Graz has two kinds of kerb and a calendar to go with them. The blue zone gives you three hours at €2.60 an hour. The green zone has no time limit, costs €2.00 an hour with an €11 day ticket, and is free on Saturdays and Sundays. On Sundays both zones are free, with one exception: on the Europaplatz outside the main station the blue zone charges every day, 08:00 to 22:00, for one hour at most.
The paperwork is what catches visitors. If you pay by phone, the city wants an orange vignette behind the windscreen, free from your app provider or from one city office. And the motorways into Graz are vignette roads; prices are on the DriveTheContinent tolls page, drivethecontinent.com/tolls-and-vignettes/.
A rock in the middle of town and a 30-second lift
The Schlossberg stands inside the old town, and the lift Holding Graz runs up to the clock tower takes 30 seconds. The tower's long hand shows the hours and the short one the minutes, which locals point out before you ask. I start at the foot of the rock; most of this page lies within a few hundred metres of it.
A Styrian flag on the bottle
I do not buy pumpkin-seed oil because the label carries a Styrian flag. When the Austrian consumer magazine Konsument tested 30 oils in 2012, only 11 contained nothing but Austrian seeds, and some bottles bearing the g.g.A. protected mark failed too. That test is old, but my rule stands: look for the g.g.A. paper band with its control number, and buy it at the market below.
My second skip is planning an hour around the Murinsel. It is free and open all year, a 2003 platform in the river with an amphitheatre and a café. I cross it on the way between the Schlossberg and the old town and keep walking.
The Kaiser-Josef market, before one o'clock
The Kaiser-Josef-Markt sits directly behind the opera and runs Monday to Saturday, 06:00 to 13:00, closed on Sundays and public holidays. The tourist board calls it the largest farmers' market in Graz, with pumpkin-seed oil, Käferbohnen (Styrian beans), apples, farmhouse bread and smoked meats. I would buy one oil with the g.g.A. band and a bag of beans, then leave. The square is a blue zone with a 1.5-hour maximum, which is exactly one market visit.
Print the orange sticker before you leave home
In Graz the app alone is not enough. The city's mobile-parking page says to place the orange vignette, sent by your provider or printed, inside the windscreen. You then start the session with city code 002 plus the zone number: 001 for the blue zone, 002 for Lendplatz, Kaiser-Josef-Platz and Schlögelgasse, 003 for the main station, 005 for the green zone.
Four providers are licensed: EasyPark, Park and More, Parkster and Presto. Parkster says you print its vignette from its FAQ. No printer? The city's parking office hands them out free at Keesgasse 6, room 117, weekdays 08:00 to 12:30. The city says nothing about what happens without the sticker, and I would not test it.
Parking in Graz: Blue for three hours, green for the day
The blue zone charges Monday to Friday 09:00 to 20:00 and Saturday 09:00 to 13:00, €1.30 per 30 minutes. The standard maximum is three hours; the Europaplatz is one hour, and Kaiser-Josef-Platz, Schlögelgasse and Lendplatz are 90 minutes. The green zone wraps around it and charges Monday to Friday 09:00 to 20:00 at €1.00 per 30 minutes, with day tickets at €11 and €22 for two days. On 24 and 31 December, charging stops at 13:00. Electric cars pay too; the exemption ended on 20 July 2023.
The overstay fine is €25 by the city's page, issued from the 13th minute, while the ordinance (current as of 21 May 2026) allows ten. I would treat ten as the number. The Parkpickerl (resident permit) is for residents, employees and business owners; the city lists nothing for visitors or hotel guests.
Underground, my day pick is Andreas-Hofer-Platz: €4.40 an hour but €12 for 24 hours, and only 1.9 m high. Kastner & Öhler has the roomiest entrance at 2.25 m and €2.20 per 30 minutes by day. Pfauengarten is €4.20 an hour, €42 a day, 2.0 m; the city's older list shows €3.80 and €36. Bahnhofgarage is €2.50 an hour, €25 a day, 2.1 m.
