Sometimes, iconic attractions don’t need to be overwhelmingly large to become really worth a visit. The Grazer Schoßbergbahn / Graz Castle Rail, for example is just 212 meters long, but still a very popular ride among tourists and locals. The reason for that is also that during that short distance, the cable car train is climbing up a height difference of about 109 meters, up to the Schlossberg overlooking the Austrian city. Here is my review.
Schlossbergbahn Graz – Location & Admission
The lower terminus of the Schlossbergbahn is located at the Northern edge of Graz Old Town. Tram lines 3 and 5 connect to the station, but you likely end up walking there. Parking in close proximity may be a bit more adventurous, but at least on the opposite side of River Mur, you find several opportunities to do so.
The ropeway is typically running between 10:00 hrs and midnight with a prolonged operation on Fridays and Saturdays. During my visit there was a ride (i.e. a parallel run of an uphill and a downhill train) every fifteen minutes. The ride is part of the public transport system of Graz. Thus, if you make the return within one hour, the experience is just 2.50 EUR. A day ticket is 5.50 Euro. If you have a round trip after 17:00 hrs, the ticket is 5.50 Euro. There is also a combined ticket of a trip with the ropeway and the Schlossberg Elevator one way each.
Schlossbergbahn Graz – The Cable Car
The cars currently operating in Graz have been introduced in 2004. Due to the steep rails, the car is diagonal and there are three sections within the car. There is a seat with a lovely panoramic view at the very bottom of the car and there is bench-alike seating in other sections. The cars have large glass windows and a panoramic glass roof.
The tram is operated with an operator, who is always at the upper part of the car. On the downhill route, the operator is making use of a camera, which is located at the lower end of the carriage.
Schlossbergbahn Graz – The Trip
The trip is finally a very short ride and takes about three minutes. As the carriage is on rails, it is very smooth and not too exposed to shaking, wind or similar effects. The glass roof gives an excellent panorama of the city.
The pictures below are taken from my downhill ride.
Some Views of Schlossberg Graz
Apart from a theater and concert stage, a tower and a beer garden, there are a lot of other things to do on the Schlossberg. The most lovely thing is, however, simply the view over the Styria capital. I could even spot the Novapark Airplane Hotel, in which I had two good nights, from there.
Schlossbergbahn Graz – My View
The price is great, the panoramic view is amazing – and especially at a warm summer day, the Schlossberg is a must-visit anyway. Finally, there are just too many too good reasons to climb the Schlossberg – and to do it with this short, but very fascinating ride. It definitely should be on your Graz bucket list.
Flyctory.com in Graz
Here are all my postings related to the Austrian city of Graz:

Czech Rail (CD) Railjet Business Class

Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 21st June 2024)

Rock of Ages – 2024 International Dates of the Musical

Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 06 January 2023)

Landeszeughaus Graz – The World Largest Weaponry

Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 26 August 2022)

Graz Coin Cabinet (Münzkabinett)

Flyctory.com Songs Of The Week (week of 10 June 2022)

Graz Airport (GRZ)

Austrian Sculpture Park Graz (Pictured Story)

Flyctory.com Best Ones 2021

Austrian Aviation Museum

Car Rental Review – Hertz Graz Airport (GRZ) – Ford Focus SW

Arnold Schwarzenegger Museum

Graz Fairy Tale Train (Grazer Märchenbahn)

Novapark Airplane Hotel Graz

VIP Lounge Graz Airport (GRZ)

Allessa – Sommerregen
“Rides on Rail” Postings
Here is everything about trains, trams and other rail vehicles:

Austrian Rail Lounge (ÖBB Lounge) Vienna Main Station

Pennsylvania Trolley Museum

My Loyalty Portfolio 2025

Riding the Floibanen in Bergen

Cab Ride at the Florida Railroad Museum (Parrish)

Food I Had Onboard XXI (January 2024 – early February 2024)

Food I Had Onboard XX (November 2024 – early January 2025)

Flyctory.com Best Ones 2024

2024 – My Year in Travel

Austrian Rail Lounge (ÖBB Lounge) Innsbruck

Food I Had Onboard XIX (October 2024)

Czech Rail (CD) Railjet Business Class

Riding KCIC Whoosh – The Indonesian High-Speed Rail – in First Class

Exploring Vienna Prater with the Prater Train (Pictured Story)

Food I Had Onboard XVIII (end July to mid September 2024)

DB (German Rail) Lounge Dresden Main Station

Flytoget Oslo Airport Express Train

Dresden Funicular (Standseilbahn)

Grand Central Terminal New York (Pictured Story)

Food I Had Onboard XVII (mid-May to mid-July 2024)

Museum of Public Transport of Wallonia

Kusttram – The World Longest Tram / Light Rail

Riding the Bergensbanen (The Bergen Line) in Norway

Riding the Öresundstag (Öresund Train)

Food I Had Onboard XV (March 2024 – early April 2024)

My Loyalty Program Portfolio 2024

Kansas City Union Station (Pictured Story)

