Graz (Austria)

...I digress...

Graz has an international airport and you can fly there with Ryanair from Stansted. It's also at the heart of the excellent European rail network. We went by train from Maribor, on the Zagreb-Vienna service, a journey of about an hour, bringing you in at the Hauptbahnhof in Graz. From there you can walk or take a tram to the Old Town where most of the city's attractions can be found. Graz is a pretty compact city although ...
...discussion among the people of Graz though is now regarded with fondness and pride. Keeping the two of them at a respectful distance is the River Mur; in the middle of the river is the Murinsel - a manmade island shaped like an open mussel shell. It was designed by American artist Vito Acconci as a temporary installation for 2003 when Graz held the title of European City of Culture but it was so popular it was decided to keep it. What many people ... more

For the benefit of anyone who still doesn't know, my partner and I bought a little flat in Maribor in Slovenia at the end of last year. Over our last few visits we have been furnishing the flat and given the abundance of retail parks in the area you might be forgiven for thinking that this would be easy. The trouble is that although there are lots of retail parks in Slovenia they all have the same limited stores and so people tend to head over the border to shop. Depending on where they live, this might be to Italy (very stylish and very pricey), Hungary (cheap but not so stylish), Croatia (so-so, good quality but not much choice) or Austria (reasonable prices, good quality and lots of choice).

People in Maribor tend to go to Austria and head for Graz, just fifty or so kilometres away. There's even a song that goes something like "Shopping in Gra-az, shopping in Gra-az" sung to an 'oom pah pah' tune that we occasionally hear on the local radio station out there. When the people of Maribor want to shop they more often than not go to Austria; if you get a flyer in your mailbox advertising reasonably priced nice-looking things, you can bet the shop will be over the border. There are so many hoardings and signs for IKEA in Maribor that you'd probably be forgiven if you drove around the city all day looking for the store. Of course, like any other decent shop in Slovenia, it's in Austria.

Ironically it was because we were fed up with shopping that we decided to have a couple of days in Graz. Our furniture had been chosen and we were waiting for it to be delivered. In a country of less than three million people, it you have to wait six days for your furniture to come ninety minutes up the motorway! But I digress...

Graz has an international airport and you can fly there with Ryanair from Stansted. It's also at the heart of the excellent European rail network. We went by train from Maribor, on the Zagreb-Vienna service, a journey of about an hour, bringing you in at the Hauptbahnhof in Graz. From there you can walk or take a tram to the Old Town where most of the city's attractions can be found. Graz is a pretty compact city although there are a few interesting sights outside of the centre.

There are two striking sights competing for attention. The Schlosberg - the Castle Hill with its oddly truncated clock tower (the Uhrturm), and the Kunstmuseum - the modernistic art museum that originally provoked heated discussion among the people of Graz though is now regarded with fondness and pride. Keeping the two of them at a respectful distance is the River Mur; in the middle of the river is the Murinsel - a manmade island shaped like an open mussel shell. It was designed by American artist Vito Acconci as a temporary installation for 2003 when Graz held the title of European City of Culture but it was so popular it was decided to keep it. What many people do not realise is that it is actually a ship and not an island at all. It is anchored into the Mur and if the good people of Graz had not asked for it to stay, it would have been floated away to some other city.

The Insel is liked to each river bank by a walkway and inside it is a small playground, a café and a space for outdoor music events. Perhaps it was down to the weather but the Murinsel looked drab and dirty to me.

The Old Town occupies the northern side of the Mur. It is dominated by the Hauptplatz, a large square filled with the aroma of delicious sausages which are sold at stalls lined along one side of the square. It is the heart of the city where people meet and, when we were there during the recent controversial mayoral elections, where politicians go to woo voters and press the flesh.

Off the Hauptplatz the roads become narrower and off those, still more little alleys where you can find tiny shops selling antiques or handmade chocolates and the odd snug little "Weinstube" where you can sample locally made wines and good Austrian beers. Many also serve food and the set menus are a good way of eating cheaply.

There are several ways to access the Schlossberg; you can take the funicular which goes almost all the way to the top of the hill. Or you can take the Schlossbergbahn - the lift which shoots vertically through the rock and brings you out two thirds of the way up, leaving you with a fairly steep climb if you want to go all the way to the top. There has been a funicular on the hill side since the 1890s but the current one is very new and modern. Or you can walk all the way up to the top - a lovely walk but one I enjoy more coming down; the zig-zagging walk is called the "Kriegsteig", lots of locals make the ascent daily.

