REDISCOVERING CITIES

I Thought I Wouldn’t See Graz Again

And then I visited it twice

Grazer Landhaus — 16th-century built Renaissance palace in Graz, Austria. May 2024. Photo by author

It was 2019. It was my first time attending the leading annual UX Conference — World Usability Congress (WUC), which is traditionally held in Graz, Austria. I was there for two nights only and had very limited time outside the talks to see the city.

I managed to have a brief walk in the old city on the day of arrival and climb the iconic Schlossberg twice — once by elevator, when we had dinner arranged by the WUC at the Restaurant SCHLOSSBERG, and once by stairs — the Schloßbergsteig.

Graz Schloßbergsteig in the evening. October 2019. Photo by author

I also visited the historic town square — Hauptplatz on the day of departure.

View of Stadtpfarrkirche zum Heiligen Blut. Graz, Austria, October 2019. Photo by author

I liked Graz. The calm charm of the narrow cobblestone streets, the beautifully decorated storefronts, and the red flowers of the graceful Graz City Hall. I felt like it had much more to show than I managed to see. When leaving for Vienna, I thought it was a pity that I didn’t stay for at least one more night.

Graz City Hall — Rathaus der Stadt Graz. October 2019. Photo by author

That thought was haunting me when COVID-19 broke out and changed many things in our lives. At some point, I thought I would never get to travel again, let alone revisit Graz. Then the year 2024 happened.

2024: My First 1-year Multiple-entry Schengen Visa

I started travelling in 2014, yet until 2024, I was applying only for single-entry Schengen visas. But in 2024, thanks to the generosity of the German embassy, I got a 1-year multiple-entry Schengen visa and got to visit Germany for the first time in my life.

I fell in love with fachwerk houses and the German approach to rebuilding, restoring, and preserving its architectural heritage. I wanted to visit again. The tickets suddenly became very expensive, and I thought about entering Germany from Austria (Salzburg → Munich connection).

Those tickets were half the price, and even included the train tickets! What about, I thought, including Graz? Choosing the multi-city option, I ended up buying Yerevan-Vienna-Salzburg, Graz-Vienna-Yerevan tickets.

I left my heart in Salzburg, but that’s a whole different story. After 10 wonderful days in Germany, I had 3 days in Graz. I planned to see everything, and I almost did.

Graz Schloßbergsteig in May 2024. Photo by author

My sister and I managed to climb the Schlossberg (yes, again, it’s divine!), study the Uhrturm from all angles, admire the city of Graz from a bird’s-eye view, and walk in the Stadtpark Graz.

View of Graz city from the Schloßbergsteig and Graz Uhrturm. May 2024. Photo by author

We couldn’t resist the beauty of the little botanical garden in Graz and spent more than 3 hours there.

Graz Botanical Garden in May 2024. Photo by author

Then we enjoyed a slow stroll through all the streets of the old city and left a whole day for museums. We visited the Eggenberg Palace and examined the Landeszeughaus — Styrian Armory.

The Graz Card Fraud

I would call the Graz adventures perfect if it wasn’t for one issue that left a bitter and nasty aftertaste. We were careless enough to be deceived by an ÖBB ticket office employee at the train station on the day of arrival.

The Graz Card provides unlimited free public transport and free or discounted admission to city museums and attractions.

My Graz Card for May 19, 2024. Photo by author

The Graz Card is available for 24, 48, or 72 hours. On the 17th of May, we asked for day transport tickets for May 17 and 18, and two 24h Graz Cards (€33 each) for Sunday, May 19. That’s when we were going to visit the museums, and we explicitly told this to the ticket office employee. She gave us the tickets, and only on Sunday, the 19th, when we were on our way to Eggenberg Palace, one of the friendly citizens told us, “Today is the Museum Day; you can visit museums for free!”

I was speechless. I checked the information on the Internet. I couldn’t believe it. When I was checking the events in the city before the trip (March 2024), there were no mentions of the Museum Day in Graz on May 19. How could this even happen? Didn’t the lady at the station know about this when we were buying the tickets on May 17? Or… did she know and sell the tickets anyway?

I didn’t understand why she would do that. We were polite and friendly, yet she chose to look straight into our eyes and sell two Graz Cards for a day when they would be completely useless… She could have said that there was no need for that card and that we could get daily transport tickets, but she did not.

I was both devastated and furious. I felt like I was robbed not only of money but also of the warm feelings I had for Graz. The whole day, I couldn’t get rid of these thoughts.

