One Day In Graz’s Schlossberg, A Surprise-Hiding Hilltop Fortress

A green lung hilltop garden in Graz’s city centre. A former fortress ransacked by the French. A clock tower still standing despite Napoleon. A sunset-view spot for a stein of beer. The world’s tallest indoor slide. An epic underground rave. A suspended F1 Car. A tiny train. These are just some of Grazer Schlossberg’s surprises – and you could easily spend one day in Graz soaking up everything it has to offer.

Of course, the Schlossberg is a star attraction for nearly all visitors to Graz. But many don’t realise just how storied and surprise-packed this green, formerly fortified hill is. It wasn’t until I recently spent two months in Graz, on my fourth visit to the city, that I realised just how much this hilltop has to offer. 

Here’s an everything-covered guide to the Schlossberg, including how you could even spend 24 hours experiencing the city’s centrepiece before even getting to the rest of the attractions in gorgeous Graz.

A brief history of the Graz Schlossberg 

Grazer Schlossberg is central to the city’s story. The hill is punctuated with tales of war and wonder, love and local life. In the late Middle Ages, this limestone-and-dolomite hill was home to a powerful Romanesque fortress. Later, in the 16th century, a Renaissance castle expansion grew the defences. It was once considered the strongest, most impenetrable fortress in the world – a record given a nod in the Guinness Book of Records.

For centuries, it stood mighty and proud, some 100-plus metres above the historic centre below. The Schlossberg saw off potential attacks and invasions, even thwarting Napoleon and his troops in the early 1800s. However, Napoleon ultimately defeated the Habsburgs in Austria, and following the French troops’ occupation of Vienna in 1809, Napoleon instead threatened to destroy the Schlossberg.

The citizens of Graz knew defending the fortress was now near impossible. Especially incensed by the idea of losing the Uhrturm (clock tower) and Glockenturm (bell tower), Grazers clubbed together to “buy” these landmarks from Napoleon, effectively making an extortion payment to save them from destruction. When the French troops destroyed much of the fortifications, these two items – one of which is now Graz’s icon – were saved. Learn more about the Schlossberg’s past, and more recent history as a WWII bomb shelter, at the Graz Museum Schlossberg and while you explore the hilltop sights. 

How to spend one day in Graz Schlossberg 

Could you really spend 24 hours experiencing the Schlossberg? If the stars align for concerts, restaurant reservations and hotel bookings, absolutely. 

Breakfast: Take the Schlossberg lift up the hill (it opens at 8 am, unlike the Schloßbergbahn, which starts running at 10 am) and enjoy breakfast with a view (from 9 am) on aiola upstairs’ terrace. The Shakshuka hits the mark, but there are also Italian, New York, and Austrian-style options.

Morning: Visit a few of the Graz Schlossberg landmarks, such as Uhrturm, Türkenbrunnen, and Hackher Line. Perhaps enjoy the 4D The Flight Graz for an “overview” of the city, but certainly visit the Graz Museum Schlossberg to learn the hill’s history and see the old castle basement.

Lunch: Dine at the Schlossberg Biergarten, with its fantastic views of the funicular and river; beers are aplenty, and local dishes, such as cheesy Spaetzle, pair perfectly. After lunch, take the underground slide back down to the mountain’s base. 

Afternoon: Check in to the Schlossberghotel’s neat, smart digs and climb the stairs out back to enjoy a swim in the hotel’s pool set partly up the Schlossberg Hill. This is one of the finest hotels I’ve stayed in in Graz over the years, but being a 5* hotel, it can be a bit pricey in the busy season. Come in the off-season, though, and you’ll be able to snag a great deal; just be aware that the pool is closed over winter.

Sunset: Ride the Schloßbergbahn up (it’s included with the Graz Card, as are many museums) for gorgeous golden-hour views across the city. Just after the funicular departs, look to the left to see an F1 Car hanging off the rockface. That F1 Car is part of the Schlossberghotel, owned by Graz-born, former Austrian racer, Helmut Marko. 

