# Graz A getaway to Graz from Vienna, two and a half hours by train: the Schlossberg and its clock tower, the World Heritage old town, the great armoury and the Kunsthaus beside the Mur. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/austria/styria/graz · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Graz is Austria's second city and the capital of Styria, and it is what Vienna is not: smaller, younger, with plenty of students, riverside terraces and fewer groups. The old town, with its red roofs and Renaissance courtyards, can be explored on foot in a morning; above it is the Schlossberg, a hill with the clock tower that is the symbol of the city. On the other side of the Mur, contemporary architecture: the Kunsthaus, a blue bubble, and the Murinsel, a steel island in the middle of the river. And the food is very good: Graz boasts of being the country's culinary capital, with pumpkin oil, producers' markets and the taverns that have always been there. ## How to get there from Vienna By train, in about two and a half hours: Railjets leave Wien Hauptbahnhof and Wien Meidling on the southern line, crossing the Semmering. While the closure of the central stretch of the S-Bahn lasts, until the end of October 2027, board at one of those two stations. From Graz Hauptbahnhof to the centre there is a tram in a few minutes. By car it is about 200 km on the A2; in the city you will not need one and parking in the centre is expensive. From Vienna airport, the easiest way is to go to Wien Hauptbahnhof and take the train there. ## What to see in two days On the first day, start at the Hauptplatz and take the guided tour of the old town, which leaves daily at 10:30 from the Herrengasse. Then go into the Landeszeughaus, the largest surviving historic armoury, with about 32,000 pieces. In the afternoon, go up the Schlossberg by funicular and walk down the steps at dusk, when the rooftops light up. Near the cathedral you have the mausoleum of Ferdinand II and the double staircase of the Burg. On the second day, shop at the Kaiser-Josef-Platz market and cross the Mur to the Kunsthaus and the Murinsel. In the afternoon, tram 1 takes you to Schloss Eggenberg, a Baroque palace with a large park. In November and December, swap the afternoon for the Advent markets and the ice nativity scene. ## Where to eat and sleep For traditional Styrian cooking, the Glöckl Bräu is open every day on the Glockenspielplatz; Der Steirer does Styrian tapas and the Sunday roast; the Landhauskeller is the classic table of the old town, closed on Sundays. To sleep, beside the Mur, the Hotel Weitzer admits dogs and has a rooftop sauna; the Grand Hotel Wiesler is the grand period hotel on the Grieskai, and the Schlossberghotel clings to the rock of the Schlossberg. ## Dónde está - Cerca: Semmering (a 69.2 km), The Rax and Reichenau (a 76.9 km), Mariazell (a 78.6 km), Puchberg and the Schneeberg (a 87.5 km) ## Qué hacer - **The Schlossberg and the clock tower** (1 h 30 · All ages; pushchair-friendly, via the lift · Free on foot; funicular with a zone 1 transport ticket): The wooded hill that rises in the middle of Graz was a fortress that was never taken; Napoleon had it demolished and only the clock tower, the Uhrturm, and the bell tower were saved. Today it is a park with viewpoints over the red roofs of the old town. You go up on foot by the stairs from the Schlossbergplatz, in the lift carved into the rock or on the Schlossbergbahn, a funicular with a glass roof and a 60% gradient that is covered by the zone 1 tram ticket and leaves every 15 minutes. It runs Sunday to Thursday from 9:00 to midnight and Fridays and Saturdays until 2:00; from October to March, from 10:00. - **Guided walking tour of Graz old town** (1 h 30 · Adults and teenagers; children aged 6 to 15 have their own fare · €17 (€18 from 2027); reduced €13; ages 6 to 15, €8.50): The classic tour from the tourist office: an hour and a half on foot through the lanes, Renaissance courtyards and buildings of the old town, from the Hauptplatz to the Landhaus and the cathedral quarter. It leaves from the office at Herrengasse 16. From November to April, daily at 10:30 in German and English, and from Friday to Monday also at 14:30; from May to October, at 10:30 in German and at 16:30 in German and English. It costs €17 (€18 from 2027). You need to book: places are limited. - **Landeszeughaus, the largest historic armoury in the world** (1 h · Teenagers and adults; children find it impressive): The armoury of the Styrian estates, next to the Landhaus on the Herrengasse, is preserved just as it was: four floors with about 32,000 weapons, suits of armour, helmets and cannons from the 15th to 18th centuries, ready