Graz, the second largest city in Austria (250,000 inhabitants) is located in the south - east of Austria right between the Alps and the Mediterranean. The historic heart of the city of Graz is a Central European urban complex marked by centuries-long presence of the Habsburgs. It is one of the best preserved old cities in Central Europe and was proclaimed world cultural heritage by the UNESCO in 1999. In 2003 Graz was the European Cultural Capital which further enriched the cultural program. In summer there are lots of events, e.g. the festival for classical music ("styriarte"), the Jazz summer and other cultural events. For detailed information on the rich program please refer to the offical Graz website. Some useful and interesting information about Graz you'll also find on the Graz Tourism homepage.

Accommodation
Please refer to HRS for free hotel rooms in Graz. We recommend Parkhotel Romantik, which is located 10 walking minutes from the campus. Reasonably priced hotels near the campus are Hotel Teuschler or Hotel Feichtinger. For students with a small budget we recommend Hotel Academia (which is a youth hostel), located 20 walking minutes from the campus.
If you need assistance in searching or booking a hotel room please don't hesitate to contact us!

Public Transport
Graz has an excellent public transportation system with busses and trams. Ticket prices are 1,70 Euro for an one-hour ticket, 3,40 Euro for a 24-hour ticket and 8,20 Euro for a full week ticket. Those tickets are valid for both bus and tram. You can buy these tickets directly at the drivers or each tobacco shop ("Tabak-Trafik"). Detailed timetables of the different busses and trams you'll find on the website of the Grazer Verkehrsbetriebe, unfortunately in German only. If you click on 'Haltestellenfahrplan' it's easy to find your locations and the related busses and trams.

Taxi
If you prefer to use a Taxi, these are available at all larger places. If you want to call a taxi use (0316) 878 or (0316) 889. The costs of taxis in Graz aren't too high, for typical routes approximately 10 to 15 Euros.

Business Information
Business hours are usually from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Saturdays most shops are opened from 8 am to 5 pm. All shops are closed on Sundays. Banks are usually opened in the morning from 8.30 am to 12.30 pm, and in the afternoon from 1.30 pm to 4.00 pm. On Fridays, most banks are only opened in the morning. Out of business hours you can get cash at the cash machines (called "Bankomat") accepting Maestro- and major credit cards. Official currency in Austria is the Euro €. One Euro is around 1.20 US$.