Graz Overview

Graz, Austria’s second-largest city (pop. 250,000), is the nation’s best-kept secret. Altstadt (Old Town), with picturesque red-tiled roofs and Baroque domes, feels unhurried: people lounge in outdoor cafes atop Schloßberg Hill or rock climb the cliffs along the Mur. Darkness rouses 45,000 university students from their books to participate in the city’s energetic nightlife.

Transportation And Practical Information.  Trains run to: Innsbruck, SWI (6-7hr., 7 per day, €48); Munich, GER (6hr., 3 per day, €72); Salzburg (4hr., every 2hr., €43); Vienna Südbahnhof (2hr., every hr., €30); Zürich, SWI (10hr., 3 per day, €83). To reach the city center, take tram #1, 3, 6, or 7 (€1.70, day pass €3.70). By foot, exit right from the train station, then turn left onto Annenstr. Follow it to the main bridge and cross to reach Hauptplatz. Five minutes away is Jakominiplatz, the public transportation system’s hub. Herrengasse, a pedestrian street lined with cafes and boutiques, connects the two squares. The tourist office, Herreng. 16, gives an English-language walking tour of Altstadt (2hr.; Apr.-Oct. daily 2:30pm, Jan.-Mar. and Nov. Sa 2:30pm; €9.50) and books rooms for free. (☎0316 807 50; www.graztourismus.at. July-Aug. M-F 10am-7pm, Sa-Su 10am-6pm; Apr.-June, Sept.-Oct., and Dec. M-Sa 10am-6pm, Su 10am-4pm; Jan.-Mar. and Nov. M-F 10am-5pm, Sa-Su 10am-4pm.) Postal Code: A-8010.

Accommodations And Food. Most accommodations in Graz are pricey and far from the city center. To reach the family-oriented Jugendgästehaus Graz (HI) , Idlhofg. 74, from the station, cross the street, head right on Eggenberger Gürtel, turn left on Josef-Huber-G., then take the first right; the hostel complex is through the parking lot on your right. Buses #31, 32, and 33 run from Jakominipl. (☎0316 708 3210; www.jfgh.at. Breakfast included. Laundry €4. Free Internet. Reception 7am-11pm. Curfew 1am; night-key deposit €20. Dorms €22; singles €33; doubles €26. HI discount €1.10. MC/V.) Hotel Strasser , Eggenberger Gürtel 11, fills its bright rooms with abstract art. Exit the train station, cross the street, and head right for 5min. on Eggenberger Gürtel. (☎0316 71 39 77. Breakfast included. Reception 24hr. Singles €45; doubles €70; triples €93. AmEx/MC/V.) On Hauptplatz, concession stands sell sandwiches and Würstel (€2-3). Situated in the shadow of Schloßberg, the cheery Alte Münze , Schloßbergpl. 8, serves a local crowd Styrian specialties. (☎0316 82 91 51. Entrees €7-15, vegetarian €7-12. Open mid-Mar. to Dec. Tu-Sa 8am-11:30pm; June-Sept. Tu-Sa 8am-11:30pm, Su 11am-10pm. Cash only.) The candle-lit Continuum , Sporg. 29, dishes up pizza for €2-8. (☎0316 81 57 78. Sa-Su brunch buffet 10am-2pm €5. Open M-F 3pm-2am, Sa-Su 10am-2am. MC/V.) A SPAR supermarket is in the train station. (Open daily 6am-10pm.)

Sights And Entertainment. North of Hauptpl., the wooded Schloßberg (Castle Hill) rises above Graz. Climb the zigzagging stone steps of the Kriegsteig, built by Russian prisoners during WWI, or take the elevator for €.60 per ride, to the city’s emblem, the Uhrturm (clock tower), for sweeping views of Graz and the vast Styrian plain. The Schloßbergbahn (funicular), part of Graz’s tram and bus network, runs from Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Kai to the Glockenturm (bell tower), where Liesl, a bell cast in 1587, chimes 101 times daily at 7am, noon, and 7pm, much to the consternation of late-risers and the hung-over. The Landhaushof features architecture in the Lombard style, remodeled by architect Domenico dell’Allio in 1557. Most of Graz’s museums are part of the Landesmuseum Joanneum —one ticket allows entrance into all participating museums. (☎80 17 96 60; www.museum-joanneum.at. 1-day pass €7, students €3; 2-day pass €12/5.) To the left of the tourist office, the Landeszeughaus (Provincial Armory), Herreng 16—the largest historical armory in the world—details the history of Ottoman attacks on the Hapsburgs and has enough spears, muskets, and armor to outfit 28,000 mercenaries. (☎80 17 98 10. Open Apr.-Oct. M-W and F-Su 10am-6pm, Th noon-8pm; Nov.-Mar. Tu-Su 10am-3pm.) The newest addition to the Graz riverscape is the futuristic “friendly alien ship” building of the modern art museum Kunsthaus, Lendkai 1, at the Hauptbrücke (☎80 17 92 00; www.kunsthausgraz.at. Open Tu-Su 10am-6pm.) A more popular part of Landesmuseum, Joanneumis, the mussel-shaped Murinsel in the center of the river, houses a chic cafe, open-air theater, and playground. Also included in a Landesmuseum Joanneum ticket is access to Schloß Eggenberg, a 17th-century castle built in the Spanish Escorial style, where the ornate Planetensaal (Planet Hall) is covered with paintings of the zodiac. (Tram #1 from Jakominipl. or Hauptpl. State rooms open by tour only Mar. 16-Nov. hourly 10am-4pm. Garden open May-Oct. daily 10am-6pm; Apr. and Nov.-Dec. daily 10am-4pm.) The palace also contains the Alte Galerie, a collection of Renaissance and Baroque art. (Open Apr.-Oct. Tu-Su 10am-6pm; Nov.-March Tu-Su 10am-5pm.) The modern steel sculpture at the corner of Opernring and Burgg. beckons to the magnificent Opernhaus, Franz-Josef-Pl. 10, which stages high-quality performances undeservedly overshadowed by those of Vienna.

The hub of after-hours activity is the so-called Bermuda Triangle, an area of the old city behind Hauptpl. and bordered by Mehlpl., Färberg., and Prokopig. Close to the university district, Kulturhauskeller, Elisabethstr. 30, is one of the many clubs where dance music beats all night. (Tu live bands. W karaoke. 19+. Cover €3 after 11pm. Open Tu-Sa 9pm-5am. MC/V.)