Is Graz worth visiting? Absolutely. Austria’s second-largest city is laid-back, welcoming, and easy to explore on foot or by bike, making it feel more like a soul-soothing holiday than a fast-paced city break. It’s both a World Heritage Site for its swoon-worthy historic core and a celestial-designed castle, and a UNESCO City of Design, fusing classic and contemporary culture throughout the city. But there’s so much more to Graz.
While most articles highlighting why you should visit Graz focus on the first and fourteenth districts – and the first-class farm-to-fork food scene – this student-heavy city has surprises and prizes unfurling across all its seventeen neighbourhoods. Having visited Graz four times – including a recent two-month slow-travel stint – I’ve been acquainted with every district and some of the “hidden gems” that are often missed on a whirlwind tour of the old town.
Venture off the beaten path, stay a little longer, and you’ll soon be sipping in urban vineyards, walking with alpacas, or enjoying dinner in a rooftop converted airplane bar. Here are my favourite reasons to visit Graz – one for each district.
1. The UNESCO Old Town is gorgeous, courtyard-crammed and surveyed by the lofty Schlossberg
District I: Innere Stadt
Gorgeous, calm and mostly pedestrianised, Graz’s palace-dotted, courtyard-crammed Innere Stadt is undoubtedly the city’s main calling card. It might be compact, but there’s plenty to fill a long weekend in Graz once you start poking around. Detour into every Italian Renaissance-influenced courtyard, like the handsome Landhaus – next to the largest medieval armoury in the world – Klapotetz wine bar, or the pastel-pink coffee terrace tucked behind Schubertkino, and you’ll soon realise there’s more than meets the eye.
The city’s palaces, many of which have been converted, hold similar surprises inside. Two of my favourites are the Graz Museum, housed inside Palais Herberstein, with its grand, frescoed staircase and the ornate Hall of Mirrors, and Palais Attems, the headquarters of the Styriaarte festival, which is visitable by joining one of the performances that involve moving between each elegant hall. Standing above it all is the Schlossberg, Graz’s central green lung once defended by the city’s fortress. While much of the old architecture was destroyed by Napoleon, there’s still plenty to experience, including the world’s longest internal slide, concerts in both the underground WWII bunkers and the open-air old castle walls up top, and the pretty gardens carpeting the hill, most recognisable for Uhrturm clock tower, the city’s symbol.
2. Farmers’ markets and first-class dining come as standard
District II: St. Leonhard
Austria overall wouldn’t feature on my list of Europe’s best food destinations, but Graz is another story. The city is the country’s GenussHauptstadt, or Capital of Culinary Delight, evident even at the simplest of dining spots. This slow food, farm-to-fork focus is one of the main reasons to visit Graz, bolstered by the fertile farmlands of the Steiermark region, of which Graz is the capital. You’ll find top-notch restaurants, passionate chefs and local supplier-listing menus in every corner of the city, but it’s in the St. Leonhard district where you’ll find my favourite of all Graz’s farmers’ markets. Visit in the morning to meet the traders, enjoy a market-to-meal lunch at Genießerei am Markt, where ingredients are sourced solely from the stands out front, and return for an evening spritz when the stands overflow with life, especially on the first Saturday of the month, when live music adds to the atmosphere.
3. Graz is a youthful, energetic university city with plenty going on
District III: Geidorf
Approximately 20% of Graz’s population consists of students, keeping this grand old city surprisingly youthful. In term time, the city feels especially alive, with plenty of underground events and parties. Much of this is focused around the Geidorf district, home to the University of Graz, where you’ll find some cool bars (I’m a big fan of Churchill for cocktails, Geek’s Cafe for games and coffee on the terrace, and Parkhouse, in the nearby Stadtpark, for late nights). Parts of the impressive campus, which blends grand 19th-century architecture with modern glass construction, can be walked around, including the library.
4. This UNESCO City of Design is as trendy as it is timeless
District IV: Lend (My Favourite)
As a UNESCO City of Design, Graz has no shortage of socially impactful design stores, cutting-edge architecture – including works by renowned architects such as Zaha Hadid – and creative city-wide events throughout the year. Yet it’s in colourful, characterful Lend where you’ll find much of this creative soul. Arriving from the Innere Stadt, the first taste of a more modern Graz comes as you cross the Murinsel, a floating island-bridge with a cafe and photo gallery, before spotting the Kunsthaus, known as the Friendly Alien due to the tentacle-like roof windows. Both were inaugurated when Graz was European Capital of Culture in 2003, adding even more reasons to visit the city.
