Maribor and Ptuj

Maribor and Ptuj lie in northeastern Slovenia, in the historical region of Styria (Štajerska), linked by the course of the Drava River and about half an hour apart by road. Maribor is the country’s second-largest city, at the foot of the Pohorje hills; Ptuj, further south, is the oldest town in Slovenia with written records, born from a Roman camp.

In Maribor, the Lent district runs along the Drava bank, with towers from the old walls and the house where the Stara trta grows, the world’s oldest productive vine, according to the Guinness Book of Records. The centre includes the cathedral, the city castle, which houses the regional museum, and a 14th-century Gothic synagogue. A cable car rises from the southern outskirts to Pohorje, with hiking trails in summer and ski slopes in winter.

Ptuj sits on a hill above the Drava, crowned by a castle with the regional museum, whose collections range from old musical instruments to carnival masks. The Roman town of Poetovio left remains scattered across the centre, including the Orfejev spomenik, a nearly 5-metre marble tombstone. At the end of winter, the Kurentovanje carnival fills the streets with kurenti — masked figures dressed in sheepskins with large bells on their belts — who, according to tradition, chase away the cold.

Vineyard-covered hills stretch around both towns. South of Ptuj stands the basilica of Ptujska Gora; to the east, already in the neighbouring Pomurska region, the village of Jeruzalem dominates the slopes of the Ljutomer and Ormož hills, known for white wines such as šipon.

This destination brings together 2 cities: Maribor, Ptuj.