Linz

Away from its industrial suburbs, Linz is a pleasant Baroque city straddling the Danube, and steadily reinventing itself as a city of technology and innovation, most evident in a couple of show-stopping new museums.

Ars Electronica Center

An unusual, tardis-like temple to science and technology, Ars Electronica Center, Ars Electronica Strasse 1 (Tues, Wed & Fri 9am–5pm, Thurs 9am–7pm, Sat & Sun 10am–6pm; €9.50) makes a trip to Linz worthwhile alone. Inside the glowing box of an exterior is an impressive series of interactive high-tech exhibits. One highlight is the Deep Space virtual-reality room with 3D projections on the walls and floor. Basement areas explore future developments in biology, materials, the brain and robots – set aside several hours and get stuck into the hands-on experiments.

Lentos

A modern addition to the city’s cultural scene nestles beside the Danube: the shimmering, hangar-like steel-and-glass Lentos, (Tues–Sun 10am–6pm, Thurs till 9pm; €8), which houses contemporary and modern art, including Klimt and Schiele.