Graz, the capital of Styria, has attracted me for a long time. Somehow I never made it there. Now that we have decided to drive through Austria on the way back from our road trip through Croatia, it is finally happening.
Since we are just passing through, it’s a very short visit, but still we were able to see a lot of great corners of Graz.

With almost 300,000 inhabitants, Graz is the second largest city in Austria, right after Vienna. The city is known as a student city, about every sixth inhabitant is a student, so the city has a very young and hip population.

How to get there

Individual transport

On the way with our rented camper van we arrived from Slovenia via the country road. In the city there are many parking garages (unfortunately not an option for us, because of the height restriction) but also green and blue parking zones. Outside the historic old town it is absolutely no problem to get parking space and on weekends they are usually even free of charge.

Train

Graz has a large, well developed train station. From here you have direct trains to other major national cities like Vienna, Salzburg or Innsbruck as well as international connections to Zagreb (Croatia), Marburg and Leibach (Slovenia), Brno and Prague (Czech Republic), Zurich (Switzerland) and Frankfurt and Saarbrücken (Germany). The best way to find out more is to visit the official homepage of the Austrian Railways. Here you will find the departure times and prices and you can also book a ticket directly online.

Airplane

The Graz airport is located about 10km south to the city. Mainly European airlines fly here. If you are coming from further away, you will probably have to fly to Vienna first and then take a domestic flight to Graz or the train.

You can easily travel by train (S-Bahn 5) or bus (lines 630 and 631) from the airport to the city center.

Sights

Old Town

The old town, more precisely the main square in the old town, is the heart of Graz. From here you can reach almost all sights on foot. The large main square, where markets are held regularly, is lined with magnificent buildings, first and foremost the Graz City Hall. The city hall, in classicist style, forms the head of the main square and houses the city council as well as the mayor’s office. Right next to the town hall you see the Herrengasse. It connects the main square with the square at the Iron Gate. The baroque boulevard is a center of public life. Here you will find countless shopping opportunities and many cafes and restaurants.

Schlossberg

The Schlossberg rises about 123m above the main square. From the top you have a wonderful panoramic view over the city of Graz.
You can walk up the mountain via a variety of winding paths or via a staircase with 260 steps. For the more comfortable among us, however, there are two other ways to get to the top of the mountain. One is the Schlossbergbahn, a funicular that has been in operation since 1894, and the other is the Schlossberg lift, which takes you up in 30 seconds. Our special highlight was the highest underground slide in the world, which loops around the lift and lets you slide back down in a good 40 seconds.

Once at the top, you can marvel at various buildings as remnants of the former castle. The most important building is probably the clock tower, it is considered the landmark of Graz, and it is one of the oldest buildings on the Schlossberg. In addition, you can also see the Bell Tower, the St. Thomas Chapel, the Chinese Pavilion, the Turkish Fountain and much more.

If you need a break from all these sights, you can treat yourself to a coffee with a great view in one of the two restaurants on the Schlossberg.

Design and architecture

Well, Mimi is not only a culture lover but also an architecture lover and Graz has two gold pieces to offer. On the one hand the Murinsel and on the other hand the Kunsthaus Graz.

The Murinsel is an artificial island with café and theater in the middle of the river Mur, which flows through the city of Graz. Two curved bridges lead to the island, and the structure thus also connects the west and east banks of the Mur. Designed by American artist Vito Acconci, the steel-and-glass structure appears almost a bit like a futuristic ship, especially in the evening when it glows from within. In fact, it is also designed and built as a ship, which is stabilized by an anchor and the two bridges in the middle of the Mur. So treat yourself to a few minutes of peace and quiet and a completely different view of the Mur and the city by enjoying a coffee in the middle of the river (open daily 10:00 – 20:00)! If you want to experience an event in the Murinsel, it’s best to check their website beforehand.

The Kunsthaus Graz is world famous. Its unique shape and the fact that it stands out incredibly from its surroundings make it hard to forget.
The “Friendly Alien”, as it is called by its British architects Peter Cook and Colin Furnier, has a biomorphic structure that resembles a shiny cushion of air. The shape and materials of the building were deliberately chosen differently so that it would stand out against the baroque roof-landscape with the red tiled roofs of the city.

The Kunsthaus exhibits only modern art of the last four decades, but besides the exhibition the building itself is worth a visit (Tue-Sun 10.00 – 17.00).

Surroundings around Graz

There is also a lot to see around Graz. The most famous sight is probably Eggenberg Palace. Designed and built by architect Giovanni Pietro de Pomis, the castle was planned entirely according to the allegory of the universe. For example, the castle has 365 windows for the 365 days of the year, 53 doors for 53 weeks or 4 towers for the 4 seasons. 

Another place of interest is Basilica Mariatrost. The baroque pilgrimage church is still the destination of many pilgrims and can be visited for free.

Accommodation

Since we are traveling with our rented camper van, we did not look into hotels or other accommodations. But for the campers among you we can recommend the Reisemobil Stellplatz Graz. It has little to offer ambience-wise, but it’s well equipped for motorhomes. And with 20 euros (place with electrical connection 22 euros) per night it’s really cheap. The site is a little outside of Graz, but there is a good public transport connection, if you do not want to go with your camper into the city.