Graz

Graz is a city of 288000 inhabitants located in the plains of southeast Austria, south of the Alps and 140km southwest of Vienna. It is the capital of the Austrian region of Styria and is Austria's second largest city. Graz is a "university city" because 60000 of its 288000 inhabitants are students.
The area in and around Graz has been settled since the Copper Age. In the 12th century Graz became an important commercial centre. The first university was founded by Archduke Karl II in 1585. Fortifications were set up on the Schlossberg at the end of the 16th century and later demolished in the 19th century.
Nowadays Graz has a beaufitul historic core with many old buildings, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999.
How to get to Graz
Graz can be reached by train and motorway and even has a small airport with flights to a number of European cities
Accommodation
There are many hotels and guesthouses, most bookable via the international booking portals.