Graz

Graz needs 2 days: the Schlossberg (a hill with the clock tower, the city's symbol) and the UNESCO-listed old town on one, the Kunsthaus Graz, a contemporary art museum shaped like an organic bubble nicknamed «the friendly alien», on the other. May-September is best. It's noticeably cheaper than Vienna or Salzburg. It's Austria's second city and one of its youngest thanks to its universities, with a Renaissance historic center that contrasts with the Kunsthaus's futuristic architecture.