Maribor

Understand

Maribor was first mentioned in the 12th century. Though the city had been attacked by the Turks several times, it was constantly under the rule of the Austrian Habsburgs until the end of the World War I. After the war was over the city was claimed by both the Austrians and by the new state of Yugoslavia. Finally it fell to Yugoslavia. It was occupied by the Germans during World War II but became part of Yugoslavia again after the war was over. In 1975 the University of Maribor was founded and this has helped the city to become more and more an attractive, vibrant, student city. After Slovenia declared independence in 1991, the city suffered from the economic consequences. Today, Maribor is a trans-regional financial, educational, trade and cultural centre. And since it's pleasantly small and lodged in the nature of Pohorje Mountain on the one side, the wine growing hills on the other, and with the river Drava wending its way through it, Maribor has grown into one of the country’s most important tourist destinations. Its key features are: the rich wine culture (the oldest vine in the world, numerous wine roads and wine cellars), the old town's cultural offer (theatre, traditional events, galleries and museums), and the recreational activities (hiking, cycling and skiing).

Orientation Maribor sits among the Pohorje Mountain, the Slovenske Gorice Hills and the Kozjak Hills on the gravel terrace of the Drava Valley. The river Drava divides the city on the so-called left (north) and the right (south) bank. The city's old town core is on the left bank of the river Drava. On north, Maribor is embraced with the town (wine-growing) hills, and on the south-western part of the city, the foothills of the Pohorje Mountain start to rise. A good first stop in the city is Infopeka, an information centre which gives out free advice, free internet usage and free rent-a-bicycle. They can be found across the old bridge from the Glavni Trg, on the right side of the street.

Tourist

Getting there

By car By car, you can travel to the Maribor region from the direction of Ljubljana (Slovenia) on the A1/E57, from the direction of Zagreb (Croatia) on the E59, from the direction of Budapest (Hungary) on the E59/E65/E71/M7, and from the direction of Trieste (Italy) on the E57/E70. Maribor is a few minutes from the Austrian border: you can travel to Maribor from the direction of Graz on the A9/E57/E59, from the direction of Klagenfurt on the road B80/B70, and from the direction of Villach on the B80/B70/E66/B83. In order to use motorways and express roads in Slovenia, a vignette is required. You can purchase the vignette at the border, at petrol stations in Slovenia and neighbouring countries, at post offices in Slovenia, at some kiosks, etc. The monthly vignette is €30, while the weekly one is €15 (for motorcycles €7.50). Between Maribor and other ex-Yugoslavia countries' capitals is a distance of: Ljubljana 123 km, Zagreb 110 km (Croatia, Sarajevo 487 km (BiH), Belgrade 512 km (Serbia), Podgorica 703 (Montenegro) and Skopje 945 km (North Macedonia). Between Maribor and other European cities is a distance of: Paris 1299 km (France), Venice 365 km (Italy), Prague 548 km (Czech Republic), Budapest 340 km (Hungary), Berehove 653 km (Ukraine), Shkodra 759 km (Albania), Hamburg 1163 km (Germany), London 1488 km (United Kingdom), Nordkapp 3699 km (Norway), Lisbon 2739 km (Portugal), Belgorod 1925 km (Russia), Thessaloniki 1134 km (Greece), Frankfurt 1050 km, Graz 68 km, Milan 622 km, Munich 493 km, Prague 595 km, Salzburg 352 km, Split 460 km, Trieste 216 km, Vienna 255 km, Zürich 803 km.

By train The 1 Maribor railway station is in the eastern part of the Maribor city centre (at Partizanska cesta 50). By train, you can travel to Maribor for example from:

Vienna Meidling – Maribor (3 hr 30 min) Graz – Maribor (1 hr) Venezia Santa Lucia – Ljubljana – Maribor (9 - 10 hr) Zagreb – Dobova – Zidani most – Celje – Pragersko – Maribor (3 hr 30 min) Budapest – Vienna – Gra

Getting around

On foot Maribor is quite a small town, so it's easy to get around the city centre on foot. There are two tourist information centres in Maribor: one at Partizanska ulica 6a, next to the Franciscan Church (the red-brick one). The other one is in the Old Vine House on Lent, the oldest part of the town next to the river embankment (at Vojašniška ulica 8). The tourist information centres are open every day, provide free maps, and will help you arrange accommodations. Maps of central Maribor (aerial photos) can also be found in the streets fitted on the walls of houses.

By bus Maribor has an extensive bus network, but there is no need to use it unless you want to go to the outer districts of the city. For tourists, bus No. 6 is the most interesting one - it takes you under the Pohorje Mountain (lower station of the cable railway, hotels, apartments and campsites, wellness centre, restaurants; recreational activities: hiking, cycling,skiing, etc.). Some bus numbers are more regular (arriving at stops every 15 minutes) than others (arriving at stops every 30 – 45 minutes). The approximate operation time of the bus lines is from 05:00 to 23:30 on weekdays and from 06:00 to 22:30 on weekends. Two circulator buses run from Monday to Friday from 11:15 to 00:00. Bus ticket can be purchased either on the bus (€2 for single-ride ticket) or in advance (2, 6, 10 or 20 ride ticket) in kiosks or at the Main Bus Station (at Mlinska ulica 1). For visiting the wider surroundings of Maribor, local bus isn`t the best transportation choice due to rather irregular bus frequencies and poor bus links. Car rental recommended.

By car Travelling around Maribor region and its wider surroundings is best by car. Thus, you can fully enjoy the picturesque countryside and visit the most hidden corners of the Pohorje Mountain and the wine hills. There's a good highway network around Maribor that directly connects the city with smaller places like Ptuj, Murska Sobota and Slovenska Bistrica. Regi

See

1 Old Vine (Stara trta), Vojašniška ulica 8. Guinness Book-certified oldest vine in the world (about 450 years old) growing on the front of the Old Vine House in Lent, the oldest part of the town on the embankment of the Drava river. Maribor's Old Vine is given a lot of tourist promotional protocol events – the most famous and most popular is certainly the Vine’s grape harvest - the highlight of the traditional Old Vine Festival (Festival Stare trte) held annually at the end of September. (updated Oct 2023) The Old Vine House (Hiša Stare trte). A temple of wine tradition and culture, selling point of souvenirs from the Maribor-Pohorje destination and a tourist information centre, exhibition room with guided tours, place for wine tasting, event room, and the honorary seat of Slovene and international associations, sworn to honouring wine and the wine culture. Vinag Wine Cellar (Vinagova vinska klet), Trg Svobode 3 (In the centre of the city). With 20,000 m² surface and 2 km length, i