Life in Graz: About Graz


Graz's landmark clocktower atop the Schlossberg mountain (hill) in the center of Graz

Graz (pronounced 'Gratz') is the second-largest city in Austria after Vienna (pop: 292,000) and the capital of the Austrian federal state of Styria. It's situated on the Mur river, in the southeast corner of Austria.

View of the Schlossberg gardens and the city from the top of the mountain

Graz's "Old Town" is one of the best-preserved city centres in Central Europe. In 1999, it was added to the UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage Sites and was sole Cultural Capital of Europe for 2003 and received the title of a City of Culinary Delights in 2008.

The main street downtown: Herrengasse

In my own words: Graz is a charming, historic European city...small and intimate and a bit old-fashioned. It's situated in the valley of the beautiful Steiermark region, minutes away from rolling green hills and mountains with classic Austrian homes adorned in flowers. Just what you probably picture when you think of Austria.

It's not as well known to travelers as Vienna or Salzburg, which makes it less 'touristy' and more 'authentic'. It's the perfect size to get around by foot or by the great public tram/bus system...not too big, not too small. Lots of culture, street festivals, delicious, locally grown food and charming neighborhoods. A few bad parts: river could be less dookie brown, the graffiti, fickle weather, closing of everything early and on Sundays and sub-par shopping. Overall, Graz is really pretty wondey. Take a gander....

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