Discovering Graz and Salzburg

As travelers get ready to plan their spring and summer trips, agents should focus on selling clients vacations that offer local experiences. Both the cities of Graz and Salzburg are the ideal bases for hub-and-spoke itineraries that explore genuine Austria as suggested below.

Itinerary 1: Salzburg and Beyond

Salzburgerland, which is the province around the city of Salzburg, offers visitors a host of enriching experiences.

Day one of this itinerary starts with a discovery of the city of Salzburg itself, especially its Old Town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The walkable city has much to offer, with such sites as the 900-year-old Hohensalzburg Fortress and  the Fortress Museum. Another must is the DomQuartier, which is filled with 2,000 exhibits. After 200 years, DomQuartier invites travelers to explore where once archbishops walked. Stunning State Rooms, paintings and other treasures can be seen. During a day of discovery in Salzburg, visitors can enjoy treats at the Green Market at Universitaetsplatz, and shop along Getreidegasse.

Day two has travelers exploring beyond the city featuring a day trip to the mountain and spa resort town of Bad Gastein. Stops along the way can include the Fuerstenhof Cheese Dairy in Kuchl and dining on traditional dishes for lunch in Gasthof Abfalter in the beautiful town of Golling. While in Bad Gastein, travelers can take in the Belle Époque buildings before heading up the mountain on the cable car or enjoying a spa and wellness treatment. 

Itinerary 2: Great Graz and the Province of Styria

Another option for visitors to Austria is to step into the magical world of Graz. This can be a separate trip or combined with Salzburg, which is only three hours away by car. Graz is also only a stone’s throw away from Slovenia and Croatia.

Day one in Graz, Austria’s second largest city, should take in its walkable Old Town—also a UNESCO World Heritage Site like Salzburg. Part of the day should include the “Old Town Walking Tour,” which is offered in English from January to June and in November and December leaving from the Graz Tourist Information Center. The tour winds through the city’s narrow alleys, showing off both its historic buildings and contemporary architecture.

Visitors should spend some time in the Styrian Armory to view its impressive collection of 32,000 arms and military equipment from the 15^th to 18^th centuries. The top of Schlossberg, a large rock hill in the center of the city, offers the ultimate view. Its Clock Tower, dating from the 13th century, still works. Active types can get to the summit by climbing 300 steps from Schlossbergplatz or taking the Sporgasse and Karmeliterplatz footpath, while the Schlossbergbahn funicular or the glass elevator built into the mountain itself offers a less strenuous route.

Visitors to the city can choose among a host of outdoor cafes and restaurants and small restaurants boasting local food and wine to end their day. Stainzerbauer near the Graz Cathedral is known for its Kürbiskernöl (pumpkin seed oil) and Steirisches Wurzelfleisch (Styrian stew), as well as wines from the vineyards south of Graz.

Day two of their Graz itinerary should have travelers on a day trip from the city some 45 minutes into western Styria to Piber, where the famed Lipizzaner horses of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna have been bred and raised for 400 years. Nearby, they can visit the small town of Bärnbach and its colorful St. Barbara Church designed by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Visitors can dine at a local wine tavern on fresh bread, platters of smoked meat, cheese, spreads and pickles served family-style, and, of course, local wines.