Graz; Saturday, 24 February, 2018

The previous evening the train I’d taken from the airport to the hotel had been going through to Graz, but I’d deliberately stayed overnight in Vienna as I wanted to make the journey in the light. The line from Vienna, through the Semmering Pass, is regularly ranked as one of the prettiest rides in Europe, so there didn’t seem much point in missing it by going through the pass at night.

After a long lie-in, and a leisurely breakfast, I checked out of the hotel and walked over the road to the Hauptbahnhof to pick up my train. The initial 40 minutes or so of the journey aren’t that interesting as the train makes its way out of Vienna and south towards Weiner Neustadt, but from there the scenery increases dramatically as the train turns into the valley at the foot of the pass, and then through a series of turns, bridges and tunnels, slowly winds its way up to the top of the pass at Semmering. The views on the way up were spectacular – particularly with the heavy covering of snow.

From Semmering the line passes through a long sloping tunnel that brings you back out the other side of the pass and then a 40-minute ride through valleys before reaching Graz.

It was a very short walk from the station to the hotel where I checked in and dropped my stuff off before heading out into town. First stop was the tram station at the Hauptbahnhof to buy a three-day tourist ticket and to pick up the tram into the centre of town and then onto the Schloßbergplatz at the foot of the hill that the castle is on.

To make access to the castle easier the city has built a lift that runs up the middle of the hill, through the rock, from the Schloßbergplatz, linked by a tunnel into the cliff. I headed down the tunnel and brought my return lift ticket before heading up to the top level which puts you at the foot of the fortress walls and by the main symbol of the city – the Uhrturm.

I spent a while taking in the views of the city from the Schloßberg before having a wander round the rest of the site, including the small remnants of the fortress that once dominated this hill (the bulk of it having been destroyed by Napoleonic forces.) I had intended on catching the funicular railway, but that was closed until the Monday morning for it’s annual maintenance, so instead I headed back over to the lift and down to the cavern at the base of the cliff.

The cavern has lots of tunnels running away from it, mostly built by the citizens as air raid shelters during WWII, today these have been converted into a small railway which runs through the tunnels as the fairy-tale express. It’s all in German and I think even if my German was up to fully understanding a little bit bonkers – but it was an interesting ride through the tunnels by itself.

Back out of the cliff I went for a little wander down to the riverside and the Murinsel – a large café and seating area crated on a small island in the middle of the river, linked by bridges from both sides. After stopping for a quick coffee on the island I headed back into the centre of town and over to my hotel to freshen up before heading out for dinner and then a night time wander up to the Schloßberg (the lifts run until midnight) to take in the city at night, before heading back to the hotel.