Styria Graz
5
Day Itinerary •
Austria
Five days in Styria and Graz give you the full extraordinary depth of Austria's most underrated region, from Graz's extraordinary UNESCO old town, the world's greatest armoury and the Murinsel floating island to the South Styrian Wine Road with its Tuscany-like rolling vineyards, the extraordinary pilgrimage basilica of Mariazell, the greatest Baroque church in Austria, and the extraordinary Gesause National Park with the Admont Abbey library. This route covers the complete Styria. Graz old town and the Schlossberg, Eggenberg Palace and the Landeszeughaus armoury, the South Styrian Wine Road and cellar tastings, the extraordinary Lipizzaner stud at Piber, Mariazell and its extraordinary treasury, the Admont Abbey with the finest Baroque library in the world, and the extraordinary Gesause gorge National Park.
Best Time To Visit
April to October
Getting There
Fly into Graz or Vienna, train 2.5 hours from Vienna
Getting Around
Graz Card for city. Car essential for wine road, Mariazell and Admont
Budget Per Day
Approx 80 to 150 euros per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, walking and driving
DAY 1
GRAZ OLD TOWN
MORNING
GRAZ OLD TOWN, HAUPTPLATZ AND LANDHAUS
Graz is the most extraordinary and underrated city in Austria, its UNESCO old town the finest Renaissance ensemble north of the Alps. The Hauptplatz is the finest medieval square in Austria. The Landhaus courtyard built between 1557 and 1565 is the finest Renaissance architecture in the country. The Kunsthaus Graz alien biomorphic building by Cook and Fournier is the most extraordinary contemporary building in Austria. The Stadtpfarrkirche contains the finest stained glass by the young Tintoretto. Travel: 20 min walk
MIDDAY
THE MURINSEL AND THE MUR RIVER
The Murinsel is Vito Acconci's extraordinary floating stainless steel island cafe and amphitheatre in the middle of the Mur river, built for the 2003 Capital of Culture and still in extraordinary daily use. The Schlossberg rises directly above. The Mur riverside promenade is the finest urban walk in Graz. The Mariahilfer Kirche on the right bank contains an extraordinary 17th-century Baroque interior. The view from the Keplerbrucke bridge up to the Schlossberg is the most extraordinary in the city. Travel: 15 min walk
AFTERNOON
THE LANDESZEUGHAUS ARMOURY
The Landeszeughaus in Graz is the most extraordinary historical armoury in the world, its four floors containing 32,000 pieces of weapons and armour from the 16th and 17th centuries, the finest surviving arsenal from the age of the Turkish wars. The extraordinary collection includes full suits of armour, crossbows, muskets, cannons and the finest collection of decorated tournament armour in Europe. The building itself is an extraordinary Renaissance structure. Entry approx 10 euros.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Graz Farmers Market on Kaiser-Josef-Platz every Saturday from 8am is the finest in Austria, local farmers selling extraordinary pumpkin seed oil, fresh Steirerkase cheese, local wine and seasonal produce. Entirely free to browse. The finest introduction to Styrian food culture and the greatest concentration of local producers in the region.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe Sacher Graz Outstanding coffee house on the Herrengasse. Coffee and extraordinary Styrian pastries. | Lunch: Gasthaus zur Goldenen Pastete Most extraordinary traditional Graz restaurant. Local Verhackertes and Steirerwein. | Dinner: Restaurant Landhauskeller Outstanding Styrian cuisine in the extraordinary Renaissance courtyard. Local pumpkin dishes.
