Styrian Armory (Landeszeughaus)

Sat in the center of Graz, the armory is an attraction that most tourists will visit or at least pass by in town. Old town walking tours swing by the site, offering a taster of what’s inside through the commentary. To know more, you’ll need to step inside. For self-guided visitors, you can learn about the exhibits via an audio guide in English, German, and Italian. Or you can pay a little more when you enter and enjoy an hour-long guided tour in English or German directly with the museum guides.

For an in-depth tour with your multilingual guide, look at a private tour where skip-the-line tickets are included to save you some waiting time when you enter. Some private tour options will even tie in a visit to the armory with visits to nearby attractions such as Graz Cathedral.

• The Styrian Armoury is part of the Universalmuseum Joanneum, a collection of around 18 Graz museums and a zoo. Entry is covered with the Joanneum Card, which can be bought as a 24- or 48-hour card for those who put museums high on their list of things to do.

• Allow for around two hours to explore the collection thoroughly.

• For preservation reasons, there is no display information about the artifacts. Use the free visitor's guide, an audio guide, or a guided tour to get the lowdown as you explore.

• The site is considered wheelchair-friendly, with an accessible entranceway plus elevator and ramp access through the museum.

• Wheelchairs can be used for free after leaving a photo ID at the ticket desk.

• Umbrellas, bags, and wet clothes must be left outside the exhibition areas in the onsite lockers.

• Food and drinks are not allowed inside the exhibition areas.

The Styrian Armoury is in Graz’ Innere Stadt, a short walk from the Hauptplatz on the bustling Herrenplatz. By public transit, take a tram to the Hauptplatz or Graz Congress stop or a bus to Graz Busbahnhof. Drivers can leave their cars at the underground parking lot of the Graz Art Museum (Kunsthaus Graz), under the Kastner & Öhler department store via Lenkai.

The Styrian Armoury is open to visitors with or without a guided tour during the busier months between April and October, Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 6pm. During the off-peak months between November and March, it’s only possible to visit the armory as part of a guided tour. Check the Styrian Armoury calendar on the Universalmuseum Joanneum website for availability and times.

Unless you have a keen interest in historical weapons, the Styrian Armoury could seem like an overload on swords and armory, especially given the lack of display information. The guided tours, however, bring the thousands of artifacts to life with stories of Renaissance-era warfare and intriguing facts like why bullet marks can be seen in some of the unused armory. Occasionally, some guides may offer the chance to try on replica costumes, too.