The original fortress was built about one thousand years ago and the city is named in its honour - Graz is a contraction of the Slovene "Gradec" which means little castle. The next castle to be built on the site was much bigger but that was blown up in 1809 by Napoleon. Only the clock tower and the bell tower exist today. Although there are some interesting statues and the two towers, the real attraction of the Schlossberg is in the wonderful views it affords over the Old Town, and on a clear day, the snow-capped mountains of the Julian Alps.

Back in the lower part of the Old Town there are plenty more interesting sights. There is a striking, if not hugely attractive, cathedral; personally I found the Gothic interior more pleasing than the sober exterior. The Landhaus is the home of the regional parliament of Styria and is a wonderful building reminiscent of a Venetian palazzo. The arcaded courtyard is amazing and really takes you away to Italy!

Sporgasse and Sackstrasse are not only home to some wonderful boutiques, art galleries, chocolatiers and antique shops but the buildings that house them are the most eclectic architectural mix. In between them narrow alleyways lead to little bars and restaurants or yet more tiny shops tucked away.

Every now and again the narrow lanes and backstreets open up to lovely squares with grand houses and churches. Many of the houses have been converted into restaurants. Glockenspielplatz is one such square. Behind the gable windows of one of the house live two wooden figures, a man and a lady who come out when the bells chime at 11.00 am, 3.00pm and 6.00pm. If you get there two early pop into the neighbouring Glockenspielplatz microbrewery and restaurant - their beer is great!

One of the city's most striking buildings is the "Kunsthaus Graz"; described by its architects as a "friendly alien" this curiously shaped blob of a building hosts temporary contemporary art exhibitions. What is notable is that the building looks to be growing out of the "Eisernes Haus" which was built in 1848; when that building was new it provoked as much debate as the friendly alien because it was one of Europe's first cast-iron buildings.

Just out of the city is Schloss Eggenberg, a wonderful mid-seventeenth century palace in beautiful grounds. Inside the museum is the Joanneum - the first public museum in Austria which opened in 1811. The museum covers a wide array of subjects, in particular art and culture and regional wildlife.

Graz has a remarkably diverse selection of museums but you should do your research if there is something that especially interests you. Some of the museums have very limited opening hours, some require an appointment to be made and the Ruhetag (literally the quiet day - the day the museum is not open) differs between museums. There are museums of architecture, of locks and keys, folk life and folk art, trams, vintage cars and dolls. For my next visit in May I am planning a trip to the Criminological Museum.

You'll find all the usual international hotel chains in Graz and there is a good selection of mid range hotels in the Old Town. Around the station you'll find some good budget hotels. If you don't mind travelling in to the city or you want to mix country and city, there are loads of people offering private accommodation on farms and in country villages.

Graz is a great place for foodies. Not only are there plenty of restaurants serving traditional Austrian fare but there are loads of international options too. Thanks to the high number of students you can also eat quite cheaply if that's what you want. A set lunch in a Weinstube costs around 6-7 Euro and for that you'll get soup, a salad and a main course; sometimes this also includes a dessert.

One thing to mention is that smoking is still allowed in public places in Austria but many old fashioned restaurants have no smoking rooms; more modern restaurants tend not to have this because they are usually open plan.

Graz is a wonderfully scenic city and it's possible to stay just one day and pick up a real feel for the place. There's so much to see just from the street that you need not even go inside museums or galleries, simply exploring the squares and streets could occupy you for hours. However, it would be a waste not to at least go into some of the churches and galleries.

Although the Old Town can be navigated on foot and the lift and funicular provide access to the Schlossberg, some people might find the cobbled, steep streets hard going. Once in the centre it's not really possible to use transport so you do have to walk.

What is nice about Graz is that although it has all the amenities a tourist might want the centre is virtually untouched by modern life. There are plenty of shops but most of them are one offs - designer boutiques, art dealers, handmade foods and - best of all - traditional clothing. Yes! The men of Graz wear those traditional collarless green jackets and hats with feathers in them. Not just the old men, but younger men going to and from the office. And you can buy them at loads of shops in the centre of town. For larger chain stores you need to go out of town to a new purpose built shopping centre - you'll know this place because it's full of Slovenians! Should you be mad enough to want to go there you can catch a bus from the Hauptbahnhof.

If you are looking for a budget airline destination with enough to fill a long weekend then Graz is a great option - scenic, compact and utterly charming. As for me, I'll be back at least once a year for the foreseeable future; it will be a long time before I tire of this lovely city. 

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