DAY 2
SCHLOSSBERG AND EGGENBERG
MORNING
THE SCHLOSSBERG AND CLOCK TOWER
The Schlossberg at 123 metres above Graz old town gives the finest panorama over the extraordinary red-tiled roofline and the Styrian hills beyond. The clock tower, the only part Napoleon could not demolish in 1809 because the citizens paid a ransom, is the symbol of Graz. The extraordinary Herberstein Garden on the Schlossberg and the extraordinary military history museum inside the clock tower are outstanding. The funicular from the Schlossbergplatz takes 2 minutes. Funicular approx 3 euros. Travel: 30 min tram to Eggenberg
MIDDAY
SCHLOSS EGGENBERG, PALACE OF 365 WINDOWS
Schloss Eggenberg is the most extraordinary Baroque palace in Styria, its 365 windows, 24 state rooms and 4 corner towers the finest Baroque ensemble in the region. The Planetary Room cycle, the extraordinary coin cabinet and the outstanding Styrian medieval collection are all within. The extraordinary peacock garden contains the finest collection of ancient Roman sculpture in Styria. The palace grounds are free to walk. Entry to palace approx 15 euros. Travel: 30 min tram to centre
AFTERNOON
THE GRAZ CATHEDRAL AND MAUSOLEUM
The Graz Cathedral contains the most extraordinary painted plague banner in Austria, a 15th-century tableau showing Graz besieged by plague, Turkish invaders and locusts simultaneously. The Mausoleum of Ferdinand II beside it, built between 1614 and 1638, is the most extraordinary Mannerist building in Austria, its extraordinary dome and interior among the finest in Central Europe. The extraordinary double helix staircase inside is unique in Austria. Mausoleum entry approx 3 euros.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Graz Opera House, the second largest in Austria, has an extraordinary programme and standing room tickets from just a few euros available 30 minutes before curtain. The extraordinary Neo-Baroque facade on the Opernring is one of the finest in Central Europe. The finest value in classical music in Austria and one of the most extraordinary opera experiences in the country.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe Promenade, Schlossberg Outstanding cafe at the summit with the finest city panorama. | Lunch: Restaurant Aiola Upstairs Outstanding modern Styrian on the Schlossberg terrace. Local wine and extraordinary views. | Dinner: Steirerstube, Graz Finest traditional Styrian restaurant. Backhendl, pumpkin soup and the finest Schilcher rose.
DAY 3
SOUTH STYRIA AND PIBER
MORNING
THE PIBER LIPIZZANER STUD FARM
The Lipizzan stud at Piber west of Graz is the home of the famous white horses that perform at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, bred here since 1920. The extraordinary guided tours show the mares and foals in their paddocks and the extraordinary stables, where the young Lipizzaners are born dark grey and gradually turn white over seven years. The carriage museum contains extraordinary imperial carriages. Tours run daily from April to October. Entry approx 14 euros. Travel: 45 min drive to South Styria
MIDDAY
THE SOUTH STYRIAN WINE ROAD
The South Styrian Wine Road between Ehrenhausen and the Slovenian border gives the most extraordinary wine landscape in Austria, its rolling vine hills comparable to Tuscany. The extraordinary Welschriesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Muskateller produced here are the finest whites in Austria. The village of Gamlitz is the finest base, its extraordinary Buschenschank wine taverns serving the current year's wine from the barrel with local cold cuts and bread. Travel: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
CELLAR TASTINGS AND EHRENHAUSEN
Several extraordinary wine estates along the South Styrian Wine Road offer cellar tastings of outstanding quality, including Weingut Sattler and Weingut Polz, both among the finest producers in Austria. The extraordinary Renaissance mausoleum at Ehrenhausen on the Mur, built in 1615, contains extraordinary ceiling frescoes. The view from the Kitzeck im Sausal, the highest wine village in Central Europe, over the entire wine landscape is the finest in Styria.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Kitzeck im Sausal above Gamlitz is the highest wine village in Central Europe at 564 metres, its extraordinary panorama over the entire South Styrian wine landscape to Slovenia the finest viewpoint on the wine road. Three extraordinary Buschenschank wine taverns serve local Welschriesling and Sauvignon Blanc. Entirely free to drive to. Almost completely unknown to international visitors.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Graz Coffee before the drive to Piber. The first Lipizzaner tour runs at 10am. | Lunch: Weingut Sattler, Gamlitz Outstanding winery restaurant. Local Sauvignon Blanc and Styrian cold buffet in the vineyard. | Dinner: Restaurant Steirerwirt, Graz Outstanding farewell Styrian dinner. Local pumpkin soup and the finest Schilcher rose wine.