At Landeszeughaus (Styrian Armory) in Graz, Austria. May 2024. Photo by author

Later, at the tourist information center (where you could also buy the Graz Card) in Landeszeughaus, I asked the friendly employees if they were informed beforehand about the Museum Day. They confirmed that they always inform the sellers about similar events and would never sell a Graz Card for that day. They were sorry that the tickets couldn’t be canceled, as it was already May 19, and advised us to file a complaint at the ÖBB ticket office. Which we did on the day of departure — we filled out the complaint form, attached our Graz Cards, and left the city.

“That’s it, I’m not going to visit Graz again,” I promised myself, trying to calm down.

Once I got home, I dived into my work and forgot about the Graz Card issue until I got an email from ÖBB on June 7, stating:

Unfortunately, we did not have the information about the Museum Day, so we were unable to pass this on. We recommend that you contact the relevant company operating the ticket before purchasing such city tickets, we are only sellers.

My jaw dropped. I wrote a letter full of my raging emotions to the Graz Tourist Information Center, with attached Graz Card photos and an ÖBB reply screenshot.

“Please inform beforehand all the sellers about days like Museum Day. Please don’t treat the guests of your city like this,” I wrote.

I didn’t expect an answer, but I got one ON THE SAME DAY. There were sincere apologies that surprised me.

We apologize for the frustration and inconvenience you experienced regarding the purchase of the Graz Card. Firstly, we deeply regret that the employee at the ÖBB ticket office did not inform you about Museum Day, during which museum entrance is free. We strive to inform beforehand all sales points of the Graz Card about promotional days that affect the use of the Graz Card. We are currently investigating the matter to understand why the relevant information about Museum Day was not available to the ÖBB-staff and to prevent such issues in the future. We really appreciate your feedback, as it helps us improve our services. If you let us know your post address, we would love to send you a little something for your inconvenience.

I won’t say it melted my heart. It didn’t. But it softened it a bit. I still don’t know who was responsible for the issue (except for me, I realize it was my fault for not checking the upcoming Graz events in May), but at least the Graz Tourist Information Center employees apologized for what happened.

The gift I got wasn’t something special — a black tote bag and a small figure of the Uhrturm — Graz Clock Tower. But what mattered was the gesture, the sincerity behind it.

“Anyway, I’m not going to revisit Graz anytime soon,” I said to myself.

And then I visited Graz in December 2025…

2025: Graz Christmas Markets and Murinsel

My father and I always wanted to visit Christmas markets in Europe. Again, our first choice was Germany — we thought of the well-known Christmas market in Nuremberg. And again, the tickets were too expensive. In the meantime, the Austrian airlines were tempting us with much cheaper options, train tickets included. So, we chose Vienna and… Graz.

Should I say I had mixed feelings about this choice? We weren’t going to visit museums this time, so I thought we might give it a chance. After all, the official website was promising around 16 Christmas markets in the Old Town!

And guess what? We loved every minute of our four-day stay.

Christmas Markets in Graz, Austria. December 2025. Photo by author

Every Christmas market we visited had something unique to offer, be it an absolutely cute painting of my beloved Scrooge McDuck or gingerbread houses.

Unique gifts at Christmas Markets in Graz, Austria. December 2025. Photo by author

On my first visit, I didn’t get to this part of the city to see the Murinsel. On the second visit, it looked great, but somehow the river seemed too aggressive, and I was too frightened to step on the frail-looking metallic stairs leading to this artificial island.

The Murinsel in Graz, Austria. December 2025. Photo by author

The Murinsel (“Mur island” in German) is an artificial floating “island” in the middle of the river Mur. It was designed by New York City artist Vito Acconci on the occasion of Graz becoming the 2003 European Capital of Culture. Source: Wikipedia

But in December 2025, the Mur looked much calmer and welcoming, so I gathered my strength and descended. Twice!

The Murinsel illuminated in colorful lights in Graz, Austria. December 2025. Photo by author

Thoughts on Rediscovering Cities

There are several cities in different countries that I visited twice or even more (by chance or intentionally) — Warsaw, Katowice, Krakow, Gdansk, Malbork, Wroclaw, Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Vienna, Graz. Some of them I would love to visit again. The others… not so much. Yet my experience with Graz taught me something — even if you had a disappointing experience somewhere and promised yourself not to return, life might have other plans. And who knows? Maybe you’ll make some happy memories that will warm your heart like a steaming hot cup of Glühwein.

Even now, I can’t tell that I won’t be back in Graz. I’ve learned my lesson. After all, I saw Graz in autumn, spring, and winter. I'd better just keep silent before life sends me there in summer.

Want to know what captured my heart in Germany?

Check out the beauty of Munich:

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Or the endless charm of Schwangau:

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