Summer weekend in Graz - What to see, do and where to swim!
Taking a summer weekend escape to Graz is the ideal underrated getaway this year, with plenty to see,do and eat, but more importantly, some gorgeous locations to cool off and even spend days beside the water.
While areas in Tirol and Salzkammergut are completely over-booked with Austrians staying away from Italy for the summer and adventurous Germans flocking to lakeside shores, there's an ideal alternative with plenty of availability which most travellers don't realise can offer the same experience.
A city break holiday in summer.
Because the thing is, locals live in cities during summer too, and there are plenty of ways to enjoy a quick getaway, while lapping up lakeside swims, trying some cultural activities and taking advantage of some excellent deals on accommodation available now.
What's more, these destinations need support now more than ever, so you'll be helping revive tourism and local businesses by taking an easy, relaxing trip away - win-win.
We were thrilled to collaborate with the City of Graz tourism board to find out how to enjoy a summer getaway in Graz.
If you haven't already, check out these posts of Why you Should Visit Graz, and How to get to Graz from Vienna to prep yourself for this trip. Today, we're looking at what to do in Graz in summer to make the most of a weekend getaway.
Stroll lush Parks & Gardens
The first thing you need to know about Graz - beyond it's cool Mediterranean vibes, UNESCO city of Design awards and title of Foodie Capital of Austria - is that the city itself is surrounded by lush green gardens to cool off in during the long summer days.
On our arrival to Graz, after taking the tram to our hotel and dumping our bags, our first instinct was to roam the city immediately. In 30+ degree heat, we quickly realised the shady parks and gardens were going to be a less sweaty option to enjoy ourselves.
The lush Stadtpark stretches across the Eastern side of the city, hugging the UNESCO world heritage old town with 22 hectares of space to stroll and relax in. Across our weekend in the city we saw many locals picnicking, sunbathing, taking morning baby-yoga classes, playing team sports and bocce, running (in the mad heat!), cycling the kids home and simply relaxing in the grounds of Stadtpark.
It was lovely to stroll from the Opera House end right up to the Schlossburg old town exit to get a feel for the expanse of the park and changing vibe in different sections of it.
We were initially a bit sketched out by the empty part of the park near us, but as we made our way to the central more family-friendly areas it became a lush, relaxing stroll.
By night, the Pavillion Cafe in the centre of the park turns into a bar and hangout for the afterwork crowd, to unwind after a long day in the green surrounds. The park itself has been around since 1868 and brushes up under the base of the Schlossberg Hill, so is fantastic to orient yourself within the city.
The Burggarten is a smaller, more manicured and oddly lesser-known park that overlooks Stadtpark. This is where many young families were unwinding and the discreet pathways and considerate seating areas can be found.
From here, you can get up close to the Denkmal statue, or simply overlook the watery moat and winding paths of Stadtpark. Coming here early morning was lovely and quiet, and gives great views up and over to the Clock Tower and russet rooftops of the city.
On the other side of town, beside the river Mur, is Augarten. This has more options for playgrounds for kids, and for adults the free gym equipment for motivation!
Within the park itself are lovely wide walking tracks and a selection of cafes, including the Caritas run, sustainable Paulschlössl. Here, they upcycle furniture, use local, organic produce and hire folk who are disadvantaged in the labor market and in need and willing to work. The 'UpCycle' cafe concept is a stepping stone for unemployed to re-enter the labor market - so your coffee stop can have a positive impact!
The Augarten also has a schwimmbad very close nearby, which brings us to our next big topic....where to swim to cool off in Graz!
Psst… Graz is currently running a summer special deal where you can get Three nights accommodation for the price of Two, which means you can recreate our entire weekend itinerary!
Click below for more info….
Where to Swim in Graz
Most travellers don't realise that you can combine a citybreak trip with waterside adventures - but the fantastic news in Graz is you don't have to sacrifice your tanning and swim time in summer on your visit. There are plenty of options to cool off in and around the city.
For our trip, the priority was to find Naturbad, or natural water swimming areas, as Stefan has chronic eczema and swimming in chlorinated pools can cause it to flare up and ruin his holiday.
First up then, and maybe my choice location from our trip, was Strassengang Bad, a huuuuuuuge naturbad and public swimming pool just 20 minutes bus ride outside of Graz.
