Graz
47°04′ N 15°26′ ECityPop. 306,971Graz and Styria
Base yourself in Graz if you want fifteen Advent markets you can walk between in an evening, plus an ice nativity that turns 30 this year. The squares are small, so the busiest ones fill shoulder to shoulder on Friday and Saturday nights.
Photo Armin Ademovic · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Every market in the old town sits within walking distance of every other, so a hotel near the Hauptplatz puts the whole season on your doorstep. The ice nativity, the Schlossberg and the Winterwelt rink are all close, and the regional tourist board points to the new Koralmbahn line for shorter rail journeys into the city.
The name
gradec
small castle
slavic
The name most likely comes from the Slavic word for a small fortified place, and first appears in records in 1128.
SourceThings to do in Graz
Graz packs its Advent into the old town that UNESCO listed in 1999. The region's tourist board counts fifteen markets in walking distance, and most open on 20 November 2026. Start on the Hauptplatz in front of the Rathaus, then work outwards: the Altgrazer market by the Franciscan church for country crafts, the Mehlplatz for a late punch, the Färberplatz for makers' work, and the Kasematten on the Schlossberg at weekends for Styrian food with a view.
Two things set Graz apart in December. The first is the ice nativity in the Landhaushof, carved from about 35 tonnes of ice and turning 30 in 2026. The second is the Büro für Weihnachtslieder in the Sporgasse, an office for Christmas songs that holds more than 30,000 of them and opens daily from 28 November to 22 December 2026 for anyone who wants to browse or sing.
The Christmas lights go on across the old town on 19 November, with new lighting along Herrengasse this year. A decorated vintage tram from the Graz tram museum, the Adventbim, runs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings from Jakominiplatz. The Grazer Winterwelt rink below the Schlossberg opens on 13 November.
Worth knowing
- Most markets trade until 19:00 or 20:00 and serve food until 22:00; check each one, since the Schlossberg and Nikolaiplatz markets open only part of the week.
- On 24 December the markets that stay open close at 14:00.
Quick answers about Graz
What does the name Graz mean?
Graz comes from the local name gradec, meaning small castle. The name most likely comes from the Slavic word for a small fortified place, and first appears in records in 1128.
Is Graz a good place to stay?
Every market in the old town sits within walking distance of every other, so a hotel near the Hauptplatz puts the whole season on your doorstep. The ice nativity, the Schlossberg and the Winterwelt rink are all close, and the regional tourist board points to the new Koralmbahn line for shorter rail journeys into the city.
Within 12 km
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