Upper Austria

Upper Austria lies at the heart of Austria and combines Danube landscapes, Salzkammergut lakes, lively cities, old trade routes, and a powerful industrial history. Between Linz, Steyr, Wels, Lake Traunsee, Lake Attersee, and the mountains of the southern region, a federal state full of contrasts unfolds. For guided tours, Upper Austria is especially fascinating because nature, technology, urban development, crafts, salt history, industry, Baroque culture, and modern art are closely connected here.

Linz, the Danube and modern culture

The capital Linz is a key to understanding Upper Austria. Located on the Danube, the city tells of trade, transport, industry, political history, and cultural change. The historic center with its main square, old town, and castle shows the older layers of the city, while places such as the Ars Electronica Center, the Lentos Art Museum, and the Tabakfabrik stand for the future, media art, and creative urban development.

Salzkammergut, lakes and salt history

In the south of Upper Austria lies part of the Salzkammergut, one of Austria’s most impressive cultural landscapes. Places such as Hallstatt, Bad Ischl, Gmunden, and Lake Traunsee combine lakes, mountains, summer retreats, imperial history, and millennia-old salt production. Hallstatt in particular stands for a unique connection between archaeology, mining, landscape, and world heritage.

Steyr, industrial history and regional variety

Another important place is Steyr, a town at the meeting point of the Enns and Steyr rivers. Its old town tells of trade, iron processing, burgher houses, crafts, and industrialization. Upper Austria is still strongly shaped by industry, technology, and innovation, yet also by rural areas, monasteries, farmsteads, river valleys, and quiet cultural landscapes.

The regional diversity is especially appealing: the Mühlviertel with granite landscapes, hills, brewing culture, and border history; the Innviertel with Baroque towns, beer tradition, and Bavarian-Austrian connections; the Hausruckviertel with gentle landscapes and energy history; and the southern Alpine region with lakes, mountains, and spa traditions. Upper Austria offers an exceptional mix of nature, economic history, everyday culture, technology, and regional identity.