Graz: a first-timer's guide to Austria's second city

Why go

Graz has the beauty of Salzburg without the crowds and the food culture of a region that calls itself Austria's delicatessen. Around sixty thousand students keep it young, the climate is mild and the pace is slow. It is an easy two days on its own and a perfect stop on a route to Slovenia or Croatia.

The old town and Schlossberg

The **Altstadt** spreads out around **Hauptplatz** and the **Herrengasse**, where the painted Gemaltes Haus and the arcaded courtyard of the **Landhaus** show off the city's Renaissance past. The **Landeszeughaus** armoury still holds thousands of weapons and suits of armour. Above it all rises the **Schlossberg**, a wooded hill topped by the **Uhrturm** clock tower, the city's emblem. Climb the zigzag stone steps, ride the funicular or take the lift cut into the rock, and enjoy the view over a sea of red roofs. The **Murinsel**, a steel shell floating in the Mur river, and the **Kunsthaus**, a blue bubble of a gallery nicknamed the friendly alien, show the city's modern side.

Eggenberg Palace

**Schloss Eggenberg**, a short tram ride west, is a baroque palace designed around the calendar, with rooms of painted ceilings, a park where peacocks roam and the Universalmuseum Joanneum's archaeology and coin collections. The state rooms are seen on guided tours.

Food and markets

Graz holds farmers' markets most mornings, the best known on **Kaiser-Josef-Platz** and **Lendplatz**. Try **Steirisches Backhendl** (fried chicken), **Käferbohnensalat** (runner bean salad with pumpkin seed oil), Styrian beef and anything with the dark green **Kürbiskernöl**. The **Lend** and **Gries** districts across the river are full of creative cafés and bars. In late summer and autumn, look for young wine called **Sturm**.

Day trips

The **South Styrian wine road** near the Slovenian border, around Gamlitz and Ehrenhausen, is a landscape of steep vineyards, wine taverns called Buschenschank and lookout towers, about an hour by train and bus. **Riegersburg Castle** on a volcanic rock and the **Zotter chocolate factory** make a sweet pair in the east of the region. The **Lipizzaner stud farm** at Piber breeds the white horses of the Spanish Riding School, and thermal spas such as Bad Blumau are close too.

Where to stay and getting around

Stay in the old town or the **Lend** district for walking. Trams cover the city well, and the old town is largely pedestrianised. Trains reach Vienna in under three hours and Ljubljana and Zagreb in a few more. Find cafés and markets in our places to visit list, and see how Graz fits a wider route with Vienna in the free trip planner.

Tips for a smooth visit

Visit the markets early, before lunchtime, when stalls are at their best. The Graz Card covers trams and many museums. Climb the Schlossberg at sunset for the best light over the rooftops, then head to the Lend district for dinner. In autumn, look for Sturm on café menus and roasted chestnuts on street corners, and book a table for weekend evenings, when the city's best restaurants fill quickly.