Graz-Umgebung: Caves, high-altitude trails and culture

Graz-Umgebung is primarily used as a recreational area for the city of Graz. The tourism fact sheet (February 2025 edition) assigns Graz-Umgebung to the “Region Graz” tourism association, which covers 32 municipalities in Graz (city), Graz-Umgebung and Voitsberg. You can choose different focuses for your stay: a high plateau and gorge, a guided cave tour, historic buildings, or museums and leisure activities.

Mountain Ranges and Waterfalls

Semriach is located on a high plateau in the Hügel- & Schöcklland region. The municipality includes five mountains that are over 1,000 metres high: the Schöckl at 1,445 metres, the Fragnerberg at 1,109 metres, the Rinnweberkogel at 1,041 metres, the Hochtrötsch at 1,239 metres and the Windhofkogel at 1,064 metres. This makes the Schöckl the highest of the five; geologically, it is a limestone massif on crystalline bedrock. The Schöckl area offers a total of 40 kilometres of hiking and walking trails.

The Kesselfallklamm offers a different kind of natural landscape and is a protected natural monument. Its tallest waterfall plunges 38 metres over several cascades and pools. The region’s excursion options thus bring together highland scenery and a gorge—two different reasons to spend time outdoors.

The Lurgrotte and Trails of Different Lengths

The Lurgrotte has an entrance in both Semriach and Peggau. Guided exploration can begin from either village, accompanied by knowledgeable guides. The Lurgrotte Peggau is Austria’s largest water-bearing show cave. Another way to include the cave in an outing is the scenic E-bike Tour 739, which leads from Peggau to the Semriach high plateau and focuses on the Lurgrotte.

The hiking trails also offer different formats. The Arnold Schwarzenegger Hiking Trail starts and ends right at the Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum and runs for 7.3 kilometres through Thal. The West Styrian Way of St. James also begins in Thal, but runs in eight stages as far as Lavamünd. This offers a choice between a single, specified hiking route and a multi-stage trail.

Museums, Monastery and Cultural Sites

The Austrian Open-Air Museum Stübing includes more than 100 historic buildings and is one of the ten largest museums of its kind in Europe. It is located right on the Murradweg cycle route, making the route’s location a useful reference point for planning a museum visit.

Rein Abbey combines history with visitor experiences: founded in 1129, it is considered the oldest Cistercian abbey in the world. The historic monastery grounds and church are open to visitors at all times. The abbey’s rooms, library and exhibition can be visited as part of daily guided tours. The abbey forests also invite visitors to enjoy long walks and hikes.

The pilgrimage church of Maria Strassengel houses the largest collection of medieval stained-glass windows in Styria. The Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum in Thal uses numerous exhibits to tell the story of Schwarzenegger’s childhood and youth in Thal, his time as a bodybuilder, his film career and his time as governor. These offer two very different visitor experiences: a regional cultural site and a museum with a biographical focus.

Rabenstein Castle is available year-round as an event venue. Art, cultural and craft exhibitions invite visitors to explore the castle’s interior; access is via the Atlantis shuttle, which offers views of the surrounding area. At the Austrian Sculpture Park, the landscape architecture designed by Dieter Kienast features geometric forms, a water lily and lotus pond, and a plant maze. The park opened on the site of the International Garden Show 2000.

Activities at Lake Thalersee and on the Schöckl

Lake Thalersee is a meeting place for Nordic walking, hiking, running, ice skating, cross-country skiing and ice stock sport. The range extends from activities on foot to those on ice. On the Schöckl, the Hexenexpress adds to the hiking and walking options: the summer toboggan run is 1,000 metres long and runs from the cable car’s mountain station down to the Halterhütte.

Find Hotels Based on Your Travel Interests

Use your travel plans to guide your hotel search, choosing a focus that matches the experiences you want to explore.

Discover more destinations: Fernitz Bei Graz, Unterfriesach, Frohnleiten, Graz, Laßnitzhöhe, Thondorf, Semriach, Seiersberg, Hönigtal, Dobl, Sankt Radegund Bei Graz, Edelsbach Bei Graz, Nestelbach Bei Graz, Gratkorn, Hart, Sankt Marein Bei Graz, Sankt Peter, Taschen, Deutschfeistritz, Kumberg, Mühlriegel, Mantscha, Feldkirchen Bei Graz, Fölling, Rein, Gschnaidt, Lieboch, Übelbach, Kalsdorf Bei Graz, Neudorf, Sankt Bartholomä, Neureiteregg, Wundschuh, Premstätten, Gemeinde Gratwein, Tobelbad, Kleinstübing, Hausmannstätten, Attendorf, Raaba.

Go to the regional travel overview: Styria.