Beyond, in Lend’s colourful streets, market squares, and independent stores, you’ll find creativity at every turn. Once the city’s red light district, it has undergone profound change in recent years – and admittedly, been somewhat gentrified – but it’s arguably the most liberal and welcoming neighbourhood, hosting Graz’s Pride park party, open-minded bars, and excellent vegan dining spots. Come in May, and you’ll experience the best of it at the community-powered LENDWIRBEL festival to start the month, followed by Graz’s Design Month, of which many events and businesses involved are based in Lend.
5. Churches in and around Graz are far from boring
District V: Gries
Think all European churches are the same? Think again. It might not be the main reason you’ll visit Graz, but some of the more unique religious buildings in and around the city are worth a stop. One of those is the St. Andrä Art Church in the Gries, a district with plenty of global food and alternative nightlife spots, like Postgarage. St. Andrä, a still-operating church with services in multiple languages, including Nigerian Pidgin, is adorned with art. From the words “science” and “fiction” painted in lime green above the outside crucifix to a mirror-ball-like altar and side chapels sprayed in blood-red graffiti, it’s pretty unique. A little further afield, Thal’s Ernst Fuchs designed church is one of the most whimsical and out-there you’ll ever see, as is the Hundertwasserkirche in Bärnbach.
6. You can raft down the Mur River or chill at the city beach with a cocktail
District VI: Jakomini
Austria might be landlocked, but its refreshing lakes, rivers, and falls provide ample compensation. For most visitors to Graz, the Jakomini district is best known as the central transport station, but it’s also where you’ll find riverside Augarten, arguably the city’s nicest park, and the City Beach, with deckchairs, summertime DJs and a container-like bar. For a sustainable, electric-powered river experience, enjoy a two-hour raft down the River Mur – spritz in hand – with Die Flößerei, who operate a larger raft built using some of the traditional tree trunk methods.
7. Graz is football-mad and Austria’s current football champions
District VII: Liebenau
Wherever you go in Graz, you’ll see graffiti and stickers promoting Graz’s two local teams: SK Sturm Graz – the current Austrian champions – and Grazer AK. While known for their fierce rivalry, they both share the Merkur Arena as their home ground. Buy a ticket to catch a game in town to soak up the football-obsessed atmosphere.
8. Graz is oh so green – there are forests, woodlands and plenty of parks within the city limits
District VIII: St. Peter
Graz is green gold. Around 60% of the city is designated green space, making it a delightful place to spend a spring, summer or autumn break. Getting out into nature isn’t hard, and it isn’t limited to public spaces. Grazer Urwald, in the St. Peter district, is a private forest with public access in the urban area.
9. Rustic dining, pastures and farmlands are just a bus ride away
District IX: Waltendorf
It’s just 30 minutes by public transport to the edge of the Waltendorf district, where the city gives way to verdant hills and farmland. This proximity to nature is one of the main reasons to visit Graz, as a city break can quickly become a nature-filled escape. My favourite spot in the neighbourhood is around Schloss Lustbühel – a palace turned kindergarten – where there are easy trails through fields of sheep, goats, cows and horses. Take it all from the flower-decorated terrace of Genussplatz Lustbühel, a typically Styrian Buschenschank where you can enjoy local cold cuts, cheeses and homegrown wines.
10. You can meet adorable Alpacas in Graz
District X: Ries
Just across in the sparsely populated Ries district, or rather, slightly beyond it, is another reason to visit Graz, especially for families: Schöcklblick Alpakas. In this beautiful, family-run farm, with views of mountains in the distance, it’s possible to walk with, pet, and hang out with some 120 alpacas, making it the largest alpaca farm in Austria. All visits need to be pre-booked.
11. There’s a pretty Basilica pilgrimage that leads to the city’s laid-back lake
District XI: Mariatrost
One of Graz’s most splendid buildings is found in the hills of the Mariatrost neighbourhood: the Basilika Mariatrost. The 300-year-old Baroque basilica is truly divine, featuring intricate frescoes and a serene atmosphere. It’s long been the region’s most famous pilgrimage route, but I’d suggest taking Tram 1 to the end of the line – where you’ll find the Tram Museum – and then climbing up the 200-odd steps to reach the basilica for some gorgeous views and then walking back to the city. There’s a lovely trail through squirrel-populated woodlands that leads back to the Hilmtech Lake, with a cafe, tree-strung hammocks, and little boats.