Dinner: Make a reservation at Restaurant Schlossberg (after a drink at SKYBAR Graz) to dine at the Schlossberg’s highest restaurant. Work off your meal by descending the 260 steps of the Schlossbergsteig, passing through the hills’ pretty gardens. 

After Dark: At the base of the mountain, you’ll see the entrance to the Schlossberg Tunnels, used in World War II. If there’s a gig going on, and you’ve managed to score tickets, head into the Dom im Berg concert hall, a rock-hewn underground party cave where I’ve danced until dawn. It’s also worth checking if anything is happening up top in the Kasematten.

Or, cut through the tunnel to the other side of the Schlossberg to reach Gatto im Museum, a restaurant at the Folk Life Museum, on the hill’s far flank, where DJs and live music events are periodically held. 

Getting Up, Down & Around the Schlossberg

Schloßbergbahn – and F1 Racing Car!

The Schloßbergbahn is one of the many ways to ascend the Schlossberg. Opened in 1894 with a gradient of 60%, the Schloßbergbahn was originally steam-powered, though the modern panoramic carriages are electric. As you climb up the slope, and the city of Graz spills out in front of you, look to the left while facing downwards, just after departure, for a quick glimpse of the racing car practically making a vertical descent down the rock.

It’s not the only F1 car that has graced the Schlossberg. In 2019, Max Verstappen drove his Red Bull Racing Car up and through the Schlossberg’s otherwise-closed-to-vehicle streets ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix. The ride is included in the Graz Card.

Schlossberg Lift

The Schlossberg lift, also included in the Graz Card, descends and ascends within the rock to the base of the hill, providing a quick, easy route up and down. 

The Slide

Prefer a thrill? Take a mat and ride The Slide, the world’s largest underground slide that steeply winds around the lift, delivering you through the cave at 25 km/h. It starts just below the Uhrturm, and wraps around the lifts, delivering you to the base of the hill. 

Schlossbergsteig & Slopes

This zigzagging staircase links the area near the Uhrturm with the base of the hill, passing through some pretty gardens planted over the years. It’s a pleasant 260-step journey up or down via the five joined staircases, which opened in 1918 following the First World War.  Keep your eyes peeled for signs on the route down which highlight the different plants, fruits, and herbs planted in the Schlossberg’s garden, such as bitter oranges and pomegranates. 

Schlossberg Tunnels 

If you come down the stairs, enter the cavernous area in front of you, where you’ll see the lifts and the bottom of the slide.  To the right of this, there’s another tunnel hewn from the rocks, which crosses underneath the Schlossberg to the other side of the hill. These tunnels were used in World War Two to protect the locals, serving as 6.3 kilometres (3.9 miles) of WWII air-raid shelters. Today, it’s a handy city cut-through. 

Graz Schlossberg Attractions and Experiences

Starting from the top near the bell tower, and working your way down to an underground rave cave, here’s everything you can experience in one day in Graz.

Kasematten 

Napoleon’s troops heavily damaged the former basement of the Schlossberg fortress, and it now sits open to the elements, although a retractable roof provides cover during events. Nowadays, this part of the Schlossberg’s upper ruins is used to host gigs, the Summer on the Mountain concert programme, and, come Advent, one of Graz’s many and most unusual Christmas markets. 

Glockenturm

Standing tall to the right is the Glockenturm, a bell tower constructed at the end of the 16th century. Over the years, it’s served as a prison and museum. Unlike much of the Schlossberg, it survived Napoleon’s troops’ attack in 1809 thanks to a citizens’ payment. It was held dear by the locals because it housed the bell nicknamed “Liesl.”

Hackher Lion

This loose replica of a bronze lion, originally designed by Otto Jarl, was erected in 1909 to honour the centenary of Grazers’ fierce, but ultimately unsuccessful, defence of the Schlossberg against the French. It’s named after Major Franz Hackher zu Hart, a war hero of that time.

After World War II, the original was melted down. This second version was placed here in 1963.

