We are going to be in Vienna mid Sept. and will not have a car. Our plan is to take a train to Glognitz where the historic Semmering Train starts to where it ends. Then we would take another train on to Graz.
My question is, are there any towns through this whole route worth visiting for a full day or even overnight? We enjoy picturesque
Old Town areas, maybe biking around, walks, good food etc......
Thank you
Not an expert, but I have taken a train from Vienna to Graz that traveled throught the Semmering section. I don't think there is a specific train, and frankly, it wasn't as interesting as I had expected, since there are lots of routes through the mountains these days.
There is no need to interrupt your journey to Graz in Gloggnitz. Any train from Vienna to Graz uses the famous Semmering mountain track. (This will change in a few years when the tunnel through the Semmering mountain range will be completed.)
To be honest, there is not much except nature in this stretch. Any village or small town will have some sort of city center which might be considered an "old town." For me personally, I've only ever seen the train from the train itself, where it is hard to appreciate the 19th century cutting edge civil engineering. Perhaps if railways are really a highlight for you, you might consider stopping in the resort town of Semmering and hiking - https://www.wieneralpen.at/en/a-railway-hiking-trail-semmering-breitenstein.
The historic Suedbahnhotel (not currently a hotel) also offers tours and a glimpse into another time - https://www.suedbahnhotel-semmering.at/en/grandhotel
This area is a fairly deep dive in Austria. There might be other areas more worthy of your time, unless you are a railway enthusiast.
If you are real railway aficionados then you could visit the museum dedicated to this technical achievement and to Carl Ritter von Ghega, who designed and had built the first mountain railway of the world.
https://www.ghega-museum.at/
To reach the museum without a car you have two options:
(1) the hiking trail Emily suggested, starting from the Breitenstein end; or
(2) using the on-demand shuttle bus (RUFbus) as described in the museums's homepage.
To reach the Breitenstein train station when coming from Vienna, you need to change in Wr. Neustadt from an express train to a local train.
