Enchanting Graz

The name Graz comes from the Slovene word grad (castle) or gradec (little castle), because the city was built around the Scholssberg.

My highlights in Graz
The Schlossberg, a large park that looks over the medieval town centre. There is much to see and do for adults and children.
Glockenspiel Platz. Every day at 11am, 3pm, and 6pm, you hear the Glockenspiel play and can see the people move in the windows.
Domkirche and Mausoleum of Ferdinand II, one of Graz’s most famous buildings and very interesting.
Island in the Mur. The river Mur had an artificial island made in the middle, with a café, playground for children, and also an open-air theatre.
Double Staircase in the Burg, a very interesting and quite bizarre staircase. I’ve never seen something like it before.
Pedestrian streets of Old Town. There are many small streets with interesting shops, small pubs, and cozy restaurants. A nice place to get lost in. Many of the building façades are really beautiful.
Busy nightlife. With so many young people in Graz, there is a good nightlife. There are many pubs, cafés, and nightclubs open late at night. Walking through the city at night is lovely.

Quick Tips:

The Tourist Information Website has lots of information about Graz. You can order free brochures online before you travel. The brochures take only one week to arrive in Europe. The tourist information centre at the Landhaus has helpful staff, and they speak several different languages. You can get maps and a lot of other information here for Graz and for Styria also.

You will find many typical Styria foods in Graz, but not much is vegetarian. Get fruits and vegetables from the market and snack foods from the food stalls near the Rathaus, or you can shop in a supermarket. Many of the pubs have good selections of local beers that are tasty.

In little bakeries and also kaffeehauses, you will find specialty cakes and biscuits. Many are typical for Styria, and all are good for when you need a sugar hit!

Accommodations are not cheap in Graz. There are many hotels, but they are expensive. If you are looking for cheap accommodations, I recommend that you book before you arrive in the city.

Best Way To Get Around:

It is easy to travel around in Graz. Public transport is very good, but it is a nice city to walk in also.

Graz is all one zone for public transport tickets. The tickets may be used on trams, buses, and also the Schlossbergbahn, or funicular. A ticket for one hour is €1.70, and it’s €3.40 for a day ticket (24 hours). You can buy tickets on the bus or tram from the driver or from tabac shops. Public transport information.

Buses and trams stop running quite early, and if you are returning to your accommodations after midnight, you probably need to take a taxi. Taxis are not too expensive, but you must telephone for one or pick it up at a nominated taxi rank.

Graz airport is close to the city centre, and you can travel by bus. The Hauptbahnhof (main train station) has trains to Austria and much of Europe. There is also a long- distance bus station.

Graz doesn't have too many cheap accommodations. I was here for only two nights, so I booked my bed before I arrived. I arrived at the Hauptbahnhof from Klagenfurt. The Jugendgästehaus is about one kilometer from the Hauptbahnhof, and you find many signposts.

This is a very large, purpose-built accommodation and is used for school groups as well as independent travellers. Conferences take place here also. There is a reception, café and bar, and you can use the Internet here. Also, you can do laundry. There is a large dormitory in the basement and also rooms to sleep four persons.

My bed was in a four-bed room, but I was the only person both of the nights. It was on the second floor and looked out to the front of the building. In the room, there is a bathroom with shower, toilet, and washbasins. I had also a television in the room. On each floor, there is a common room area and drink machine.

The price of accommodation changes. It is cheaper when you have a youth hostel card and also when you stay more than four nights. You must pay a supplement when you stay less than four nights. I paid €25 each night, but that included breakfast.

Breakfast is from 7 to 9am and is self-service. It is a very good meal for a youth hostel. You can have cereals, toast and breads, fruit, yoghurt, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and fruit juices. Eat as much as you want.

It is easy to get to the city centre from here; there are many buses and trams, or you can walk. I was coming back late one night, and a taxi from the city centre cost me €6.

There is no home-like atmosphere here--it is too large--but the staff are very friendly, and it is comfortable. If you need to stay somewhere cheap in Graz, I recommend you try here.

Schlossberg means "Castle Hill," and is precisely this-a castle on a hill. If you have only 2 hours in Graz and see or do nothing else, you should not miss the Schlossberg. The Schlossberg is a large park. From the top, you can see over all of Graz and all the red rooftops. You find the Schlossberg at the end of the old town. There are many ways to the top. You can ride the Schlossbergbahn (or funicular) up the side of the hill, you can take the lift through the hill near the Uhrturm, or you can walk the steps. The steps are not as easy as you may think. The hill is high, and the steps turn back to themselves, so you have a longer walk. It takes about half an hour to walk up. This way is not possible with a wheelchair or small children. Public transport tickets can be used on the Schlossbergbahn, or you must pay 1.70€ (the Schlossbergbahn was closed for repair when I was in Graz). The walk is nice, but many people walk back down, which is easier. On the way, you can find many places to sit and observe the view.

There is enough here to do for a day, and it is popular with families and children. There are many open spaces to play or sit in the sun. There are some cafés and places to have food or a beer. At the top, you find a Military Museum with some very old cannons on display. The Bell Tower is very nice and quite unusual. There is an Open Air Theatre, where, in summer, they have concerts. A gift shop nearby has some typical souvenirs of Graz and information about the things you can see on the Schlossberg.

