sources describe DJ sets in one bar starting daily at 22:00, and one café and bar staying open until 02:00, with outdoor seating in summer until 23:00. Otherwise, the material does not specify when people eat, when they typically go out or how late venues run, so timings are best confirmed locally.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- Crossing Europe film festival – late April, focused on young European film.
- Linz Festival – at Whitsun, an open-air cultural festival in the Danube park.
- Pflasterspektakel – July, bringing clowns, acrobats and mimes onto the city's streets.
- Cloud of Sounds – September, a musical in the Donaupark.
- Ars Electronica Festival and Bruckner Festival – September.
- Urfahraner Jahrmarkt – twice yearly, in spring and autumn, described as Austria's oldest public festival.
- Linz cultural summer – June to August, with cabaret, open-air concerts and theatre on a near-daily basis in venues ranging from inner-city bars and squares to the Rose Garden.
- Christmas and New Year's markets – annually.
Frequently asked questions
Is drinking in Linz expensive?
Drinking in Linz is described as varied and not that cheap, though drinks outside the city centre cost less than in the centre.
Can you still smoke in bars in Linz?
Yes. Smoking remains very common in Austrian bars and pubs, and one hard rock pub is specifically described as having a cigarette haze.
Where do younger people go out?
The Stadtwerkstatt and the Kapu are both described as popular meeting points for young people with an alternative lifestyle, and student parties run across the university campuses during lecture periods.
What is there to drink locally?
Local beers include Zipfer, Gösser and Kaiser. Upper Austria's regional drink is Most, a still cider, and warm Glühwein is common in winter.
Check what is on at the cultural venues and in the student quarters for your dates, then plan an evening that moves from the centre towards the river or the campuses.