We took the #23 bus from Jakominiplatz as it was right near our hotel, and were stoked that it was only a 5 minute walk from the bus dropoff to the pool.
From the outside Strassengang Bad looks like any normal Austrian public pool, but inside, you soon see that this is a mega swimming area surrounded by rolling green hills and vineyards, with a literal castle overlooking the whole thing.
The fresh water pool itself is bloody gorgeous - 11000 meters squared, as deep as 2.2 meters in parts, and a lovely 22 degrees celcius to cool off.
We were there on one of the hottest days of summer, and even though there were plenty of families, teenager groups and people there, it felt spacious and easy to find room to swim and relax on the grass.
The cool thing here is the pool floor is made up of smooth rocks and pebbles that are easy to walk on, and on the edge of the pool there are rocky outcrops so you can kind of perch and pretend you're a mermaid, half in and half out of the water.
For families with kids, there is a dedicated kids pool area, with a rocky island they can safely clamber over. For young adults and grown men who should know better, there's a pontoon jumping off area, and with the huge size of the pool you can find a spot to suit your day - chilling on the grass, energetic volleyball game or amongst the families near the cafe and play pool.
I was super impressed in the quality of the water and how much we enjoyed this place - a definite recommendation when the weather heats up and only €5 entry per adult.
It's nothing fancy, but the swimming options are worth it - Stefan did laps, I got to loll about in the water, and if you really want to go all in, there is a dedicated FKK (nude) swimming and sunbaking area too.
Our second swim spot was equally easy to get to - the city of Graz has thoughtfully put on a FREE shuttle service to get to Schwarzlsee, that operates every half hour from transport hub Jakominiplatz and back.
Cushy free shuttle to Schwarzlsee!
When I say shuttle, I mean, fully air conditioned comfortable coach with cushy seats, plenty of space for all guests, mandatory mask wearing and an express drive out to the Schwarzl See area.
Schwarzl See is a mega-spot for outdoor activities, events, sports and camping. Many travellers stay here on-site at the camping parkplatz, and locals drive in for the day to scope out their favourite spots alongside the water.
By taking the shuttle, you get dropped near to the main entrance and can access the Southside of the lake, that has a grassy knoll and meadow area and some basic bar, restaurant and bathroom facilities.
Honestly, it's all you need because the water beckons in high heat!
There was even some bougie daybeds for rent and a bit of DJ action at one of the popup bars, but the average age was approximately 17 years old, so proceed with caution.
At Schwarzlsee you can do any kind of watersports based activities, families were teaching kids to swim, oldies were Paddleboarding, there were some Paragliders in the distance, boats sailing further up Northwest of the lake and a lot of bold swimmers forging from one side to the other of the wide lake.
The lake itself is man-made and gigantic, and while there is plenty of shade on the shoreline, the water itself is out in the wide open sunshine. My inner-sunsmart-Aussie is warning you to wear sunscreen and a hat if you can when out in the full heat of the day!
We enjoyed just flopping on the grassy shaded area, dipping in and out of the water and people watching as the afternoon slipped away. It reminded me of the areas of Donauinsel, or the Alte Donau in Vienna, where families and friends congregate for the day and you get a wild mix of cultures, ages and economic backgrounds in one place.
You can easily spend a day here, and if you're feeling fancy, combine it with a cultural visit to the Austrian Sculpture Park that is right next door - more details on that below!
Beyond the naturbad options, the city of Graz actually has a wide selection of public swimming pools to choose from and cool off. The Margaretenbad is particularly good for kids and families and the Augarten bad has a huge swimming pool, volleyball courts, table tennis and plenty of space to sprawl and picnic.
Of course, if you're lucky your hotel might just have an outdoor pool to loll beside for as long as you can!
Places to See & Things to Do in Summer
Graz at anytime of year is filled to bursting with things to see & do - it really just depends what kind of traveller you are and the kind of holiday you want to have.
For a summer trip though, you most likely want to be outdoors as much as possible soaking up the weather. Additionally, Graz has such an inviting, relaxed flair, that getting lost in the naturally cool courtyards and old town is a legitimate day long activity, so don't hold back your explorer instincts!
