Linz24 Danube-Trail

The Linz24 Donautrail is a spectacular trail running event that takes participants along the scenic banks of the Danube and through the green hills and forests surrounding Linz — one of the most beautiful river landscapes in Central Europe. Runners of all performance levels can choose between different distances, making the event genuinely accessible and welcoming whether participants are experienced trail runners seeking a challenging course or enthusiastic beginners looking for a memorable first trail run. A unique running experience in the capital of Upper Austria, the Donautrail combines the pleasures of athletic effort with those of discovery and natural beauty in equal measure.

The Danube at Linz is a river of genuine grandeur — wide, powerful and flanked by wooded hills that rise steeply on both banks, creating a sense of natural drama that is quite different from the mountain lakes and Alpine terrain of the Salzkammergut. Running along the Danube is to experience this landscape at its most immediate and intimate: the sound of the river, the smell of the forest, the views that open out at every turn of the trail. The Donautrail course has been designed to make the most of this extraordinary environment, leading runners through its most scenic stretches.

Linz itself is one of Austria’s most rewarding cities to visit — a place that has reinvented itself in recent decades as a centre of art, culture and gastronomy while retaining the energy and directness of a working river city with deep industrial roots. The Ars Electronica Center, the Lentos Kunstmuseum, the old town with its Hauptplatz, and the excellent dining along the Landstraße all provide compelling reasons to linger in the city after the race is run. Post-race recovery is considerably more pleasurable in a city with this much to offer.

From Hallstatt Hideaway, Linz is reachable in just under an hour — making the Donautrail an ideal way to combine sport, culture and the unique pleasures of the Salzkammergut in a single trip. Active guests who want to experience the region in its fullest possible dimension — on foot through its forests and along its rivers as well as by boat on its lakes — will find the Linz24 Donautrail one of the most rewarding events on the calendar.