Hi girls.

I decided to make a bit different post for you today. I like to travel once in a while (well actually a few times per year), even if it's only to our neighbour country: Austria. Me and my boyfriend decided to spend a night in Graz, which involved some shopping and later relaxation. This post will be all about what you can do in Graz and which shops and places you should visit. Also a little haul involved.


When traveling from Maribor to Austria, I have to stop at Ikea, which is only around 20 minutes before Graz. This is where I bought some bedding, mostly candles and a mirror. They have Christmas at full effect and we spend 2 hours in there - which is not a lot, trust me.

Around two o'clock we got to Mercure hotel just to drop off our things. It was 5-10 minutes walk away from the center, and closer to Schlossberg. The room was very spacious, with a couch and a huge TV + minibar. But mostly I was excited for a bath, which I made bubbles in at the evening. The bathroom lighting was amazing for doing makeup. And next to our room was wellness: fitness & sauna + lounge area.

Because the first day was raining from time to time, we just opted for shopping that day. Architecture in Graz is beautiful, however I couldn't take nice photos due to weather.

I like shopping in Austria because they have so many brands not available in our country. I do not tend to go crazy, buying million products. That's why I always prepare a shopping list but slip in a goodie here and there. 

K&O is definitely worth a visit. It's a luxurious shopping building with many high-end brands. It's always nicely decorated. Besides clothing and kids sections, on the main floor you can find amazing beauty selection. So I spotted many new Christmas collections from: Bobbi Brown, Lancome, YSL and such. Plus you can enjoy your meal or drinks at the top of building. It's a nice place for sure.

And then it's just simple to navigate: going just along main shopping street, called: Herrengasse, which is beside Mura. I choose to go to my favorite stores.

Marinnaud beauty store stocks MAC Nutcracker collection and it was on my shopping list but because they didn't have the nude mini lipsticks set, I opted for a separate lipstick - Viva Glam II. Also I needed a new Prolongwear concealer. I highly advise you shopping at Marinnaud because they always have great deals. I got 40% off second item.

Next up was The Body Shop, where I needed Lightening drops. Again, they have discounts, that's why I bought a seasonal product (20% off): Frosted Berries bubble bath. And had a 5€ off coupon on my store card. I also went to Douglas, to search for a Zoeva Silk Finish brush and got a cheeky travel mascara set from Estée Lauder (8,95€ only). As if I need a new mascara, however it's a good travel size and I haven't tried anything from that brand before.

The last stop was Bipa, where I bought Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless foundation. 

I do have to mention that some shopping assitants don't speak english that well, however I'm lucky I understand a lot of german, so communication gets a bit easier.

First of all, they have nice menus with different burgers (optional: drinks and fries included) and you get a buzzer when your food is ready. Everything is made from scratch and the burgers were delicious. Boyfriend opted for one with a delicious crispy bacon. You fill up drinks in stylish cups on your own and can drink as much as you want - I tried pink lemonade for the first time and it was delicious. It's quite a cool "pinterest" looking place but very nice. They have multiple sauces and some colouring pens in the middle of tables. Kids would literally stay there for hours.

Also it's not easy to find a big bar at the main street so we suddenly in between shopping just went in to the smallest bar peeking on the street. It was really narrow and tables were only on one side. However, people in there seemed to all know each other and were very friendly. Everyone greeted us cheerfuly. The bar looked amazing and we got really nice service. The clock at the bar was interesting as it was digital but explained time with words.

Next morning we decided not to have breakfast at a hotel but to get a lift to the top of Schlossberg (hill with remains of the castle) where we could get breakfast with a view in the cafe/restaurant called: Aiola. On the sunny day you can also enjoy some sunshine on their beautiful terrace.
The environment was relaxing, with some silent music and I literally got excited about the food when I saw other people's full tables. We opted for breakfast for two, which literally covered everything: from eggs, fruit salad & yogurt to cheese, meats and jam spreads. With some different bread included. I opted also for peppermint tea and boyfriend had a cup of coffee. 

Breakfast was just amazing and I got very stuffed. Then we just explored the hill and got the best view over town. We decided to go down just by foot.



Around the hill you can also explore the park. You can find everything on → tripadvisor, so easy. A great option is also visiting "Kunst museum" which is basically art museum, however we had to drive to Leoben for a relaxation in Asia spa.