Linz, capital of culture

The elegant Austrian city of Linz is the European Capital of Culture this year – and there's no better time to discover the "funny and occasionally sinister surprises" that lurk beneath its tranquil surface, says Patrick Barkham in the Guardian. Hitler, who went to school there, loved its splendid Baroque architecture so much that he wanted to turn the city into the cultural capital of the Third Reich: this year, you can see his plans in an exhibition at the city's castle. Most other corners of the town have been taken over by events and exhibitions in an "outpouring of off-the-wall creativity", while at the Lentos, the city's "unmissable" modern art museum, the "leading works" from all of Austria's galleries are on display. Ryanair (0871 246 0000) flies from Stansted to Linz. ·