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Updated: 13th May 2025
I’ve walked past the Schauspielhaus, Graz’s classical theatre, numerous times over the years, but last night was the first time I noticed the lights set like twinkling stars on its roof. Last Wednesday, a cocktail bar named Ernst Fuchs led me on a detour to one of the most whimsical churches I’ve ever seen. The weekend before, during the community-powered Lendwirbel festival, invite-sharing locals guided me into the city’s underground clubbing scene.
I might have visited Graz a handful of times before – but these first two weeks of slow travelling here in Austria’s best city feel, in a way, like the first time I’m really “seeing it”.
Being in the position to “temporarily settle” in one place is a privilege. However, it also has me rethinking how the world’s relationship with travel needs to change. With overtourism concerns playing out globally, perhaps it’s time the city-break received a comprehensive overhaul. One that allows us to travel deeper and truly appreciate the places we find ourselves.
Slowing down in Graz has allowed me to do that. To move beyond the best of lists that dominate much of our standard pre-trip research – and admittedly, my website. It’s given me the time to satisfy my curiosity and chase an artist’s outlandish church, a one-month-per-year opening castle, and ask bakers in dozens of cafes which cake do you think should I order?
Most importantly, I’ve had time to simply sit with a spritz and strike up a conversation in new-found fave bars – something that’s far easier to do in a city like Graz, where tourists are still received as welcome guests rather than (often fairly) considered the source of a housing and cultural crisis.
Graz is a city I genuinely adore. I’ve loved it since the first time I glided through its pedestrianized medieval old town on a free-to-ride electric tram. But I’ve realized that Graz is much more than its green credentials and gorgeous courtyards.
Graz is sipping a glass of Muskateller on a farmer’s market square at a weekly live music session with free-flowing conversation. It’s the gratis Wednesday afternoon mini-concerts at the Opera’s cafe. It’s accessing a usually-shuttered castle because Design Month has opened its door. And it’s having all of Austria’s glorious wild-flower carpeted pastures, mountains and twinkling lakes practically on your doorstep.
My stay in Graz might only be for a couple of months, and of course, these first two weeks have been about settling in. But I can already tell my time in this underrated city will be inspiring.
I’ve already found my latest favourite writing-rousing courtyard – seriously, Graz has so many you sometimes feel like you’re trespassing trying to find them. I’ve learned which stand at the city-centre farmer’s market is best for seasonal asparagus and which one has the tastiest Styrian apples. I know which corner of the park gets the last rays of spring’s sunshine, and I’ve mastered not tripping over the tram tracks with my bike.
Slow travel and settling into a new place share a lot of similarities. You’ve all the excitement of discovering or re-discovering a destination while also learning what makes it tick. The joy of finding a bar, restaurant or cafe that makes your heart sing isn’t short-lived, as there’s always a tomorrow to return. Then there’s the chance to really get stuck into the cultural scene and cram your calendar with events over the coming weeks, something Graz is certainly not lacking.
But being a passing-through resident – even if slowly – comes with a different set of responsibilities. To learn about the city’s sustainability credentials, travel responsibly and be mindful of how your visit positively impacts, not accidentally harms, a city’s rhythm. Graz, better than most, makes that pretty easy. It’s certainly made me rethink both how my travels have gotten faster in recent years, but also how I write about those places I visit.
Thinking of doing something similar or staying in Graz for a longer sojourn? Here are a few first learnings:
Firstly, don’t rush. Seriously. Graz feels as much like a holiday as a city break. Do rent a bicycle for your stay – the public transport is excellent but cycling suddenly makes the city feel far more intimate. Do take day trips into the gloriously green Graz region and beyond into Styria – on weekends, the €13 Freizeit-Ticket Steiermark will give you a day pass to all the regional transport. Do plan around the Kultur Graz Calendar – you’ll be surprised by just how much is going on here. And do try and peer inside every courtyard – you’ll quickly know if it’s got a tucked-away cafe or is closed to the public.
My number one tip? Strike up a conversation whenever you can. Grazers are genuinely the friendliest bunch of my fellow Europeans I’ve ever met. I can’t tell you how nice it is to be a guest in a city where people want to share it with you. Meet the right folks – including Graz’s talented makers – and you’ll soon feel like you’re getting to know a whole other city.
I’m excited about what the next few weeks in Graz will bring. Design Month is taking over the city, and I’m eager to check out many of the social-impact shops taking part. Spring is in full swing, so I’m sure I’ll cycle along the River Mur towards Slovenia in the coming days. Later in the month my family will visit, and I can’t wait to show them around all the aspects of Graz that I love. The great joy of slow travelling, in Graz or anywhere, is that plans can ebb and flow with the whims of local life.
Today? I’m sipping an Aperol Spritz in a decommissioned airplane perched on a Novapark’s roof. Through the porthole I can see Graz’s Schlossberg dominates in the distance, as it seems to no matter where you are in this city. Every time I glimpse it, I realise how full my heart is in this city.
Thankfully, this flight is going nowhere. There’s still plenty more Graz to explore in the coming weeks.
This article was written during a blogging residency in Graz, hosted by Graz Travel Deeper. As always, all opinions and words are my own.