Experience the Local Markets
Graz is known as the foodie destination in Austria, but the real thrill is, you can get direct access to the food suppliers here.
While there are plenty of high end restaurants, an appreciation for quality food is baked into the Styrian mindset, so there are no barriers to experience it for yourself. You don't have to book Michelin starred restaurants or fork out loads of cash to taste the fresh flavours of the region.
The 14 different farmers markets in Graz are a great place to get up close to the farmers, fruits and veggies that make Styria special and chat with the producers directly.
We started our Saturday morning at the locals favourite market, on Kaiser-Joseph Platz, just around the corner from our hotel. The stalls were loaded with fresh strawberries, blueberries, hand picked apples, cherries and peaches, all perfect to pickup for a small picnic or snacks throughout the day.
The award-winning cheese makers and butchers had dedicated stands, and shoppers happily milled about markt stands sharing coffee and gossip from the week gone by.
At some point I started to feel like I was in a rom-com movie montage, as the sun gently warmed the pavement, locals called out to each other across the market, friendly stall holders offered tasters and women doing their weekly shop picked up bright flower bouquets to swing home for the weekend.
It really was a lovely taster of the rhythm of local life in Graz.
Joanneum Museums Pass
The Joanneum Museums Pass for 24 or 48 hours is a great value option to get out and about in the surrounding areas of Graz and explore some of the quirkier museums and exhibitions available. In summer, the outdoor locations are a wonderful way to enjoy the weather and explore at the same time.
With entry valid to over 19 museums, you could try and do the lot in one weekend, but for a summer getaway these are the locations I’d recommend you enjoy on the Museums Pass.
Austrian Sculpture Park. As mentioned above, this art park is easy to get to with the Free shuttle bus to Schwarzl See as it’s located right beside the lake area. We combined our trip to the lake with the Sculpture Park on Sunday morning and it was a lovely way to start the day, marvelling at fascinating sculptures strewn across the parklands.
The sculpture park is spread across 7 hectares, with over 70 pieces to enjoy, and as they are placed in open fields, hills, gardens and park areas, it’s fun to wander slowly through the grounds, not knowing what will surprise you next. A concrete boat seemingly abandoned, the salvaged wreckage of airplane fighter jets, mirrors swinging in the breeze and abstract installations beside duckponds.
The grounds themselves are quite lovely to wander and Stefan and I spent the morning debating the relative merits of modern art, sculpture and the meaning of different pieces.
I can’t claim to always understand modern sculpture, but it was a really interactive and open way to explore the different pieces - and I loved that you could roam around, get up close and have no restrictions on viewing the artworks. It somehow felt more natural than a stuffy museum!
Open Air Museum Stübing. This is a great option if you’re visiting when the weather isn’t quite as sweltering as our weekend was! Located outside Graz, you can either take a 1 hour cycle to get there, or a train to station Stübing and half hour walk to get to this unique outdoor museum of architecture and farming.
Across the wide grounds of the park, they have collected unique farmhouses, architecture and buildings from all regional areas of Austria across the centuries. The exhibits are interactive and being in the open air, you can pleasantly stroll between the different regional displays, and learn more about the background and culture of life in Austria since the 1500’s. There is of course a restaurant on site, and you can easily spend a few hours exploring the grounds and this unique museum to bring history alive.
Schloss Eggenburg. Located a short tram ride from the city centre of Graz, Schloss Eggenburg is a UNESCO Heritage listed palace, with some of the best preserved State Rooms and artworks from the 17th and 18th century in Austria. If you want to get your palace history geek on, this is the place!
Image courtesy Graz Tourismus Schloss Eggenburg
In summer, you can take advantage of the fine weather to walk the palace gardens, where ducks and peacocks freely roam, and explore the stately English Garden design and fragrant rose gardens.
Sunset at the Schlossberg & Clock Tower
The absolute best thing about a summer weekender? The long balmy evenings in which to enjoy the city. It feels like a bonus round of exploring time!
Stefan and I loved having our adventures and swim time during the day, then coming back to our hotel, ditching the sweaty outfits to shower and head out again for the warm evenings.
More than anything, the long languorous nights felt like a holiday in Italy. With people spilling out onto streetside cafes and bars, terraces filled with flowering ivy and the clinking of spritzer glasses, while the sun slowly turned the city into a warm golden shade of orange. It truly is a magic time of day to explore.
