A few facts about Graz

General
Museums and Sightseeing
Theaters and Concerts
Cinemas and Cultural Istitutes
Newspapers
Sports
Walks and Exkursions

For a general overview of the history of Graz as well as detailed information concerning the main sights of the capital of Styria, please refer to the information brochures enclosed. Also, you may want to check out Graz on the internet

• www.graz.at
• www.graz.at/stadtplaene (Graz City Map)
• www.graz.net
• www.graztourismus.at
• http://istudy.iagora.com (reports of exchange students in Graz)

Graz has a great variety of museums, cultural centers and exhibitions which are worth a visit. Information on opening hours etc. can be obtained from the tourist information center, Herrengasse 14. From there, guided tours throught the city center are offered at the cost of € 9,50 per person.

A detailed program for the theaters, the opera house and the concert halls is listed in the daily newspapers. A schedule of theater and opera performances (the so-called "Spielplan für das Opern- und Schauspielhaus") is also available free of charge at the  tourist information center and in the box office ("Theaterkasse", Tel. 8000), Kaiser-Josef-Platz 10. You can also find it on internet at: http://www.theater-graz.com.

Graz has quite a number of cinemas with most of the films shown in German. However, there are also some movie theaters where movies are shown in the original language ("KIZ - Augartenkino", "Filmzentrum im Rechbauerkino", "English Royal Cinemal"). A detailed program for all movie theaters in Graz is listed in the local newspapers or on the internet at: www.uncut.at. Tickets at a reduced price are available on Mondays and Wednesdays, and in some of the movie theaters you may get a student discount.

Cultural Institutes like the Institut Culturel Franco-Autrichien and DANTE ALIGHIERI offer videos, magazines and books in French and Italian.

The most popular local papers are "Kleine Zeitung" and "Kronenzeitung" (yellow press). Concerning nationwide quality papers, "Der Standard" and "Die Presse" are quite popular among students and academics. Foreign newspapers are sold at several newsstands in the city, as well as at the bookstore "Dradiwaberl" (Zinzendorfgasse 30, 8010 Graz), in the vicinity of the university. Many of the newspapers are also availbale on the Internet.

Concerning sports activities Graz offers a great variety of facilities for tennis, swimming, skating, cycling etc. If you like skiing you may borrow skis from the department store "Kastner&Öhler" in the city center and book a one day trip to a skiing resort organized by the same store throughout the winter months.

A must for true sports-fans is the yearly "USI-Kleeblattlauf" in June organized by the "Universitätssportinstitut", in which students, graduates and university staff of all three universities of Graz take part. After the race there is always a big party.
(More information about university sports)

Information on sightseeing and organized tours in Graz and its vicinity can be obtained from the tourist information center as well. The Kleiner Grazer Wanderführer containing a list and description of interesting town tours is available free of charge.