10 things to do in Graz, Austria

Hello again! Today I am here to talk to you about the city of Graz which I have now had the opportunity to visit twice. The first time that I went there was in Spring and the second was in summer 2018. To start off I am going to say that even though it has its own special charm in both seasons, it is a lot better in summer. The streets are full of flowers, there is a lot more atmosphere, you can enjoy a nice Viennese coffee on the terraces, and the city is generally very warm. Later, I will give you the itinerary that I completed when I was in Graz.

1. Visit the Clock Tower ("Uhrturm")

It is probably the best thing in Graz, so starting off strong. It is the Clock Tower, translated from German. It is a tower located at the highest point of the city, from which you can see the city completely and it is from here where you realise how big it actually is. To get there, you go up some stairs which have a kind of zig-zag pattern. There are quite a few and you will arrive at the top a bit tired, but doing sport always works in your favour. If on the day you find yourself without any energy, you can always use the lift but I don't know how much it costs.

When you get to the top, you will find yourself in front of the clock, which is really big and strange. The hands are a gold colour and the hours are written in Roman numerals. Just above is the tower. This tower is located in what was formerly the fort of this Austrian city. Thus, we enjoyed the great panoramic view that it offered. It surprised me that Graz in itself is quite monochrome, most of the rooftops had red tones, which gave a kind of uniformity to the urban landscape. I would recommend that you go there on a sunny day because if it is cloudy, you lose a little of the charm.

2. Walking through and going round all the gardens.

As I said before, in summer they are full of flowers and it is a lot more colourful. The two times that we went there, as a curiosity, we came across a man who was playing the flute, dressed up in a purple medieval costume. He reminded me of the Pied Piper, the one who went after the rats (which of course you can see on some alleys which are nearby to the river). Where the flutist was, there were also little souvenir shops. Nearby to there, there was also a bar-restaurants with views from the top. We opted to have a drink in the city centre so I can't tell you anything about the prices. Here are some photos of the cafe and its surroundings. I love this building because it seems like it is in a Chinese architectural style. We sat here and had a really nice time. You definitely have to go there.

3. Look at the Graz town hall (Rathaus)

It is probably one of the most eye-catching buildings in the city, presided by the Austrian flag, statues and flowers on the balcony. It is located on the main square which in winter, is completely full of little stands with food and objects, since there was a market. When we went in the summer, there wasn't anything there: it was Sunday and it was completely empty. The advantage? Photos with basically no-one in them. In this Hauptplatz there are also several pharmacies and shops with clothes and accessories. They are modern buildings which contrast with the architecture of the front of the buildings, which are older and more sophisticated.

4. See the Kunsthaus.

It is a modern architecture museum, futuristic and of course, a lot more state of the art than the rest of the city of Graz. It is difficult to describe, a dark blue colour, you could say it is an animal, some kind of worm or something like that. I'll leave you the photo so you can judge it for yourselves. It is right in the middle.

5. Walk through the old district

It is definitely where you are able to appreciate the true essence and personality of Graz. All the buildings, having the same architectural design and similar decoration, create a harmonious space which works well with the city. There are also some churches which are very different to Spanish ones, so it is worth going to have a look at them. Some buildings really caught my eye, like the following one, since the front is very different to the others with these kinds of frescoes of equestrian figures which decorate it.

This street is very long and you can go along, stopping to look at each detail of the buildings, which are so typical of the most important Austrian cities. A building which is also eye-catching is the Swarovski shop. At the front it has these kinds of embroidered flowers which make it stand out from the others. The stand-out features of this big street are the small alleys with cafes, ice-cream shops and corners which also have a lot of personality.

6. Have a coffee in the heart of the city

In the historic district, Altstadt in German, there are also lots of cafes and restaurants. This Sunday they were almost all full, since a lot of people had got up to go and have breakfast in the bars. The well-known "brunch" menu finished at noon and was really varied. From a slice of Apple strudel, toast with tomato, avocado and an egg, a French crepe with a bit of ham and even coffees and bowls of fruit, yoghurt and granola. Everybody had something different on their dish which whet my appetite. We had a coffee in a cute cafe, with lots of plants and flowers and which was in the shade. It was called Cafe Centraal and we chose this one, however, we could have chosen any other because they all looked really good. We stayed a decent amount of time here until we decided to continue on with our route.

7. Crossing the river Mura by the artificial island, Murinsel

It is a work of modern art which doesn't break away from the theme of the old buildings in Graz. It is in the middle of the river and it forms a bridge between one riverbank and another. Nowadays, it is a very original bar-restaurant where you can have something to drink whilst listening to the sound of the river, whose current is quite strong. There is also a small stage with stands with a projector screen in front of it. It is made out of metal and glass and it gives a certain industrial vibe. I personally think it is really original.

8. Are you hungry?

We went to a restaurant for dinner called "La Tavernetta". It was now really late and we were scared that all the kitchens would be closed, fitting with the European timings, which are very different to those of Spain. We found this restaurant by pure chance, we chose it randomly, but we couldn't have made a better choice. The Italian owner, who knew the rhythm and timings that Spanish people follow, decided that the kitchen could stay open for us, so we were the last diners of the evening. They treated us really nicely. We talked with the owner in Italian. He was really nice and we understood each other perfectly. The waitress was Spanish, from Barcelona, and we were talking with her for a long time: about Graz, Spain, how she had ended up here, what we were doing here, etc. We ate really well: I ordered the Tavernetta salad (with melon, ham, yummy) and my friends had pasta and risotto. Here, I'll leave you the photo of it so you can see the colours and how great it looked. So good. I also recommend that you try the tiramisu with a nice cappuccino. Ah, by the way, it was an Italian restaurant which didn't serve pizza. Strange, right? Its speciality was fish and also shellfish.

9. The Eggenberg castle in the outskirts of Graz

We weren't able to visit it since we were a bit tight on time but if you have the opportunity I think you should go no matter what.

10. The Arnold Schwarzenegger museum

And as the last strange fact, did you know that Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in Graz? They have a whole museum dedicated to him. Fact for the day.

And that is everything! I love Graz as a city, it made me think that travelling through Austria is always a good idea. It is true that it isn't my favourite neighbouring country, since that place is dedicated to Salzburg, where you can read the post that I made about it here. I hope that you have enjoyed this, that you have been inspired and above all that you have found it useful. Thank you for reading until the end and I will see you very soon.

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