We timed our visit to the peak of the Schlossberg and Clock Tower on Sunday evening to coincide with the ‘magic hour’ of sunset (this app is super helpful to figure out sunset time in your location) and were thrilled to see the city from above in a golden glow.
We took the Gondalbahn up to Schlossberg to catch the views over old town on the way up, and stopped for a spritz at the top of the hill to enjoy the leafy arbour of the Biergarten at the Schlossberg Graz restaurant. It was absolute heaven and had a great view over the city as we cooled off.
From there, we strolled to the peak of the Schlossberg lookout point, and around to the Uhrturm, or Clock Tower to watch the sky change from gold to pastel pinks and oranges.
There were couples perched on benches beneath the tower, art students sketching the horizon and old town roofs and families running amok across the gardens. It was a picture perfect way to round out our day in Graz.
Ride the Worlds Longest Slide
Of course, after 20 minutes of tranquility, Stefan decided we needed a bit more excitment and right in front of us was the tempting entrance to the Worlds Longest Slide, or 'Rutsch' auf Deutsch. Right in the heart of the Graz hilltop, they've built a long and windy, extremely efficient way to get down the mountain.
For €5 you get given a modified hessian sack, to stick your feet in the end of and sit upon as you lay back and whiz down and around the mountain on the twisty tunnel slide. If you're me, you will scream and swear the whole way down - which considering your voice echoes through the tunnel as a megaphone, is strongly NOT recommended.
Stefan loved every second of the ride while I....got completely motion sick like the super cool thrill seeker I am!
To be fair, I get motion sickness driving the slightly windy streets of the suburbs, so it’s no judgement on the slide experience itself. It really is value for money though, the ride is quite long, winding and fast. Once I'd recovered from being a total wuss with nausea I was glad I did it, for the adrenalin and to be able to look back up the hill of Graz and know we slid all the way down it!
Cruise the Beach Bars & Town Square
Summer in Austria is normally all about the village and street festivals, and although Covid-restrictions have put a stop on major events, there are still some wonderful, socially distanced festivities to be found in the city of Graz.
From early evening, right beside the Mur river itself, you can catch live music and chill beach vibes at the Popup Beach Bar, right by the Murinsel. We caught a live band and sipped on fruity spritzers on Saturday night before dinner, and embraced the summer vibes whole heartedly.
Across the whole weekend, there was also a Mediterranean festival hosted in the main town hall square, with some exceptional sand sculptures being constructed over 3 days. We even spotted the Mayor of Graz congratulating the sculptors on their work on a random wander through the city centre! It’s just that kind of town, where the Mayor pops up casually on a Monday morning to enjoy the summer festivities.
Graz has a rotating schedule of events for the summer, but spread in the wide area of the town square makes them ideal for distancing while still feeling a part of the festivities.
Outdoor Eating
You can't avoid doing this in summertime Graz! Restaurants and bars spill over onto terraces, footpaths and the edges of town squares and courtyards.
All of our meals across the weekend were 'al fresco' which added to the Italian-style atmosphere of chatter, historical architecture surrounding and aperol spritzer glasses tinkling in the background.
We stopped at a few places, but the following particularly stood out.
The so-called #1 Backhuhn in Graz at Herz'l lived up to its reputation, as a juicy, flavourful, fresh fried chicken breast. Definitely in my Top 5 of all time (and I'm a chicken fiend).
The location though, is unbeatable - Herz'l have a front terrace, and then the winding old building leads you through to a back terrace that sits atop this picturesque courtyard staircase.
A lovely mid stop in the middle of the day for lunch! For dinner, reservations are reccommended as the terrace filled up quickly after 5pm.
Landhaus Kellar by Aiola. This was something special - you enter through the lush setting of trendy KatzeKatze bar and then the restaurant opens out into a courtyard in the innenhof courtyard of the Renaissance Italian architectural wonder of the Landhaus building.
The service, food quality and atmosphere was excellent, with an extensive wine list to match your meal. We ordered up a storm, with starter bread platter, followed by the Styrian speciality of Fleischstrudel suppe - literally a meaty strudel in light soup - followed by fresh fish, eirschwammerl mushroom goulash and a fresh ceasar salad.
