From a Marian column to the Clock Tower, riddle by riddle
The Graz scavenger hunt is a self-guided city game you play on your phone: you walk through the old town and beyond, solve a riddle at each of 10 landmarks and unlock their stories, legends and fun facts. Between the Mariensäule and the Clock Tower you spend only about 40 minutes actually walking, 2.6 km in all, so most of the roughly 3 hours go on riddles, stories and looking around, and the game starts the moment you open it.
The route passes the Opera, the Stadtpark and the Mausoleum of Emperor Ferdinand II, then reaches the Cathedral, the Glockenspiel, the Landhaus and the Town Hall, and climbs to the Clock Tower. Graz's old town is compact and easy to explore on foot, with arcaded courtyards and burgher houses to see along the way.
- Durationabout 3 hours
- Walkingabout 40 min · 2.6 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Dutch
What you do between Am Eisernen Tor and the Schlossberg
AEIOU, a light sword and a dancing couple
Each of the 10 stops hides a riddle in something in front of you: the five vowels of Frederick III's motto on the cathedral, the 54-metre Light Sword beside the Opera, the carved couple behind the windows of the Glockenspiel. Sharp observation and some logic solve them, and nobody expects you to know Styrian history.
Ottomans, emperors and a tower bought free
Every answer unlocks a story: the victory of 1664 that the Mariensäule commemorates, the emperor who had his mausoleum begun and then left for Vienna, and how the citizens of Graz saved the Clock Tower after the French siege of 1809. If you would rather keep your eyes on the façades than on the screen, let the audio narration read each one to you.
Through the park, then up the hill
The 2.6 km take about 40 minutes on foot: from the Opera through the Stadtpark, into the old town around the cathedral and the Hauptplatz, and finally up Sporgasse towards the Schlossberg. Google Maps leads the way, and the steepest part is saved for the end.
A pause in an arcaded courtyard
No clock runs against you, so you can linger in the Renaissance courtyard of the Landhaus or stop at a café on the Hauptplatz and carry on later, even the next day. Starting from the old town instead? Pick the Hauptplatz or the cathedral as your first stop in the app.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of players. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Play when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Who the Graz game is good for
Day trippers and first-time visitors
In about 3 hours you see the Opera, the cathedral, the Landhaus, the Hauptplatz and the Clock Tower, with the view from the Schlossberg as a reward at the end. The riddles make you stop at details most passers-by miss, like the eagle above the Edegger-Tax shop front.
Children who like bells, dancers and big clocks
Kids watch out for the dancing wooden couple of the Glockenspiel, look for the four rivers on the fountain on the Hauptplatz and work out which hand of the Clock Tower shows the hour. An adult plays in each team, and a snack in the bag helps on the uphill finish.
Teams who finish together on the Schlossberg
Teams of up to 5 each play on their own phones, so a larger group can start at the Mariensäule in waves and meet again at the Clock Tower. From Am Eisernen Tor to the hilltop it is all public ground, so the tickets are the only thing you reserve.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Teams of up to 5 work best; bigger groups split into several teams, one ticket per player.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
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