Things to do in Graz, Styria & Carinthia

Graz's landmark Clock Tower, whose hour hand is longer than its minute hand, crowns the Schlossberg, reached by 260 steps, the funicular or a lift, and in the old town below, the Styrian Armoury (Landeszeughaus), the world's largest preserved historical armoury with some 32,000 objects, stands next to the Renaissance Landhaus courtyard on Herrengasse. Stop at the café on the water at the Island in the Mur, Vito Acconci's steel structure in the river, look up at the blue, bubble-shaped Kunsthaus Graz, nicknamed the 'Friendly Alien', then tour the 24 baroque and rococo state rooms of Eggenberg Palace, part of the Graz World Heritage site and centred on the Planetary Room. Out in the Styrian countryside, Riegersburg Castle sits high on a rock with three museums inside and via ferrata routes on its cliffs, and the Zotter Chocolate Theatre lets you watch chocolate being made and taste your way through the tour before visiting the Edible Zoo farm. In Carinthia, the Pyramidenkogel Observation Tower gives a sweeping view over the region and a slide back down, and in Advent around 15 markets of Advent in Graz spread through the old town, from the Christkindlmarkt in front of the City Hall to the Aufsteirern market on the Schlossberg.

Good to knowThe Clock Tower interior is open only on guided tours, and the state rooms of Eggenberg Palace can be seen only on a guided tour of about 50 minutes, while its park is open daily all year. Riegersburg Castle takes a winter break and reopens in late March, the Pyramidenkogel tower closes for maintenance in early to mid-November, and its slide needs a minimum height of 130 cm and does not run in wet weather. The Zotter Chocolate Theatre is closed on Sundays and public holidays, so reserve a date online, and Kunsthaus Graz opens Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays, with free entry for Graz Card holders.