DAY 4
MARIAZELL AND ADMONT
MORNING
MARIAZELL, THE GREATEST PILGRIMAGE CHURCH IN AUSTRIA
Mariazell is the most important pilgrimage site in the German-speaking world, its extraordinary Baroque basilica built around a tiny 12th-century Romanesque chapel containing the miraculous statue of the Madonna. The basilica, rebuilt between 1644 and 1724 by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, is the most extraordinary Baroque church in Austria. The extraordinary treasury contains the finest collection of votive offerings in Central Europe. Entry to basilica free. Treasury approx 5 euros. Travel: 30 min walk
MIDDAY
MARIAZELL, THE TREASURY AND THE OLD TOWN
The Mariazell treasury is the most extraordinary collection of votive offerings in Austria, accumulated over 900 years of pilgrimage. The extraordinary gold and silver objects, the remarkable painted ex-voto tablets and the extraordinary garments left by Habsburg emperors are outstanding. The Mariazell old town below the basilica has an extraordinary character given by the continuous pilgrimage tradition. The extraordinary Hauptplatz fountain and the pilgrimage shops are outstanding. Travel: 1.5 hour drive to Admont
AFTERNOON
ADMONT ABBEY, ARRIVAL
The Admont Benedictine Abbey in the Gesause valley is the most extraordinary monastic complex in Styria, founded in 1074 and rebuilt after a catastrophic fire in 1865. The drive from Mariazell to Admont passes through the extraordinary Gesause gorge, where the Enns river cuts through vertical limestone walls 1,400 metres high in one of the most extraordinary gorges in the Alps. Arrive in the evening for the extraordinary atmosphere of the abbey village at dusk.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Bürgeralpe above Mariazell gives the most extraordinary panorama over the pilgrimage town and the surrounding Styrian Alps, reachable by cable car in 8 minutes from the town. The cable car runs daily from April to November, approx 16 euros return. The summit gives views of the extraordinary basilica directly below with the Styrian Alps stretching in every direction.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Gasthof in Graz or on the road Coffee before the drive to Mariazell. | Lunch: Restaurant Zum Kirchenwirt, Mariazell Outstanding traditional restaurant beside the basilica. Local trout and Styrian white wine. | Dinner: Hotel Post, Admont Outstanding monastery village hotel restaurant. Local venison and Styrian wine.
DAY 5
ADMONT LIBRARY AND GESAUSE
MORNING
ADMONT ABBEY LIBRARY, THE FINEST BAROQUE LIBRARY IN THE WORLD
The Admont Abbey library is the most extraordinary Baroque library in the world, its extraordinary hall 70 metres long and 14 metres high, with ceiling frescoes by Bartolomeo Altomonte symbolising human knowledge and the seven capital sins. The library's 200,000 volumes include extraordinary medieval manuscripts and incunabula. The extraordinary natural history collection beside it contains 250,000 specimens. The library holds only 40 visitors at a time. Entry approx 13 euros. Book online. Travel: 30 min drive to Gesause
MIDDAY
THE GESAUSE NATIONAL PARK
The Gesause National Park is the most extraordinary gorge landscape in Austria, the Enns river cutting through vertical limestone walls of the Hochtor massif in extraordinary dramatic scenery. The extraordinary Haindlkar cirque, the finest hanging valley in Styria, is accessible by the Johnsbach road into the park. The Gesause is the finest climbing destination in Austria and the extraordinary limestone walls give the most dramatic scenery in the Eastern Alps. Entrance to the park is free. Travel: 2 hour drive back to Graz
AFTERNOON
RETURN TO GRAZ AND DEPARTURE
The drive back to Graz from Admont through the extraordinary Enns valley and the Styrian hill country gives the finest farewell to Styria, the extraordinary rolling landscape of forests and farms entirely unlike any other Austrian region. Graz Airport is 10km south of the city centre. The train back to Vienna from Graz takes 2.5 hours through the extraordinary Semmering Pass, the first mountain railway in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Semmering railway between Graz and Vienna, built between 1848 and 1854, was the first mountain railway in the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The train from Graz to Vienna crosses the extraordinary Semmering Pass through 15 tunnels and 16 viaducts in the most extraordinary railway scenery in Austria. The finest farewell to Styria on the train home.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Hotel Post, Admont Outstanding monastery village breakfast before the library opens at 10am. | Lunch: Gasthof in Johnsbach Outstanding traditional restaurant in the extraordinary Gesause gorge village. | Dinner: Restaurant Aiola Upstairs, Graz Outstanding farewell Styrian dinner on the Schlossberg with the finest city panorama.
Where To Stay
Graz, All 4 Nights Hotel Wiesler or Hotel Daniel. Old town location near the Mur. Approx 90 to 220 euros. Budget Option A&O Graz or Jufa Hotel. Excellent value with good tram connections. Approx 50 to 100 euros. Mariazell Option Hotel Drei Hasen or Hotel zur Post. Stay for morning pilgrimage basilica. Approx 60 to 120 euros.
Top Tips
1. Climb the Schlossberg at 7am before the funicular opens. The clock tower with nobody present and early light is extraordinary.
2. The Landeszeughaus armoury is the most extraordinary museum in Austria that nobody talks about. Book a guided tour.
3. The South Styrian Wine Road in October: Buschenschank taverns open for the new wine. The finest wine experience in Austria.
4. Mariazell basilica fills with pilgrims at weekends. Visit on a Tuesday morning for the extraordinary interior in relative quiet.
5. Admont Abbey library has a timed entry. Book online before going. The library holds only 40 people at a time.
6. Styrian pumpkin seed oil is the finest in the world. Buy directly from a farm rather than a supermarket.
Total Budget
80 to 150 euros/day