to arm the population against Ottoman attacks. It is the largest historic armoury left in the world and since 2026 it has the European Heritage Label. From 1 November 2026 to 6 January 2027 you can only enter with a guided tour, Tuesday to Sunday at 11:00 in German, 12:30 in English and 14:00 in German; on Saturdays and Sundays in November and December, and on some holiday days, you can also enter independently from 11:00 to 15:00. - **Kunsthaus and Murinsel, contemporary Graz by the river** (1 h 30 · All ages; family trail at the Kunsthaus): On the other side of the Mur, opposite the old town, the Kunsthaus is an enormous bubble of blue panels with light "tentacles" on the roof, the city's contemporary art museum. It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00 with temporary exhibitions; the next one opens on 10 December 2026, so check what is on beforehand. Its café on the ground floor is open daily. A few metres away, the Murinsel is a steel and glass platform anchored in the middle of the river, with a café and a small amphitheatre; you cross it by its two walkways and it is free. - **Schloss Eggenberg and its park** (2 h · All ages; the park is large and flat): The Baroque palace of the Eggenberg princes, in the west of the city, is the other great sight in Graz. Its piano nobile has kept its original appearance for more than 250 years, without heating, and for that reason the state rooms close in winter; they can be seen from spring to autumn. The park, with its gardens, is open every day from 8:00 to 17:00. The grounds also hold the Joanneum's archaeology museum. You get there on tram 1 from the centre, in about 15 minutes. - **Mausoleum of Ferdinand II, the cathedral and the Burg's double staircase** (1 h · Adults and teenagers): In the upper part of the old town, around the Burggasse, is the quarter of the former Habsburg court in Graz. The Gothic cathedral, and beside it the mausoleum of Emperor Ferdinand II, one of the great buildings of early Baroque in Austria, with the church of St Catherine. In a courtyard of the Burg, seat of the Styrian government, there is a Gothic staircase from 1499 with two spirals that separate and join again on each floor, the Doppelwendeltreppe: you can see it from the courtyard. The mausoleum has its own opening hours and ticket; ask at the tourist office. - **Kaiser-Josef-Platz Farmers' Market** (1 h · All ages · Free): Graz has about twenty farmers' markets, and the one on the Kaiser-Josef-Platz, beside the Opera, is the best known: farmers from the surrounding area bring Styrian purple beans, apples, pumpkin-seed oil, farmhouse bread, bacon, smoked sausage, homemade cakes and flowers. It is open Monday to Saturday from 6:00 to 13:00; go early, because by mid-morning they start packing up. The other big market is the one on the Lendplatz, across the river, with the same hours and bars that also open on Sunday. - **Advent in Graz: Christmas markets and the ice nativity scene** (3 h · All ages · Free): In Advent, Graz's old town fills with lights and with Christmas markets spread across its squares, and in one of its courtyards a life-size ice nativity scene is set up. On Saturdays 21 and 28 November and 5, 12 and 19 December 2026 there is a guided Advent tour of the Schlossberg. On Saturdays 5, 12 and 19 December, the city's public transport is free in zone 101, except night buses. Check with the tourist office for the Christmas opening hours of museums and restaurants. ## Dónde comer - **Glöckl Bräu** (Restaurant, Graz, €€). Qué pedir: a Backhendl with potato salad and pumpkin-seed oil, and a beer. - **Der Steirer** (Restaurant, Graz, €€). Qué pedir: the Styrian tapas, such as the pumpkin dumplings with nut butter or the tafelspitz jelly with Kernöl vinaigrette. - **Landhauskeller** (Restaurant, Graz, €€€). Qué pedir: the seasonal menu or a Styrian classic from the menu. ## Car-free: By train from Vienna and on foot around Graz Graz is a car-free getaway: the Railjet drops you at the station in two and a half hours, the old town is covered on foot and the tram reaches Eggenberg. With the Graz Card you have transport and admissions. Presupuesto orientativo: 120–200 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir without a car - **Hotel Weitzer** (Hotel, desde 105 € / night): The house A large hotel with 201 rooms on the west bank of the Mur, opposite the old town, which presents itself as a "city house": downstairs it has the Kaffee Weitzer and the restaurant Der Steirer. Up on the roof, a sauna and a gym with views. Rooms and dogs Rooms start from €105 according to its website. Dogs are accepted for €18 a night, with two bowls waiting in the room; the breakfast area