Linz is a city that has reinvented itself. For much of the twentieth century it was known mainly for its steelworks and its uncomfortable links with the Nazi period; today it markets itself as a city of culture and technology, with the Ars Electronica centre glowing on the Danube bank at night, the Lentos art museum opposite, and a lively music scene. The Schlossberg, the castle hill above the old town, is where it all began: the Romans had a fort here called Lentia, part of the Danube frontier of the empire, and the Danube Limes is now on the World Heritage list. The castle that stands there now dates largely from the Renaissance, built for Emperor Frederick III, who spent his last years in Linz and died here in 1493. It houses a branch of the Upper Austrian state museum.
From the castle terrace you look down over the roofs of the old town to the Hauptplatz, one of the largest town squares in Austria, with its Trinity Column, and across the Danube to Urfahr and the hills beyond. Johannes Kepler lived and worked in Linz for fourteen years, and Anton Bruckner was organist at the old cathedral. The Pöstlingberg, the city's own hill across the river, is reached by one of the steepest adhesion railways in the world.
Riding into Linz means dealing with city traffic, a busy motorway ring and tram tracks, so park the bike and walk the old town. The riding around the city is excellent, though. North of the Danube, the Mühlviertel is a rolling upland of granite boulders, forests, villages and small farms, with quiet roads full of curves leading towards the Czech border and Český Krumlov. West along the Danube, the B130 and B131 follow the river through the narrow valley towards the Schlögen loop, where the river makes a dramatic hairpin through the forested hills.
Linz has every service imaginable: fuel, workshops, hotels and plenty of restaurants. The city's namesake, the Linzer Torte, a spiced nut pastry with a lattice top and redcurrant jam, is said to be one of the oldest cake recipes in the world. Austrian motorways require a vignette, including for motorcycles, so buy one if you plan to use them. Summer festivals, including the Linz Klangwolke, bring the city to life.