For all day, P+R Murpark is €12.50 for parking plus 24 hours of transport in zone 101 for one person. It has 447 spaces, 2.1 m clearance, and tram 4 ends there.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | EV |
|---|---|---|
| Andreas-Hofer-Platz (Contipark)Neutorgasse 35, 205 spaces, open 24/7, height 1.9 m | €4.40 per started hour, €12.00 for 24 hours, Monday to Sunday. Contipark's card members pay €3.50 an hour and €8 a day. | The operator's page mentions no charging. |
| Kastner & Öhler TiefgarageSackstraße 7-13, about 600 spaces, lift access round the clock, height 2.25 m | €2.20 per 30 minutes, Monday to Saturday 08:00–19:00; €1.30 per 30 minutes on Sundays, public holidays and at night. The tourist board lists a €5 night maximum and a free hour with a purchase over €1. | Not mentioned on the tourist-board page. |
| Pfauengarten (Parkenplus)Karmeliterplatz 4d, 820 spaces by the operator (840 on the city list), open 24/7, height 2.0 m | €4.20 an hour, €42 a day. The city's older list still shows €3.80 and €36. | The operator says charging is available on request; no count or price. |
| Bahnhofgarage (BOE)Europaplatz 12, directly at the main station, 368 spaces, open 24/7, height 2.1 m | €2.50 an hour, €25 for 24 hours; on Sundays and public holidays the first hour is €1.00. | BOE says the garage has charging stations; no count or price. |
| P+R MurparkOstbahnstraße 3, 447 spaces, height 2.1 m, tram 4 terminus | €12.50 for 24 hours, parking plus public transport in zone 101 for one person. Priced in 24-hour blocks. | Not mentioned for the P+R; the mall next door lists 10 Type 2 points. |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | Bahnhofgarage (BOE) | €5 | height 2.10 m |
| …and the cheapest central garage | Pfauengarten (Parkenplus) | €8.40 | height 2.00 m |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, blue zone | €5.20 | €1.30 per 30 minutes, three hours at most, so €7.80 for the longest stay; the Europaplatz is one hour and three squares are 90 minutes. The green zone has no limit at €2.00 an hour, €11 a day. The fine is €25. |
| A full day (10 h) | Andreas-Hofer-Platz (Contipark) | €12 | height 1.90 m · the €12 cap also appears on the tourist board's list |
| 24 hours | Andreas-Hofer-Platz (Contipark) | €12 | height 1.90 m · the €12 cap also appears on the tourist board's list |
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Towed in Graz: Franz Wuthe in Triester Straße has your car
The street office orders the tow, and the city names one place: ATSW 24h Service Franz Wuthe, on +43 316 721111, at Triester Straße 25, open round the clock. Take photo ID and the registration certificate.
The city's 2020 notice prices cars without plates: €234 to remove, €13.20 a day to store, more at night and weekends. For a car with plates towed for bad parking I found no published price. The Styrian government says the tow, the storage and any fine are paid at pickup. I would bring a card.
The old town has plate-recognition bollards in Sporgasse and Hofgasse, with loading allowed 05:00 to 10:00. The city publishes no hotel-guest rule, so ask your hotel.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- The street office (Straßenamt) orders the tow under § 89a of the road traffic code, and the company ATSW 24h Service Franz Wuthe carries it out. For a car you cannot find, the police are on 133.
- Phone
- ATSW 24h Service Franz Wuthe, the towing and retrieval number on the city's page: +43 316 721111
Austrian police, if you are not sure the car was towed: 133 - Collect it at
- The city's page names ATSW 24h Service Franz Wuthe, Triester Straße 25 in Gries as the vehicle pound.
- Hours
- Round-the-clock retrieval, per the city.
- What it costs
- No price is published for a car with plates towed for bad parking. The city's 2020 notice for cars without plates gives €234 for the tow and €13.20 a day for storage, higher at night and weekends. The Styrian government says tow, storage and any fine are paid at pickup.
- Bring
- Photo ID and the registration certificate; for a car without plates, proof of ownership. Registered cars can be collected for six months, after which ownership passes to the city.
EV charging in Graz: €0.53 a kWh, and no free parking for electric cars since 2023
Energie Graz runs the main public network. A listing of its tariff shows €0.53 per kWh on its own AC points and €0.62 on DC from 50 kW, no base fee. I could not open the operator's page, so read the screen before you plug in.
The city's garage list names only two with chargers: Gate17 with eight, Griesgasse with two at 11 kW. BOE says the Bahnhofgarage has chargers, with no count or price. The Murpark mall lists 10 Type 2 points at €3.00 an hour by card, Monday to Saturday. For overnight charging I would ask the hotel first.
Where to charge
- Energie Graz public network, €0.53 / €0.62 per kWh — Across the city, run by Energie Graz. A third-party tariff listing shows its own AC points up to 22 kW at €0.53 per kWh and DC from 50 kW at €0.62, no base fee; partner stations €0.59 and €0.69. Idle fees: €0.10 a minute on AC after 181 minutes, €0.12 on DC after 61. The operator's own page was behind a captcha for me, so read the screen before plugging in
- BOE Bahnhofgarage, chargers at the main station — BOE Bahnhofgarage. BOE says the garage has charging stations. No count, power or price is published
- Murpark mall, 10 Type 2 points — Murpark, underground levels A and B. Up to 11 kW, €3.00 an hour by credit card, charged by the minute, Monday to Saturday during mall hours. Move the car when it is full. The mall's own page; the terms document linked from it is dated 2022
- TG Gate17 and PH Griesgasse — City-listed garages in Triester Straße and Griesgasse. The city's garage list gives Gate17 eight charging places among 228 spaces, and Griesgasse two at 11 kW. No prices
Free parking in Graz: Saturday afternoon, Sunday, and two park-and-rides at nothing
Sundays and public holidays are free in both zones, except the Europaplatz. Saturday is free in the green zone all day and in the blue zone after 13:00. The city lists two free park-and-rides, Webling (219 spaces) and Weinzödl (147 spaces), and calls Fölling free during tram construction.
For a bed with parking I found two. Hotel Greenrooms says on its own site that a free space is in front of the entrance. Parkhotel Graz offers free courtyard parking for direct booking and €20 a night for online booking; I would ask which counts.
Free or nearly-free spots
Sundays and public holidays: both zones are free
The blue zone charges Monday to Friday 09:00–20:00 and Saturday 09:00–13:00; the green zone Monday to Friday only. Sunday costs nothing in either. The exception is the Europaplatz at the main station, charged every day 08:00–22:00 with a one-hour maximum.
Saturday: the green zone is free all day, the blue zone after 13:00
The green zone is charged Monday to Friday only and has no time limit, so a Saturday there costs nothing. In the blue zone the clock stops at 13:00. Check the signs: the city says only the signs are legally binding, not the blue paint on the road.
24 and 31 December: charging stops at 13:00
On those two days the ordinance charges only from 09:00 to 13:00 when they fall on a weekday. Handy for the Advent trip that ends on Christmas Eve.
Park-and-ride at nothing: Webling and Weinzödl
The city lists P+R Webling (219 spaces) and P+R Weinzödl (147 spaces) with no fee, and calls P+R Fölling free during tram construction (Holding Graz says to March 2028, 05:00–24:00). The city page gives no tram or bus lines for them, so check the route before you rely on one.
€12.50 for parking plus a day of public transport
At Murpark, Brauquartier and Fölling the combined ticket includes parking and 24 hours of public transport in zone 101 for one person, and tram 4 ends at Murpark. It is cheaper than a central garage for the day, but not for one hour.
Hotels with free parking
- Hotel Greenrooms — Rudersdorfer Straße 7, 8055 Graz Map. Its own site says a free parking space is available directly in front of the entrance. Near the airport side of town; reception is open to 12:00 only on Fridays to Sundays and holidays
- Parkhotel Graz — Leonhardstraße 8, 8010 Graz Map. Its site offers free parking in the courtyard for direct booking and €20 a night for online booking. It does not say which channel is which, so ask before you book
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- App parking needs the orange vignette. The city says to put the one your provider sends, or a printed copy, inside the windscreen. Free from the Parking Fees Office, Keesgasse 6, room 117, weekdays 08:00–12:30. Without it the city does not say what happens.
- The one street that charges on Sunday is outside the station. Europaplatz is blue zone every day, 08:00–22:00, one hour at most. The BOE garage next to it is €1.00 for the first hour on Sundays.
- Garage heights vary a lot. Andreas-Hofer-Platz is 1.9 m, Pfauengarten 2.0 m, the Bahnhofgarage and the P+R sites 2.1 m, Kastner & Öhler 2.25 m. A roof box fits only the last.
- The overstay fine is €25, and the grace period depends on who you ask. The city's page issues tickets from the 13th minute; the parking-fee ordinance allows ten. Treat ten as your limit.
- There is no low-emission zone for cars. Graz has environmental zones, but they apply to freight vehicles. Cars face only motorway speed limits, such as the 100 km/h on the A2 between Graz-Ost and Graz-West, about five kilometres.
- The motorways need the Austrian vignette. It is not priced here; DriveTheContinent's tolls page, drivethecontinent.com/tolls-and-vignettes/, has prices and the official seller.
- Marathon weekend closes the ring around the opera. Per graz.net, Saturday 9 October 12:00–21:00 and Sunday 11 October 07:00–16:00, with bridges across the Mur affected.
Take these places with you
Every place on this page as a file you can keep — car parks with their prices, the free and park-and-ride spots, the chargers and the pound.