| Viewed Vienna? Seen Salzburg? Then check out Adrian Gillan’s OutUK guide to two lesser known Austrian gems: gorgeous Graz and luscious Linz. | |
LINZSoon to be rightfully crowned European Capital of Culture (2009), grab a Linz City Ticket to see its main sights. Hop on the Linz City Express, a yellow buggy-train that will destroy your street cred so just let go and enjoy as it trundles you around the Old Town at a decrepit snail’s pace; browse Kokoschka and Klimt and the latest young stars at the brand new museum of modern art, the Lentos Kunstmuseum. |
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Check out the flight simulator at the Ars Electronica Center
across the Danube; and take a river
trip, or a steep tram ride up the Pöstlingberg hill for stunning views back
over the city and entire river valley.
BED & BOARDRun by a straight but joyously gay-friendly manager, Austria-Trend Hotel Schillerpark will lodge you in style near scene and sites. Take a luxury suite on the upper floors overlooking Schillerpark itself; take pot luck at the adjoining casino; enjoy a drink at the Lobby Bar or superb dishes at the light-and-airy Primo Piano restaurant. | |
| To get your gay bearings, pop into HOSI Linz on Schubertstrasse - a fab LGBT community hub, library, support and information service, organising social groups and conferences. A short walk north of HOSI, Gasthaus Gosser Stub’n on Starhembergstraße is a fun gastro-bar with mixed, gay-friendly crowd. |
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CLUBS & BARSNext door to the Gosser Stub’n, stalwart bar Blue Heaven boasts a small dance-floor and darkroom. A further short walk north, Coffee Corner on Bethlehemstraße is a friendly, mixed evening café-bar for all ages. Next door, B30 is another boy-girl mixed bar, with dancefloor.Yet further north of Coffee Corner and B30, recently-opened style bar INSAS on Rathausgasse - in a lovely intimate vaulted space in the heart of the Old Town, near the Danube – offers atmosphere and gets crammed with cuties! Stone Wall on Rainerstraße provides a fitting climax to any queer evening in Linz, with a bright style bar above plus pulsing basement disco below ‘til 4am, writhing with young’ns. Older ones, when desperate, spill out into Volksgarten just over the road, to “take airs”. GETTING THERERyanair fly direct to both Graz and Linz from London Stansted and you can fly direct from other UK airports on Austrian, bmi or Lufthansa and save money on your ticket at ebookers. We have a great selection of hotels in Linz at special online rates through our partners Bookings. | |
THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK |