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Graz in spring

Posted by (Scotland) on

I'm looking into spending some time in Graz this spring, using only public transport. I have already been to Salzburg and Vienna, and I love well-preserved old towns, baroque architecture, beautiful churches, modern art galleries, palaces, and lovely urban places to just hang and soak up the atmosphere. I do speak some German, so I'm not too concerned about Graz not being heavily visited by English-speaking tourists.

I have some questions for anyone who's been to Graz before:

  1. How many days is enough time for Graz? I don't like rushing and doing a whistle-stop tour of a place, I like to take my time, but equally I don't want to feel like I've exhausted everything there is to do while still having several days to fill somehow. For instance, I spent I think 9 days in Vienna, which felt perfect for a big city with lots to see and do, and I was never bored and I never felt like I'd run out of things to do. But I assume 9 days would be way too many for Graz.
  2. Are there any day trips or interesting sights in the surrounding area that you would recommend? I don't intend to have access to a car, but I love day trips to get out of a city and see different things. Previously I've really enjoyed day trips to Werfen and Berchtesgaden from Salzburg, and the Wachau Valley from Vienna. I'm willing to endure a bit of a trek on a train if the destination is really worth it.
  3. Is there anything in Graz that you would recommend beyond the obvious major sights? I'm interested in lots of things, but in particular I really love Jewish history and 20th-century history - if there's anything interesting in Graz or nearby pertaining to either of those things I'd love to know about it.
  4. Are there any other Austrian cities that you would recommend pairing with Graz in a single trip? What about Linz? I've heard it's sort of similar to Graz in some ways while being perhaps a bit less impressive; is it worth spending a couple of nights there potentially at the end of the trip? I won't be flying into Graz directly (since that seems all but impossible from Scotland) but Vienna and Munich airports look like potential options, in terms of where I'm likely to start and end a trip (and I may well fly into one and out of the other, if it makes sense).
  5. Any hotel recommendations would also be hugely appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

Posted by
5576 posts

For Question 2 - Riegersburg Castle, built on an extinct volcano, is stunning and well worth a trip. https://www.dieriegersburg.at/en/. Nearby, you should definitely visit the Zotter Chocolate Factory - trust me, it is in a gorgeous setting and like a Willy Wonka factory - https://www.zotter.at/en/zotter-experience-world. I believe there are buses that can take you to both of these places from Graz.

Maribor and nearby Ptuj in Slovenia are within easy reach of Graz and are equally fascinating to explore.

Posted by
38 posts

Thank you Emily! And would you say the Slovenian locations are doable for someone who speaks absolutely no Slovene? I've got quite used to feeling comfortable in German-speaking areas so I'll admit to feeling a little intimidated by the idea of venturing beyond that!

Posted by
5576 posts

Everyone in Slovenia speaks English - at least everyone you will meet. There is no need for any Slovene.

Posted by
2357 posts

I stayed in "Hotel Daniel", a modern place with an excellent breakfast.
Somewhat cheaper and not so fancy, but still 4-star, is "Hotel Drei Raben".

Posted by
228 posts

We were in Graz for 4 nights (3 full days) in August last year.

The highlight, according to my almost grown-up children, was definitely the slide in the Schloßberg. Of course, this is only a short pleasure. But it was really fast.
The ascent to the clock tower on the Schlossberg can be done via the cog rail, an elevator in the mountain or on foot.

Eggenberg Palace is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year. It has no significant history, but the interior has been preserved for more than 250 years and is something special. The state rooms were impressive.

We also went to the Kunsthaus, I thought the architecture was cool and there were some really interesting exhibits.

"Zeughaus" still contains medieval weapons for 5000 soldiers. There are long dark corridors full of old weapons over several floors.

The “Kastner und Öhler” (the leading large department store in Graz) has a roof terrace at the top with the perfect selfie spot in front of Schloßberg and the clock tower.

The best part, however, is to let yourself drift through the old town of Graz, looking into the many courtyards. Graz is a student city with lots of young people and plenty of life in the open-air restaurants.

My culinary highlights were breakfast at the “Kunsthaus Café” and dinner at “Der Steirer”.

We stayed at the Hotel Daniel. It's near the main train station. I chose it because of the easy accessibility by car and affordable parking at the hotel.
We also went on 2 half-day excursions, to the Zotter chocolate factory (which was really fun) and to the South Styrian wine region near Gramlitz.
As we were traveling by car, unfortunately I can't help you with how to do this by public transport. Maybe an organized bike tour through southern Styria is a good idea.

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