Landhaus Kellar is located on the main fancy high street of Graz, and the crowd on a Friday night was definitely upper middle class after work indulgence. We really enjoyed getting a taste for locally sourced, organic ingredients and food combinations.
Mohrenwirt. This was our Saturday night surprise find - we'd been aiming to get a table at the Italian restaurant Capello, but when they were full nabbed the last terrace table at Mohrenwirt right next door.
Thank gawd for that, because this was a locals recommendation and every dish was exceptional. Being the chicken fiend I stuck with the specialty Backhuhn and salad, while the rest of the table swapped and shared our Eirschwammerl mushroom goulasch, Spinatknodel spinach dumplings and Saibling fish fillet, before sharing a Kaiserschmarrn dessert with a twist.
Sat in the heart of the hipster Lend district, watching the foot traffic of early Saturday evening stumble past, we savoured the hand made traditional dishes, so much so that we were there until close! Their gin selection was appreciated and the waiters were friendly throughout.
Der Steierer. Our accidental date night pick, after the slow and silly Sunday adventures and slide down the hill, we ended up in this open, breezy wine bar and restaurant that caters to all kinds of guests.
Der Steierer is a wonderful open wine bar and Styrian tapas restaurant. Let me tell you, after 3 days of Styrian size portion control (i.e none whatsoever) you will be keen for tapas sized dishes to make the most of trying as many local specialties as possible!
Der Steierer was really lovely and maybe my favourite restaurant of the trip. They have an extensive wine cellar that surrounds the restaurant, and a lot of locally made hand-selected Styrian products for purchase alongside the restaurant menu.
We devoured almost the entire tapas menu, tasting the chicken breast backhuhn, pilze tascherl mushroom pasta, tender roast beef in pumpkin seed oil dressing and a delicate fish fillet on a zesty salad bed. It was the perfect taster menu of all the variety of Styrian cuisine, and left room for the marillenknodel apricot dumpling dessert afterwards!
Where to Stay
For this trip to Graz, we were happy to be staying on the different side of town, near Jakominiplatz, the transport hub, the Opera House and Stadtpark.
It was a great change of scene and chance to explore the city from a new perspective, but mostly I loved being near the market square and seeing the clash of modern and historical architecture in this district.
We stayed at Hotel Gollner, a third-generation, family owned and run 4 star hotel with gorgeous rooms and a lovely summer terrace for your morning breakfast. The hotel sprawls across 2 buildings so feels more like you are staying in an extended apartment building, including the lovely shared balconies overlooking the rose garden from our room.
Gorgeous view of the rose garden from our room at Hotel Gollner
The handy thing about this location is you are close to the pickup points for the Free Shuttle transfers to Schwarzl see, and can hop on just about any tram or bus within a 5 minute walk from the hotel. It was a great base for jumping off to all the different activities we wanted to try, and could do mostly by foot. From the hotel door to old town was about a 7 minute walk, and across town to the Lend district was only 20 minutes maximum, so you can easily traverse the city from Hotel Gollner and return to comfort each evening.
I also appreciated the personal touches they had to support sustainable travel, including their participation in the city wide keep-cup scheme. The service was extremely friendly and helpful, and breakfast buffet had the best bircher museli I think I’ve had in a hotel!
If you want something a bit more hipster and boutiquey style, my last visit to Graz we stayed at the Grand Hotel Wiesler, in lush rooms that were more like apartments than hotel rooms. It was right next door to the best coffee joint in town, Tribeka, and on the doorstep of Lend district. With windows open the foot traffic was louder than our lovely rooms at Hotel Gollner, but if you closed the windows it was perfectly quiet enough to get a good nights sleep.
For more on Graz hotel stays, check this article.
Phew, I think that’s it for pointers on how to spend a summer weekend in Graz.
As always, hit me up in the comments or in our Facebook Group if you guys have any further questions. I love seeing photos of your trips and hearing your stories if my info helped!
Thanks again to Graz Tourismus for the dreamy weekend exploring the summer in the city, and I hope you guys have as much fun as we did exploring the area.
Don’t Forget! Graz is currently running a summer special deal where you can get Three nights accommodation for the price of Two, which means you can recreate our entire weekend itinerary!
Click below for more info….