Most people come to see the Uhrturm, or clock tower. It is unusual because, originally, there was just one arm on the clock showing the hours passing. Later, another arm was added. The original arm is the largest, though, so you think it shows minutes, but it doesn’t.

If you explore more of the Schlossberg, you will find a Chinese Pavillion, a beautiful old Gothic Gate, and also a Turk’s Well. When there was fighting in Graz and people were protected on the Schlossberg, they collected water from this well. It travels down 94m through the hill to reach the river Mur.

You can easily spend the entire day on the Schlossberg. There is a restaurant called Aiola beside the Urturm and lift. It has outside and inside seating. The food is mostly Italian. I had some dinner here--pasta, wine, and coffee--that cost less than 15€.

Before 5pm, you can take a guided tour of the buildings on the Schlossberg.

Start your morning at the Operncafé at the end of Herrengasse and Opernring. This place is a traditional Austrian kaffeehaus, opening at 7:30am. Big glass windows let you see everyone going to work and school while you relax with coffee and a traditional Styrian cake for breakfast, planning your day.

Walk up Herrengasse and you find the Tourist Information Office on the left. Beside this is the Landeszeughaus, the provincial armoury for Styria. Here you can find many examples of weapons and body armour. Much of the collection is from the 17th century, when the armoury was first built. Some pieces have some interesting engravings on them. This is the largest historical collection of weapons in the world, with more than 30,000 items to see. You can take a guided tour here easily, but if you want the tour in English, you must make a booking some days in advance. There are information brochures in English.

Walk up Herrengasse, and beside the Ladeszeughaus, you find the Landhaus, the Graz parliament building. Here, there is an Italian Renaissance courtyard, where you can sometimes see concerts.

Just after the Landhaus is the Rathaus, the town hall for Graz. This is actually the third town hall to be built. You are now on Hauptplatz, the main square of Graz.

In Hauptplatz, there is a fountain with four female statues. Each represents one of the four main rivers in Styria: the Mur; the Enns; the Sann and the Dram.

When you stand at the corner of Hauptplatz, you see Murgasse behind you (leading to the river Mur), Sporgasse in front of you, Sackstr at your left (leading to the Schlossberg), and Herrengasse at your right.

On the corner of Sporgasse and Herrengasse is one of the most beautiful buildings in Graz. It is The House of Luegg. The German name is ums Eck lugen, meaning "to peer around the corner." There is baroque stucco on this building, and it is the entrance to the shopping area of Graz.

On Sackstr, you can find antique shops and many curiosities. It is near to the Schlossberg, and the area is quieter than the Hauptplatz area.

Sporgasse is a good place to find something for lunch, as you have many choices. There are many cafés and also restaurants for a bigger meal.

I ate at Zur Goldenen Pastete at Sporgasse 28. This is the oldest inn in Graz and has many traditional and typical Styrian foods. It is also one of the few places to find traditional and vegetarian food.

Ok, so now you have had a nice lunch and maybe some wine. From Sporgasse, turn right onto Hofgasse. Here you find the Hofbäckerei Edegger-Tax. This was the court bakery. It has a beautiful door with decorative woodwork more than 100 years old. If you didn’t stop for lunch, you can enjoy a nice coffee here. There is also a shop where you can buy some nice biscuits to take home as souvenirs. A type of cinnamon biscuit is traditional, but I forget the name.

At the end of Hofgasse, on the left, is the Burg from the 15th century. There isn’t too much to see here now; it is a government building. At the back of the car park, you can find a grassy area with many trees and bust statues of famous people from Graz. I didn’t recognise many of the names, but it is a quiet place in a busy city. In the courtyard is an archway. In the doorway here, you can find Graz’s famous double staircase. It is made from stone and begins together at the bottom. As it moves up, it becomes a spiral to both the left and the right. It meets together again, then divides and meets, making double twists several times. It’s a really interesting sight, and I have never seen something like this before.

Back on Hofgasse, turn right on Burggasse, where you find the Domkirche. On the outside walls on the Domkirche, you can see painted pictures showing life in Graz in the plagues of 1480. They are mostly faded, but some are clear. The inside of the building has some nice things to see, but you find many tour groups here, so it can be difficult to see for yourself. I was there at the same time as a group of Spanish students, about 14 years old, of more than 30 and who were very noisy. I didn’t stay too long.

The Mausoleum of Ferdinand II is next to the Domkirche. If you want to see inside, you must time your visit well. It opens only for 4 hours each day, from 10am to noon and 2 to 4pm. The ticket costs 4€, which I thought it was quite expensive. The crypt underground is where Ferdinand, his wife, and his son are buried. Also here is a sarcophagus for his parents, Charles II and Maria. Charles is not actually buried here; he is at Seckau Abbey. From inside the crypt, there is a hole in the ceiling where you can see to the room above. This room has many beautiful and extravagant paintings to see on the ceiling and walls. Upstairs is a lookout room. From here you can see over the red roofs of Graz and also to the Schlossberg.

After the Mausoleum, walk past the Domkirche on to Bügergasse, where you will see a small street leading to Glockenspielplatz. The Glockenspiel plays at 11am, 3pm, and 6pm, so you need to time the visit.