Styria, the green heart of Austria, with Graz as its capital.

Styria (Steiermark) is the second-largest region in Austria and bills itself as its "green heart", for its forests. It occupies the south-east of the country, from the northern Alps, with the Dachstein and the Enns valley, to the vineyard hills that reach Slovenia. Its capital, Graz, is Austria's second city and the great getaway from Vienna for anyone who wants something different from the capital: a university city with a red-roofed old town at the foot of the Schlossberg, contemporary architecture beside the River Mur and a cuisine with a reputation of its own.

How to get there from Vienna

By train, which is the most convenient: ÖBB Railjets run from Wien Hauptbahnhof and Wien Meidling to Graz Hauptbahnhof along the southern line and over the Semmering pass in about two and a half hours. While the central stretch of the Vienna S-Bahn is closed, until the end of October 2027, board at Hauptbahnhof or Meidling; not at Wien Mitte. By car it is about 200 km on the A2 motorway, the southern one. Graz also has an airport (GRZ), with few routes: from Spain, the usual way is to fly to Vienna and continue by train.

What there is in Styria

Graz is the main reason to come: two or three days is enough for the Schlossberg and its clock tower, the World Heritage old town, the largest armoury in the world at the Landeszeughaus, Eggenberg Palace and the Kunsthaus, the blue "bubble" by the architect Peter Cook beside the Mur. South of the city begins wine-country Styria, with hills of sauvignon blanc and welschriesling and the winegrowers' taverns, the Buschenschank, where you drink the house wine with cold cuts and bread with pumpkin oil. To the north, on the way to Vienna, the region climbs towards the Alps: the sanctuary of Mariazell, Austria's great pilgrimage site, reached from St. Pölten on the narrow-gauge Mariazellerbahn, and the Hochschwab mountains. To the north-west, the Ausseerland forms part of the Salzkammergut, the lake country whose most famous village, Hallstatt, is across the border, in Upper Austria.

When to go

From May to October the city lives outdoors, with terraces and markets; September and October are harvest time and pumpkin time in the countryside. In Advent, Graz has several Christmas markets and a life-size ice nativity scene; on Saturdays 5, 12 and 19 December 2026 the city's public transport is free. In winter, some museums reduce their hours: the Landeszeughaus can be seen on a guided tour and the state rooms at Eggenberg close, although the park stays open.

How to combine it with Vienna

The simplest way is a two-night getaway: train on Friday afternoon, Saturday for the old town, armoury and Schlossberg, and Sunday for the Kunsthaus and Eggenberg before the train back. It is told step by step in Two nights in Graz from Vienna. If you are travelling for more days, Graz fits into a route through southern Austria: the train from Vienna passes the Semmering, where you can stop for a day to walk beside the World Heritage line, and the Rax, the Viennese people's mountain, a short step from Payerbach. Once in Graz, you only need a car to get out into the countryside: wine-country Styria, to the south, is best explored with someone who is not drinking at the wheel, and the villages in the north are far from the main line.

What to eat

Styria is the land of pumpkin seed oil (Kernöl), dark green, which goes on salads, soups and even ice cream. Styrian purple beans, roast pork with root vegetables (Wurzelfleisch), Backhendl, breaded chicken, and cheeses and cold cuts from the farms fill the markets of Graz, such as the one on Kaiser-Josef-Platz. To drink, white wine from the south of the region and Graz beer.