Graz

Landeszeughaus armour, Schlossberg steps and Eggenberg's peacocks

Graz divides neatly into two days: day one from Hauptplatz up Herrengasse to the Landeszeughaus armoury, the 11:00 Glockenspiel, lunch on the Schlossberg after its 260 steps, then across the Murinsel to the Kunsthaus and evening bars in Lend; day two at Eggenberg Palace, a short ride on tram 1.

Begin on Hauptplatz in the morning and walk up Herrengasse to the Landeszeughaus, then slip through the archways behind it into the arcaded Renaissance courtyards. Be on Glockenspielplatz at 11:00, when the figures turn and the bells play. Around midday, climb the 260 steps from Schlossbergplatz, past the clock tower, and eat on one of the terraces at the top. Come down the gentler eastern side to Karmeliterplatz, then cross the Murinsel to the Kunsthaus and poke around Lend. Stay for the evening, when the bars along Mariahilferstrasse and around Lendplatz fill up.

Day two starts at Eggenberg Palace, a short ride on tram 1, for a guided tour of the state rooms (shown from spring to the end of October) and a stroll among the peacocks in the park. Back in the centre after lunch, find the double spiral staircase in the Burg and look into the cathedral next door, then wander the Stadtpark. Finish with Backhendl and a salad dressed in pumpkin seed oil at an old-town inn.

Kürbiskernöl, Backhendl and a glass of Sturm

Styria supplies much of Austria's table, and Graz eats well for less than Vienna. The flavour you meet everywhere is Kürbiskernöl, a thick, dark green oil pressed from roasted pumpkin seeds. It goes on potato salad, over Käferbohnen (big speckled runner beans), into cream soups and, surprisingly well, onto vanilla ice cream. Backhendl, crumbed fried chicken, is the traditional Sunday plate.

Eat your main meal at midday. Between noon and 15:00 most restaurants serve a Mittagsmenü or a dish of the day, usually fresh and far cheaper than dinner. For breakfast, the Sorger bakery chain has branches on Jakominiplatz and Sporgasse, and Martin Auer runs coffee houses all over the centre.

The farmers' markets on Kaiser-Josef-Platz and Lendplatz sell oil, cheese, cured meats and fruit from the surrounding hills every morning except Sunday. In autumn look for Sturm, the cloudy, half-fermented new wine sold during the harvest weeks, and drive south to the Buschenschanken, farm taverns on the wine roads that pour only their own wine with cold plates.

Styriarte, steirischer herbst and the South Styrian wine roads

Visit Graz in late spring or autumn. July and August average about 26°C but are the wettest months, with roughly 125 mm each from afternoon storms, so climb the Schlossberg in the morning. Winter is cold and dry. Styriarte brings classical music in June and July, and steirischer herbst fills autumn with contemporary art.

Graz summers are warm and stormy. July and August average about 26C, and they are also the wettest months, at roughly 125 mm each, mostly from afternoon thunderstorms that clear by evening; climb the Schlossberg in the morning. Winter is cold but dry. January manages 4C by day, drops to about -3C at night and sees only around 20 mm of precipitation, so crisp, clear days are common.

Two festivals anchor the cultural year. Styriarte brings classical music to the city in June and July, and in autumn steirischer herbst fills venues with several weeks of contemporary art, theatre and performance, a fitting echo of the year Graz spent as European Capital of Culture in 2003. Advent markets spread through the old town from late November.

September and October are the months for getting out of town. The southern Styrian wine roads near the Slovenian border are in full harvest, with the Buschenschanken open and Sturm on the tables. Maribor, just across the border, makes an easy day out, and the Koralm tunnel now puts Klagenfurt and the Wörthersee within an hour by train.