Graz Museum Schlossberg

On the terrace inside the Graz Museum Schlossberg, you’ll be treated to one of my favourite, photogenic panoramas in Graz – and that’s really saying something given how gorgeous the city looks from anywhere on the Schlossberg. From up here, you can see spires and squares, parks and the Mur River. It’s also an excellent angle for appreciating the “tentacles” extending from the top of the Kunsthaus, Graz’s modern art museum, dubbed the Friendly Alien. 

The museum is also an excellent introduction to the Schlossberg’s history, a chance to see the fortification’s underbelly in the dim basement halls, and where you can learn more about the invasion by the French troops, led by Napoleon, and how the Grazers first defended their fortification, and later bargained to ensure its most beloved landmarks weren’t distorted.

While not visible from outside, the casemate’s underground vault can be accessed, where a projected video covers the hill’s timeline, and the room provides an introduction to the main underground spaces built into the hill. Entrance is free with the Graz Card, and the museum comprises two spaces: the upper part here and the main Graz Museum, located at the base of the hill.

Flower-Draped Terraces, The Türkenbrunnen & Chinese Pavilion

The lower terrace at the back, and slightly down the hill from the Graz Museum Schlossberg, is another of my favourite spring views in Graz. If you’re lucky to be here around May, too, the flower-draped terrace will give you some of the best city photos possible.

From here, you can spy two of the Schlossbergs ’ more international landmarks. The now-named Turkish Fountain, dating to the 16th century, was the fortress’s original water source. The well is 94 meters (308 feet) deep and connected to groundwater in the Mur River. It was mistakenly believed to have been constructed by Ottoman prisoners of war, hence the name.

To the left, you’ll see the Chinese Pavilion, another panoramic viewpoint. Take a pew on the Bishop’s Seat, an old stone bench at the pavilion, linked to a legend of a bishop who died here after being released from Schlossberg’s prison. 

Uhrturm

This unusual and fascinating clock tower is both the modern-day icon of Graz and the ultimate symbol of Graz’s historic determination and the citizens’ love for their main landmark. Following the French troops’ occupation of Vienna in 1809, Napoleon threatened to destroy the Schlossberg. The citizens of Graz, incensed at the idea of losing the Uhrturm, clubbed together to “buy” the clock tower, thus preserving it to this day.

The wooden gallery and distinctive shape of the 16th-century structure have made the clock tower Graz’s symbol. Take a look at the clock face, and you’ll immediately see a curious feature: the long hand represents the hours, and the short hand the minutes. This is because, originally, only the long hand was installed to signal hours to those viewing from a distance. The minute hand was added later. 

The Flight Graz

For a birds-eye view of Graz without whizzing down a slide, consider The Flight Graz, a 4D experience on the upper level, just below the Uhrturm. If it’s your first visit to the city, this video-cum-ride will take you on a literal fly-view of the city’s main sights; it’s not included in the Graz Card, so I’d only suggest paying for a ticket if you’re really keen on these kinds of attractions. 

Schlossberg Gardens

The Schlossber has flowers, fruits and pretty green spaces aplenty. In fact, there are gardens all over the hill, both private and public. Opposite, and just below the Uhrturm, are two of the most flower-filled spaces, which are a delight to amble through. There are signs dotted across the hill pointing out what is planted where, and on the stairs, you’ll see where bitter oranges and pomegranates are planted. The lower slopes near the Folk Life Museum also have allotment-style gardens, still tended by locals, growing veggies. 

Dom im Berg

Just off the World War II tunnels, you’ll find the Dom im Berg – though you’ll need a ticket to enter. This incredible underground event space hosts concerts and gigs, and I had an incredible night here as part of the city’s Spring Festival, which happens each May. Watch this YouTube video to get an idea of how epic this space is for raves. If there’s an event during your visit, you can experience the Dom im Berg yourself; check here for upcoming gigs.

Fairytale Train

I’m not really the target audience for this, but if you’re a travelling family, the Fairytale Train, which trundles on a themed journey through the rocky base of the Schlossberg, is obviously a much more suitable way to see the tunnel system, without heading to a rave. 

After spending one day in Graz exploring the Schlossberg, slow down and enjoy the rest of the city. Here’s my local tip-filled guide on how to enjoy a long weekend in Graz.