Austria,  City Trips,  Graz

Graz, Austria, city trip with a toddler

We went to Graz because our daughter had to go the NoTube eating school. What a beautiful, charming and child friendly city. We fell in love immediately. We have never thought of it as a holiday destination, but we saw many Austrians coming to Graz to spend their weekend.

Flight
There are direct flights from Amsterdam Airport to Graz Airport. A flight takes a little over 1.5 hours. Graz Airport is very child friendly. They have indoor and outdoor playgrounds for children. The restaurant even has a play corner with toys for kids. The food at the restaurant was okay, but like all airports it was quite expensive.

What to do in Graz with kids

UNESCO site
Graz’s historic centre is part of a UNESCO world cultural heritage site. You can stroll through the coble-stones alleys, with boutiques, bars and restaurants on the side. There are also daily guides tours in German or English.

Stadtpark
We went for walks in the beautiful Stadtpark, and fed the ducks. The weather in October was amazing, around 20 degrees sunny with autumn leaves. There is a big playground next to the NH Hotel.

While we were walking back to the hotel via the fountain around 19 o’clock there were a few people hanging around smoking, with unleashed dogs. One of the guys was pretty aggressive towards us and the dog ran our way straight to Elodie. That was the only unpleasant encounter we had in Graz.

Schlossberg
Schlossberg and its famous Uhrtum, clock is easy to visit and a must-see. You can go up walking, taking the elevator or even by a cable funicular railway. The parks look really nice and you have a great view of the city.

Elodie was walking herself, so we had to be a bit careful when walking up the mountain, there were a few small and steep paths with no fence next to it. We mostly carried her while we walked those paths. I recommend taking a stroller.

There is also a Fairy express which goes through the tunnels in Schlossberg which is fun for kids.

Hilmteich
There is a small but beautiful pond at the foot of Leech forest. The restaurant has a nice view over the pond with ducks. There are benches as well as some hammocks where you can rest, a very nice children’s playground and a zipline adventure course.

Botanical garden
The botanical garden is a less than 10-minute walk from NoTube. We went there multiple times because it looks so nice and it was so close by. Elodie loved lying on the carpet of leaves, and playing with it. There is no entrance fee, which surprised us, seeing how big it is and well taken care of. We did put some money in the box. There is a big outside area and even a tropical area, where it is really hot inside.

Where to eat

We have noticed that the people in Graz were very friendly. It’s like a big village instead of a city. We always take Elodie with us to restaurants and all personnel we met were very kind. Granted we don’t have the easiest child as she doesn’t want to sit still for longer than 20 minutes and will want to walk around. Also, the table will be left like a mess because she can’t eat properly.

All restaurants were very accommodating when we told them we had to leave within 1 to 1.5 hour. Even if we had 3 courses and the restaurant was very crowded. They all delivered and were very kind.

Here is a list of restaurants and bakeries we have tried

Landhauskeller
We came here multiple times. The dishes are of consistent high quality. There was nothing we didn’t like. The ancient building and interior give it a nice historic atmosphere.

El Gaucho im Landhaus
This is the place for enjoying perfect steaks, and native dishes with a focus on local ingredients within its historic walls. There is also a bar where you can enjoy drinks.

Martin Auer
This bakery has one of the best Sachertarte we have ever had. There is enough choice, and you can enjoy your meal in their café next to it.

Hofbäckerei Edegger-Tax
The oldest still functioning bakery in Graz, Austria, founded in 1569. The decorated shop facade looks so ancient. You can feel and fantasize about the history.

Eis Greissler
Very good ice cream shop. With a wide variety of flavours, and some are very interesting.

Bäckerei Sorger
This bakery has a lot of choice in prepared sandwiches, sweets and other breads they can warm up in the oven. There is a café inside the bakery and you can even sit upstairs.

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