12. The Mur River Beach and Cycle Path delivers summer fun and scenic bike rides
District XII: Andritz
To the east of the centre, the Andritz district offers several unexpected reasons to visit Graz, including palace restaurants, a golf course, and a Buddhist stupa. The long, large neighbourhood also hugs the Mur River and is the launching point for the northern section of the Mur Cycle Path, which leads to picturesque medieval hamlets like Frohnleiten. For a closer-to-the-city river summer experience, relax at the Mur Beach where beers flow freely and volleyball players make the most of the sand.
13. You can enjoy elevated cocktails in a converted rooftop airplane or from the city’s highest point
District XIII: Gösting
Across the river from Andritz, the Gösting district for me is all about elevated views, as well as being the bus transfer point to nearby Thal, a cute, countryside town where Arnold Schwarzenegger was born. Between Gösting and Thal is one of the city’s finest walking trails up to the Fürstenstand, Graz’s highest city-centre restaurant and viewing platform. Come back down at night and you’ll even spot fireflies. Another fantastic rooftop experience is found at the Nova-Air hotel. Two planes, a Boeing 727-200 and an Ilyushin Il-62M, are set on top of the building, with one being a restaurant and the other an 80s-themed cocktail bar – get a table on the city-facing side and you’ll see the Schlossberg out of the portholes.
14. The UNESCO-listed Eggenberg Palace will transport you through four centuries of history
District XIV: Eggenberg
Visiting a palace is one of the most typical things to do in Austria, and Graz is no exception. However, Schloss Eggenberg – located in the fourteenth district and the second half of Graz’s UNESCO listing – is unlike many of the Imperial Habsburg palaces you’ll find in Vienna or Innsbruck, as it had different historical owners. The palace and its grounds, featuring free-roaming peacocks, as well as the city’s archaeological museum, are fascinating.
Particularly interesting is the design of the palace, which was constructed with celestial inspiration. There are 365 external windows for the days of the year; 52 state room windows for the weeks, plus eight towers that combine into 60 seconds; 24 state rooms for the hours, and 31 rooms on each floor representing the longest months of the year. It’s elegant, gorgeous and layered in four centuries of history. 2025 marks the palace’s 400th birthday, being celebrated with a special exhibition, “Showing Styria,” which chronicles the history and family members of the palace.
15. Countryside trails begin just a bus ride away…
District XV: Wetzelsdorf
If you’ve not already gathered, nature-filled walks are plentiful in Graz’s city limits. Perhaps my favourite spans the two southwestern districts of Wetzelsdorf and Straßgang, where the forested, elevated trails are sheltered from the sounds of cars and city life. The trail begins in Wetzelsdorf, climbing up to the St. Johann and Paul Church for views and a typical lunch at the adjacent bar, before crossing the border in the sixteenth district, where butterflies and vines await.
16. …and lead to the handsome urban winery, Falter Ego
District XVI: Straßgang
Whether you arrive on the hike from Wetzelsdorf or make your way directly here, Straßgang is the spot to come to meet Graz’s winemaker. One of the few places in the world where grapes are cultivated in city limits, the slopes of the Kehlberg have had vines growing on them since at least 1665. Although winemaking faded out in Graz, renowned vintner Hannes Sabathi has recently revived it with the opening of Falter Ego. Being a busy, acclaimed winemaker with business in southern Styria and Slovenia, you’ll need to arrange any tours and tastings well in advance, but sipping the crisp Sauvignon Blanc from the glass-fronted dining room overlooking Graz is well worth it. Otherwise, soak up the pretty views on the trail that passes alongside the views – the panorama of Schloss St. Martin (closed to the public) on a hill with the vines snaking down the slopes is one of Graz’s most picturesque.
17. You can taste beers from the city’s prized Puntigamer brewery on a vintage tram ride
District XVII: Puntigam
Rounding off this list of reasons to visit Graz, we arrive at Puntigam, the final city district before entering the Graz Region. Whenever you find yourself in Graz, you’ll instantly recognise the name, as the locally-loved Puntigamer beer is sold everywhere. Join a tour for a behind-the-scenes look at nearly two centuries of beer making, and of course, a tasting. Or, for something special, book onto the Bier Bim, a vintage tram that trundles around the city for 90 minutes with snacks and beer tastings onboard. Is Graz worth visiting? You bet – and be sure to see beyond the big hitters.
This article was written during a blogging residency in Graz hosted by Graz Travel Deeper. As always, all opinions and words are my own.
