Graz: 3 bike getaways for all time

I think, one of the main things that make a city feel like home is the habit to the small things, like having a favourite baker by the corner or a favourite cafè to get a cheesecake and chai latte as a break through the exams. And getaways – special spots where you can relax at the end of the day or at the end of the week – are definitely one of the most important part of my feeling at home.

I have lived in Graz for a semester for my Erasmus program and definitely fell in love with the city. One of the best points (along with the wide offer of activities and the lively Erasmus community) is the chance to reach pretty much everywhere by bike without much effort. This way riding to lesson or practice becomes in itself a way to enjoy the atmosphere of the city to its fullness.

Here I will describe three short bike trips from the Graz city centre where I used to go in my free moments to relax and enjoy the nature (they are all famous spots to visit around Graz, but maybe the bike is not the most common way to reach them):

• Mariatrost. 4.5 km, 20 minutes.

Going to Mariatrost by bike was my three-times-per-week training in July, after USI acitivities had already finished and my daily routine was a full day practice at the hospital. After my early dinner I was tired enough to go straight to sleep at 8pm (and in July the city was almost empty since there were no courses at uni anymore) but finding it shameful, one Wednesday evening I jumped on my bike and started riding. I had already been to Mariatrost on foot a couple of times so I decided to give it a try also by bike.

I discovered a bike road following the route of tram n.1 all the way to Mariatrost. It takes around 20 minutes (Google maps says it 4.5 km), a bit more if you stop to take a quick picture of Hilmteich in between, and with practically no effort you will have a magnificente view of the whole Graz while lying on a bench in a meadow of daisies by Mariatrost church. By sunset the air becomes fresh and the like so sweet that you can hear the end of the day approaching. Oh well, yes, you should go at sunset.

[Mariatrost Basilika]

• Thalersee. 13km, 45-60 minutes.

Thalersee is probably my favourite place for a getaway. It will take half a day to go, come back, have a walk around the lake (unluckily it’s not a place where you can bathe) and enjoying some strudel with hot tea or trout with a glass of local white wine (I came here also to review for an exam) at the restaurant; 13 km, a bit of uphill (it also passes near Gosting’s ruins if you want to stop there for a breathtaking view and you can take a picure of the picturesque church of Kalvarienberg by the Mur) but nothing too hard (and it’s completely downhill anyway on your way back).

I found the place completely by chance on a Sunday morning when I decided the slight hangover I had was not strong enough to waste such a splendid sunny day of spring. So again I jumped on my bike and reached the Mur, I turned North (for no real reason) and kept on pedalling until I found a signal for Thalersee, which I followed since I’m pretty much fascinated by any stray of water (lake, pond, river or sea as it can be). The cycling road follows the Mur (there’s one on each river bank, I generally take the Estern side on my way there and the Western in the way back) until it turns left to Gosting (the landscape in this part is not particularely nice but endure it for ten minutes and you will reach the woods) and then reaches Thalerstrasse that leads straight to Thalersee. From Thalersee (after the dessert and wine of course) you can reach back the city centre following the same way; there is also the chance to go back on another way but it should pass through a stony path in the middle of the woods so, unless you are particularly into mountainbiking, just don’t go that way.

[Thalersee, view from the restaurant]

• Schwarzlsee. 17km, around 90 minutes.

And finally Schwarzlsee. Schwarzlsee is an artificial lake lying on the South of Graz, not far from the airport. And it’s probably the most famous (and maybe only) place to bathe around here. By bike it’s 17km from Graz so it makes a nice one day trip with friends: you can swim and picknick in the park (there is an entrance fee which changes according to the season:  I was there in mid April for the first time and it was free. And practically empty), there are a couple of restaurants and bars and there’s also the chance for some sport activity (some kind of kitesurfing thing).

To get there, you must first reach the Mur and then follow it South, pass Augarten and more South, keeping on the Western side of the river. You will keep on pedalling among trees until you reach the highway (the road passes under the highway through a low tunnel: beware your head), then you will go through the village of Feldkirchen, around the airport (you can also visit the flight museum on Saturdays, I think), and you are there, to the lake. Don’t forget to check the Skulpturenpark by the lake before you go back: it’s an open air collection of contemporary sculptures, the entrance is free and there are some nice spaces to have a walk and enjoy this peculiar kind of art.

Oh and if you keep going more South instead of following the signs for Schwarzlsee, you can reach all the way to Maribor in Slovenia (it should be around 50-60km).

[It seems the photos of Schwarzlsee stayed in my old mobile that crushed last summer. Anyway, here is a photo of what you can find in the Skulpturenpark.]

Photo gallery