is animal-free. The Augarten, a park for walking them, is next door. Getting there and parking From the Hauptbahnhof you arrive by tram in a few minutes. If you are driving, the public Citygarage Weitzer is 30 metres from the hotel along the Grieskai. You cross the bridge to the old town. - **Grand Hotel Wiesler** (Hotel): The house Graz's grand period hotel, on the Grieskai, on the banks of the Mur and a bridge away from the Hauptplatz. It blends the old building with contemporary art: one of its rooms is dedicated to Banksy. It has a restaurant and a bar. Rooms There are 102, in seven categories. Breakfast is paid separately, from €25. They have a garage and hire out electric Vespas for getting around the city. Where it is On the west bank of the Mur, opposite the old town, next to the Murinsel and the Kunsthaus. It is five minutes' walk to the Hauptplatz. - **Schlossberghotel** (Small hotel): The house A hotel set in a house more than five hundred years old, built against the rock of the Schlossberg, on the Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Kai, next to the funicular's lower station. Its interior mixes contemporary art with carefully chosen antiques, among uneven walls and winding corridors. Rooms There are doubles, superior doubles and apartments, with a breakfast buffet. Where it is On the old-town bank, at the foot of the Schlossberg: you go up on the funicular next door and come down the stairs to the door. The Hauptplatz is five minutes away. ### Servicios - **Train from Vienna to Graz**: ÖBB Railjet on the southern line from Wien Hauptbahnhof and Meidling to Graz Hauptbahnhof, about 2 h 30 - **Schlossbergbahn, the Schlossberg funicular**: Glass-roofed funicular to the Schlossberg · every 15 min · 9:00 to midnight (Fridays and Saturdays until 2:00) · zone 1 ticket ## Luxury: Two relaxed nights beside the Mur Graz lends itself to a refined getaway without Vienna prices: a hotel with history beside the river, dinner booked at the old town's classic table and the Schlossberg at dusk. Presupuesto orientativo: From €250 por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir in style - **Grand Hotel Wiesler** (Hotel): The house Graz's grand period hotel, on the Grieskai, on the banks of the Mur and a bridge away from the Hauptplatz. It blends the old building with contemporary art: one of its rooms is dedicated to Banksy. It has a restaurant and a bar. Rooms There are 102, in seven categories. Breakfast is paid separately, from €25. They have a garage and hire out electric Vespas for getting around the city. Where it is On the west bank of the Mur, opposite the old town, next to the Murinsel and the Kunsthaus. It is five minutes' walk to the Hauptplatz. - **Schlossberghotel** (Small hotel): The house A hotel set in a house more than five hundred years old, built against the rock of the Schlossberg, on the Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Kai, next to the funicular's lower station. Its interior mixes contemporary art with carefully chosen antiques, among uneven walls and winding corridors. Rooms There are doubles, superior doubles and apartments, with a breakfast buffet. Where it is On the old-town bank, at the foot of the Schlossberg: you go up on the funicular next door and come down the stairs to the door. The Hauptplatz is five minutes away. ## By plane: Fly to Vienna and take the Railjet to Graz From Spain the usual way is to fly to Vienna-Schwechat (VIE), which has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other cities, and continue by train: from the airport to Wien Hauptbahnhof and from there the Railjet on the southern line, about two and a half hours to Graz. Graz has its own airport (GRZ), with few routes and normally no direct flights from Spain. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **Hotel Weitzer** (Hotel, desde 105 € / night): The house A large hotel with 201 rooms on the west bank of the Mur, opposite the old town, which presents itself as a "city house": downstairs it has the Kaffee Weitzer and the restaurant Der Steirer. Up on the roof, a sauna and a gym with views. Rooms and dogs Rooms start from €105 according to its website. Dogs are accepted for €18 a night, with two bowls waiting in the room; the breakfast area is animal-free. The Augarten, a park for walking them, is next door. Getting there and parking From the Hauptbahnhof you arrive by tram in a few minutes. If you are driving, the public Citygarage Weitzer is 30 metres from the hotel along the Grieskai. You cross the bridge to the old town. - **Grand Hotel Wiesler** (Hotel): The house Graz's grand period hotel, on the Grieskai, on the banks of the Mur and a bridge away from the Hauptplatz. It