Graz

With its skyline dominated by the squat 16th-century clock tower, this stylish city has a gorgeous and well-preserved medieval center whose Italian Renaissance overlay gives it, in contrast to other Austrian cities, a Mediterranean feel. The name Graz derives from the Slavic gradec, meaning "small castle"; there was probably a fortress atop the Schlossberg hill as early as the 9th century. By the 12th century a town had developed at the foot of the hill, which in time became an imperial city of the ruling Habsburgs. Graz's glory faded in the 17th century when the court moved to Vienna, but the city continued to prosper as the provincial capital of Styria, especially under the enlightened 19th-century rule of Archduke Johann.

In 1811, the Archduke founded the Landesmuseum Joanneum, making it the oldest public music in Austria. This museum complex, with 12 locations, has notable collections of art, archaeology and armor, as well as fossils and folk life. A

EUR 7 day ticket allows you entry to all collections and exhibitions.