Located on the Danube River, Linz, which has been founded as the Roman settlement Lentia, has been continuously inhabited for over two millennia. It is the capital of Upper Austria, and with roughly 210,000 inhabitants the major hub in the Linz-Wels-Steyr metropolitan region, which is home to more than half a million people. The region developed into a major industrial center over the last two centuries, particularly in steel production, logistics, or automation, and is considered the industrial stronghold of Austria with world-wide operating companies such as VoestAlpine, Rosenbauer, Engel, Pöttinger, or KEBA. Today, it lies at a key intersection of European transport routes, linking major east-west and north-south corridors by road, rail, and river shipping. Linz is home to five Universities and two Universities of Applied Sciences, hosting a student body of over 30.000 students. With JKU named after Johannes Kepler (JKU), who conducted significant scientific works contributing to the laws of planetary motion in Linz, and IT:U, CHIWORK’26 is hosted by both the largest (JKU) and youngest (IT:U) Upper Austrian Universities. Linz is also recognized as a UNESCO City of Media Arts and hosts the annual Ars Electronica Festival, which focuses on innovation at the intersection of technology and society and is one of the world’s leading venues for digital arts.
Upper Austria Region
If you have additional time to spend in the area, Upper Austria is a great place for discovering the Alps. Not by accident, the Habsburg emperors built their summer residency in Bad Ischl in the Salzkammergut, where some of the most scenic Alpine lakes are located. Top places to visit are, amongst many others, Traunsee, Attersee, Hallstädter See, Steyr old town, St. Florian Abbey, or the Dachstein Glacie.
Venue
The CHIWORK conference will take place at the Ars Electronica Center, Ars-Electronica-Straße 1, 4040 Linz, Austria. Located directly on the Danube, the Ars Electronica Center is Linz’s “museum of the future” and a landmark venue for exploring the intersections of art, technology, and society.
Getting to Linz
By train from Vienna Airport. Vienna International Airport is a convenient arrival airport for Linz. ÖBB Railjet and InterCity trains connect Vienna Airport with Linz via Vienna Main Station; the fastest connection between Vienna Airport and Linz takes about 1 hour 40 minutes. The airport train station is directly connected to the terminal area.
By train from Vienna. Linz is located on Austria’s main east–west railway corridor. From Vienna, ÖBB long-distance trains run directly to Linz at least twice per hour, including fast Railjet Xpress services.
By train from Germany. Linz is well connected to Germany by long-distance rail. From southern Germany, ÖBB Railjet services connect Munich – Salzburg – Linz – Vienna; from central and northern Germany, travelers can reach Linz via ICE and long-distance services through hubs such as Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Passau, Munich, and Salzburg. ÖBB lists direct ICE service between Frankfurt and Linz, but notes that construction work in Germany may affect some 2026 schedules, so participants should check current timetables before booking.
ÖBB Nightjet. ÖBB is one of the most modern providers of night trains in Europe. Major Cities like Amsterdam, Paris, or Hamburg offer direct overnight connections.
By train from Switzerland. Direct trains from Zürich HB to Linz are available, with a journey time of around 6.5 hours. Sargans–Linz takes around 5.5 hours.
By air via Linz Airport. Linz Airport / Flughafen Linz is a smaller regional airport west of the city. It offers scheduled and holiday flights; the airport currently highlights scheduled flights to Frankfurt and Düsseldorf, with Frankfurt serving as an international hub connection. Participants arriving at Linz Airport can take airport bus line 601 directly to Linz Hauptbahnhof in about 22 minutes without changing. Alternatively, trains run between Linz/Wels and Hörsching station, where an airport shuttle connects to the terminal in about three minutes.
Participants should check current timetables and book tickets via ÖBB (https://www.oebb.at/) , DB (https://int.bahn.de/en) , SBB (https://www.sbb.ch/de), NightJet (https://www.nightjet.com/#/home), or the relevant airline, as schedules may change seasonally.
Local transportation in Linz
From Linz Hauptbahnhof to the Ars Electronica Center.
From Linz Hauptbahnhof, take tram line 1, 2, 3, or 4 toward the city center/Urfahr and get off at Rudolfstraße. The Ars Electronica Center is a short walk from the stop. The tram ride from the main station to “Linz/Donau Rudolfstraße” takes about 10 minutes.
From Linz Hauptbahnhof to JKU Science Park.
Workshops will take place at Science Park der JKU, part of the Johannes Kepler University Linz campus. From Linz Hauptbahnhof, take tram line 1 or 2 in the direction of JKU | Universität and get off at the final stop, JKU | Universität. The ride takes about 25 minutes. The Science Park buildings are located along Altenberger Straße and are connected to the main JKU campus by an underpass.
Between the Ars Electronica Center and JKU Science Park.
From the Ars Electronica Center, walk to the Linz/Donau Rudolfstraße tram stop and take tram line 1 or 2 toward JKU | Universität. Get off at JKU | Universität and follow signs to the Science Park buildings.
For real-time local routes, use the LINZ AG Linien journey planner or the LinzMobil app.
Accommodation
We recommend the following hotels for your stay:
- Hotel Schillerpark Linz, a member of Radisson Individuals
URL: https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-individuals-schillerpark-linz Estimated rate: starting from €107 single room / €124 double room per night.
Centrally located on Rainerstraße, with easy tram access to the Ars Electronica Center and JKU. - Park Inn by Radisson Linz
URL:https://www.radissonhotels.com/en-us/hotels/park-inn-linz
Estimated rate: starting from €109 single room / €129 double room per night.
Located in the city center at Hessenplatz, close to restaurants, shops, and public transport. - Austria Classic Hotel Wolfinger – Hauptplatz
URL: https://www.hotelwolfinger.at/en/
Estimated rate: starting from €99 single room / €129 double room per night.
Directly on Hauptplatz, close to the Danube and convenient for reaching the Ars Electronica Center. - arte Hotel Linz
URL: https://www.arte-hotels.at/en/arte-hotel-linz/
Estimated rate: starting from €119 single room / €147 double room per night.
The closest listed hotel to the Ars Electronica Center, about a 3-minute walk away. - Hotel Am Domplatz
URL: https://www.hotelamdomplatz.at/en/ Estimated rate: starting from €135 per night for a standard city-view room.
A quiet central option next to Mariendom, within walking distance of the old town and Landstraße.