Styria

A City of Clocks and Courtyards

Graz rewards slow wandering. Its emblem is the Uhrturm, a quirky clock tower perched above the city, and below it spread Renaissance courtyards, baroque facades and a buzzing café culture. The futuristic Kunsthaus, nicknamed the friendly alien, leans playfully against the centuries old skyline, and the markets brim with pumpkin seed oil and other local delights.

Wine Roads and Rolling Hills

South of Graz the land softens into the Südsteiermark, a sunlit patchwork of steep vineyards often likened to Tuscany. Winding wine roads thread past buschenschank taverns where growers pour crisp Sauvignon Blanc and Welschriesling. This is the home of Styrian pumpkin seed oil, a dark green elixir drizzled over everything from salads to vanilla ice cream.

Peaks, Spas and Alpine Air

The north turns dramatic, with the Dachstein glacier, the wild Gesäuse National Park and the rugged Hochschwab range drawing hikers and climbers. Ski resorts like Schladming light up the winter calendar, hosting World Cup night races under floodlights. When muscles ache, the thermal spas of the east, around Loipersdorf and Bad Blumau, offer steaming pools and deep rest.