These are just personal recommendations and I am not affiliated to any of the products or shops listed here.
(Even though, to be quite frank, I wish I could earn some money from it, but I am just blogging for fun).
Christmas is coming up soon and many of us are scrambling around trying to find the best presents to give our friends and family. I know that it is convenient to buy things on Amazon or online shops these days, but I think that to help the city centre survive, we should try and shop in the city centre as much as possible.
If you haven’t alreay heard about it, Echt Graz is an initiative trying to combat the emptying of the city centre and get people to buy things from real shops instead of digitally. Check out their website for more information about shops and other events (unfortunately it’s only in German at the moment).
Anyway, Graz has a quite big city centre full of shops and there are plenty of possibilities to buy unique Christmas presents. I personally like buying things that are uniquely from here and you cannot find anywhere else.
Here are some of my favourite places, categorized by:
Food from Graz
Pumpkin seed oil is as typical to Graz and Styria as the clocktower. Buy a bottle of pumpkin seed oil from local producers from the farmer’s market. Sometimes you can also find pumpkin seed liquer, great for your boozy friends.
Baking biscuits is a deeply-rooted Austrian Christmas Tradition, but sometimes you do not have the time to bake some. Good thing you can buy great quality ones from bakeries all over Graz! Here are some places where you can get delicious biscuits:
If you are not a fan of biscuits, you can also go for some chocolate and pralines, made with love in Graz or the surrounding areas. Here are some shops for this:
- Kristina’s Meisterkonditorei
- Ferdinand Haller
- Nowi Heindl
- Mészáros Macaron & Dessert Boutique
- Linzbichler
Getting a Sacher cake from Cafè Sacher is also sure to be a big hit for chocoholics!
And if you are more for something savoury, check out Delicatessen Nussbaumer (for cheese and cured meat) or Pastaria (for fresh pasta).
Coffee is another big thing in Graz and there are plenty of cafés selling their own beans. Try in Buna, Tribeka or Duck’s.
Beverages from Graz
You can find craft beers in Graz in the Bierboutique shop in Lend. There is a wide assortment, including beers from the region. Other options (though not in Graz directly, but in the outskirts) are the Bevog Brewery or Bierbotschaft in Wundschush.
Find a good selection of liquers, including gin and whiskey from local producers, in Bohemian Soul, S’Fachl or Dr Bottle.
Decorations from Graz
Ferdinand Haller is a historical shop in the main street of Graz where you can find the weirdest Christmas tree decorations you have ever seen. They also have a little clocktower bauble, which will make sure you won’t forget your time in Graz.
The Christmas Markets are obviously also a great place to go searching for tree or home decorations. There are a couple of markets focusing particularly on handmade objects. See my previous blog post about this.
Steirisches Heimatwerk, besides selling traditional Austrian clothing made to measure, also opens up a small market selling Christmas decorations.
For home decoration, you should not miss Klammerth (also because of the wonderful Christma decorations on the facade) or Aiola Living.
Clothes and Accessories from Graz
There are a lot of mainstream shops in the city centre of Graz, which you can find in any city in Europe (H&M, Zara and so on). But I wanted to mention a couple of shops that sell unique clothes and are also designed in Graz or Austria.
- Lena Hoscheck – probably the most famous designer from Graz, selling classic clothes with a vintage twist (high-end prices).
- Chic Etic – for fairtrade fashion and accessories (and more – mid-range prices).
- Tag.werk – handmade bags from upcycled materials, like tyres and plastic (mid-range prices).
- Alphatauri – for the racing lovers out there, who want Red Bull branded clothing.
For kids, try Little Fashion, a shop selling handmade clothes for children directly in the heart of the city.
Toys from Graz
There are two main shops to go to for toys in the centre of Graz:
- Kastner und Öhler – the big department store has a whole floor dedicated solely to toys.
- Spielzeugschachtel Graz – smaller and more traditional, it still sells many toys made out of wood. I don’t have kids yet, but this is where I’d go to to get them toys!
- Spielzeugwelt am Jakominiplatz – also small but chock-full of toys.
Other Gifts from Graz
There are a lot of small shops in Graz where you can find designer items or curious things. Here are a couple of places you should look into, if you do not have anything specific in mind:
- The Kunsthaus has a pretty cool shop selling everything from art books to mugs and designer souvenirs.
- S’Fachl is a small shop with a cool concept: makers and crafters can rent a shelf and sell their items in this shop. Usually it’s people from Graz or Austria selling things and they have pretty unique products, ranging from beverages to food, from jewelry to bags.
- The Mangolds shop sells sustainable and ecological beauty products and more.
- Das Gramm and Das Dekagramm are plastic-free supermarkets selling a wide range of sustainable products.
- Samen Köller sells everything you may need for gardening and more.
For the crafty ones who love to knit or crochet, there are multiple shops specializing in wool and selling everything they may need or want:
For other types of artists, try Kaspar in the centre of Graz.
If everything else fails, gift someone a LUUPS guide, to let them make them make the most out of what Graz has to offer. You can find them for sale in the Tourist Information Center in Herrengasse.
Where do you like to go shopping in Graz? Is there any place you’d also recommend? Let me know in a comment below. 🙂
For more ideas check out my blog post about Makers in Graz.