blends the old building with contemporary art: one of its rooms is dedicated to Banksy. It has a restaurant and a bar. Rooms There are 102, in seven categories. Breakfast is paid separately, from €25. They have a garage and hire out electric Vespas for getting around the city. Where it is On the west bank of the Mur, opposite the old town, next to the Murinsel and the Kunsthaus. It is five minutes' walk to the Hauptplatz. - **Schlossberghotel** (Small hotel): The house A hotel set in a house more than five hundred years old, built against the rock of the Schlossberg, on the Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Kai, next to the funicular's lower station. Its interior mixes contemporary art with carefully chosen antiques, among uneven walls and winding corridors. Rooms There are doubles, superior doubles and apartments, with a breakfast buffet. Where it is On the old-town bank, at the foot of the Schlossberg: you go up on the funicular next door and come down the stairs to the door. The Hauptplatz is five minutes away. ### Servicios - **Train from Vienna to Graz**: ÖBB Railjet on the southern line from Wien Hauptbahnhof and Meidling to Graz Hauptbahnhof, about 2 h 30 ## As a family: A funicular, a river and a mountain in the middle of the city Graz is comfortable with children: it is small and flat down below, and the Schlossberg is a park with a funicular, a lift and viewpoints. The Landeszeughaus impresses anyone who has seen a film about knights. The Graz Card lets two children under 15 travel free. ### What works best The Schlossberg funicular and the clock tower The Murinsel, for crossing the river on a steel island The park of Schloss Eggenberg, open all year The Advent markets and the ice nativity scene ### Where to stay Hotel Weitzer, with rooms of various sizes and the Augarten next door Grand Hotel Wiesler, in the centre ### Where to eat Glöckl Bräu, kitchen without a break from 11:00 to 22:00 Der Steirer, tapas to share ### Bear in mind Farmers' markets close on Sundays and public holidays In winter, the Landeszeughaus is seen with a guided tour ### Qué hacer as a family - The Schlossberg and the clock tower - Landeszeughaus, the largest historic armoury in the world - Kunsthaus and Murinsel, contemporary Graz by the river - Schloss Eggenberg and its park - Kaiser-Josef-Platz Farmers' Market - Advent in Graz: Christmas markets and the ice nativity scene ## With teenagers: Armour, contemporary art and a student city Graz hooks teenagers more than many museum cities: it is a university city, with a buzz in the street, and it has two sights unlike any other, the armoury with 32,000 pieces and the blue bubble of the Kunsthaus. ### What works best The Landeszeughaus, four floors of armour and weapons The Kunsthaus and the Murinsel Climbing the Schlossberg on foot by the stairs and coming down in the lift The English-language guided tour of the old town ### Where to stay Hotel Weitzer, beside the river Schlossberghotel, for a different kind of night ### Where to eat Der Steirer, Styrian tapas Glöckl Bräu, schnitzel and Backhendl ### Bear in mind The public English-language guided tour leaves from the Herrengasse The Burg's double staircase takes a minute to see: combine it with the cathedral ### Qué hacer with teenagers - The Schlossberg and the clock tower - Guided walking tour of Graz old town - Landeszeughaus, the largest historic armoury in the world - Kunsthaus and Murinsel, contemporary Graz by the river - Mausoleum of Ferdinand II, the cathedral and the Burg's double staircase ## Consejos ### Book the guided tour Places are limited and fill up in Advent. ### Go up by funicular, walk down The zone 1 tram ticket is valid for the Schlossbergbahn. ### On Sundays, no market The producers' markets do not open on Sundays or public holidays. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How do you get from Vienna to Graz? By Railjet from Wien Hauptbahnhof or Meidling, about two and a half hours. By car, about 200 km on the A2. ### How many days do you need? Two nights for the city without rushing; one if you only want the old town and the Schlossberg. ### Are there guided tours in Spanish? The public ones from the tourist office are in German and English; the 10:30 one runs every day. ### How do you get up the Schlossberg? On foot up the steps, on the Schlossbergbahn funicular, with a zone 1 tram ticket, or in the lift dug into the rock. ### What should you eat in Graz? Anything made with pumpkin seed oil, Backhendl and Styrian purple beans; and at the markets, cold cuts and farm cheese. ### Is it worth it in December? Yes: Advent markets, the ice nativity scene and, on Saturdays 5, 12 and 19, free transport.