Getting Around in Tokyo with the Greater Tokyo Pass

Flyctory.com Best Ones 2023

Dresden Suspension Cable Railroad (Schwebebahn)

Food I Had Onboard XII (Late October 2023 – Mid-November 2023)

EuroNight EN 40476 Night Train from Budapest to Berlin

Riding the Pennsylvanian Train (Business Class) from New York to Pittsburgh

SkyTrain Dusseldorf Airport

Riding the Heathrow Pod

Southern Florida Regional Train Rides with Tri-Rail

Great Western Railway First Class Lounge London Paddington

Food I Had Onboard IX (Mid-May 2023 til June 2023)

Wuppertaler Schwebebahn (Wuppertal Suspension Railroad)

Heathrow Express – The Fastest Rail to the City (Business First and Express Class)

Northern Trains Class 331/0 from Manchester Airport to Blackpool North

Travel all Germany for 49 EUR a Month? The New Deutschland Ticket

Riding the Heidelberg Funiculars

Dutch Railway Museum Utrecht

German Rail (Deutsche Bahn) Lounge Hamburg – Premium Area

Union Pearson Express Toronto – The Airport Express Rail

Thumb Up or Down? A Personal View on my Loyalty Program Portfolio

Food I Had Onboard VII (mid-February 2023 til March 2023)

Cyprus Railways Museum

Five Years of Flyctory.com – My 20 Most Popular Travel Posts (so far…)

Riding the TransPennine Express Nova 2 / CAF Civity First Class

Food I Had Onboard VI (December 2022 til mid-February 2023)

German Rail (Deutsche Bahn) Premium Lounge Berlin Main Station

All German States (and the Eleven Biggest Cities) on one Rail Ticket – Part 2

All German States (and the eleven biggest Cities) on one Rail Ticket – Part 1

Riding the TECO Line Streetcar in Tampa

Brightline Premium Lounge West Palm Beach

Flyctory.com Best Ones 2022

ICE 3neo High-Speed Rail First Class (Pictured Story)

Riding Flixtrain trains in Germany

German Rail Museum (DB Museum) Nuremberg

High-Speed Train Rides in Florida with Brightline

Dutch Open Air Museum Arnhem (Openluchtmuseum)

Brightline Premium Lounge Miami

Food I Had Onboard IV (May 2022 til August 2022)

Riding the Kansas City Streetcar

Traveling Avanti West Coast Railways Pendolino First and Standard Premium Class

Riding the WeGo Star – Nashville’s only Mass Transit

Avanti First Class Train Station Lounge London Euston Station

Halton County Radial Railway / Streetcar Museum

From Heathrow Airport to London with the Elizabeth Line

Riding the Stadler FLIRT Train of Swiss Südostbahn (IR 26 Treno Gottardo)

Food I Had Onboard II (Nov 21 til Mar 2022)

DB Lounge (German Rail Lounge) Stuttgart

Exploring Munich With Tram Line 19

Stuttgart Funicular (“Standseilbahn”)

Lokwelt Freilassing

Riding the Berlin-Warszawa Express Train (EC 40 to 48)

Flyctory.com Best Ones 2021

The Berlin Tränenpalast (“Palace of Tears”)

Riding The Malpensa Express

VIA Rail Business Class Train Ride from Ottawa to Toronto

Riding the Express InterCity Premium (EIP) in Poland

Graz Fairy Tale Train (Grazer Märchenbahn)

German Rail Lounge / DB Lounge Frankfurt Airport (FRA)

The Venice / Mestre Tramway – The Alternative Connection to the Lagoon?

My Full Tour With The Palm Monorail (Dubai)

The Eschede Derailment Memorial

Tranvia de Soller – The Very Special Tram on Mallorca

Flyctory.com Best Ones 2020

Riding Italo Rail Club Executive Class

The train to Hogwarts? King’s Cross, Platform 9 3/4 (Pictured Story)

FRECCIALounge Milan

Frecciarossa 1000 Executive Class

ALPEN-SYLT Nachtexpress – A New Night Train Crossing Germany

ECE 451 – The Non-Stop Train from Frankfurt To Milan

Nightjet Night Train – Single Deluxe Class

Four Countries, Four Trains – A Trip on Tracks (Day 4, 10th August 2020)

Four Countries, Four Trains – A Trip on Tracks (Day 2, 8th August 2020)

Four Countries, Four Trains – A Trip on Tracks (Day 1, 7th August 2020)

Traveling Through Germany at Covid-19 Times – A special Trip Review

Flyctory.com Best Ones 2019

Pittsburgh Light Rail – It’s (partially) for free!

Mount Washington and the Pittsburgh Inclines

Riding the Arlanda Express

Madrid Railway Museum

Lookout Mountain Incline Railway (Chattanooga, TN)

Platform 0 Chamberí – A Madrid Metro Ghost Station

Bergisch Historic Trams Wuppertal

The only Rail Track on Canary Islands
