Pöstlingberg

The Pöstlingberg is a 539-metre hill on the left bank of the Danube in Linz, Upper Austria, and one of the city’s best-known viewpoints. The free viewing platform on fortress tower V (“Euphemia”) looks out over Linz and, in clear weather, as far as the Alps; the view only opened up after French troops cleared the summit in 1809. At the top stands the pilgrimage church, begun in 1742 and consecrated in December 1748; it has been a papal minor basilica since 1964. Fires damaged it in 1919 and 1963, and both times it was rebuilt.

The Pöstlingberg tramway has run since 1898 and takes you up from the main square in about 20 minutes. The line is roughly 4.1 kilometres long with gradients of up to 11.6 per cent, the steepest railway in Austria. The Linz Grottenbahn, housed in one of the fortress towers, is popular with children. If you arrive by motorhome or car, drive up via Urfahr; there is a signposted car park a few minutes’ walk from the platform. Check the parking options for larger vehicles in advance.