The centre of Maribor

Maribor, the second most important centre and the second largest city of Slovenia. It has about 114000 inhabitants who live embraced in its wine growing hills and Mariborsko Pohorje. Located near Slovenian border with Austria, beside the Drava river and at the centre of five natural geographic regions.

Understand

Maribor was first mentioned back in the 14th century. Though the city had been attacked by the Turks several times, it was constantly under the rule of austrian Habsburgs until the end of the World War I. After the war was over the city was claimed by the austrians and by the new state of Yugoslavia. Finally it fell to Yugoslavia, had been occupied by the Nazis during World War II and got part of Yugoslavia again after the war was over. After Slovenia declared independence back in 1991 the city suffered from the economic consequences causing the population to decrease rapidly. In 1975 the University of Maribor was founded and since then the city is becoming more and more an attractive, vibrant student city.

Get in

By car

Take road A1/E57 from Ljubljana. (about an hour). Arriving from Austria, take A9 and take road E57 and E59 then. Maribor is located only a few minutes away from the austrian border. If you are in Zagreb take road 1/E59 (about 2 hours). There is no direct connection to Italy, so it takes about 2 and a half hour to get to Maribor from there.

By train

Maribor has direct connections with Graz, Vienna, Zagreb, Rijeka, and Prague.

By plane

Maribor has an international airport, which operates only cargo flights at the moment. Styrian Spirit offered direct schedules with Salzburg, but went bankrupt a few months ago. There are huge plans to extend the number of scheduled flights. Nearby aiports include Graz, Ljubljana, and Zagreb. Several companies offer charter flights during summer to various destinations.

Get around

Maribor is quite a small town, so it's easy to get around by feet. There is an extensive bus network as well though there is no need to use it unless you want to go to the outer districts of Maribor. Maribor has two tourist information centres: one is located opposite of the railway station and the other one (TIC) in Partizanska cesta. The tourist information centres are open every day and providing free maps and help you with arranging accommodation. Maps of central Maribor (aerial photos) can also be found in the streets fitted on the walls of houses.

By car

If you go to Maribor by car, it might be difficult to find parking space during weekdays. Most of the inner city is covered by short-term-parking space. A good change to find toll-free space might be in the area of Mestni park. A good alternative is the parking garage below Trgovski city center. Expect to pay around 150 to 200 SIT per hour. The longer you stay, the cheaper it gets.

See

The oldest vine in the world

• Water tower (vodni stolp) - built in the 16th century.
• Mariborski grad (Maribor's castle) - built by Emperor Friderik III in the 15th century. The castle was built to fortify the northwestern part of the town wall.
• Stara trta (Old Vine) - Maribor claims to have the oldest vine in the world. (about 400 years old) The vine grows on the front of a house. (located in district Lent)

Do

• Mestni park - despite of the relative small size of the city, Maribor has an surprisengly big park. The perfect place to have a break from sightseeing.
• Lent - Lent is a district located at the waterfront of drava river. It's a beautiful place with lovely small avenues, restaurants and bars.

Buy

• Trgovski city center is a big shopping mall located in the heart of city offering plenty of shops after everyone's fancy.
• Vetrinjska ulica is an avenue starting at Grajski trg place offering loads of boutiques containing all sorts of international brands.

Eat

• Gostilna in Pivnica Štajerc (Vetrinjska ulica 30, Tel. 22344234) is a nice inn a few minutes away from Grajski trg. Offers rather traditional cuisine (including a great salad buffet) at reasonable prices. Starters are around SIT 700 to 1400 SIT, main courses from SIT 1600 to 2300. Serves home-made beer, brewed in the cellar under the restaurant.

Drink

• Kavarna Astoria - Slovenska 2, Tel. 22515250 - a nice coffeebar/restaurant right in the heart of the city. Serves excellent coffee. Open Mo-Fr 7am to 10pm, Sa 8am to 10pm.

Sleep

• Uni Hotel - a youth hostel located at Grajski trg in the centre of the city. Any sights are within 15min walking distance. Has single, double and triple rooms.
• Hotel BAJT-garni [1]

Get out

Ski or snowboard at the local resort. There are a few parallel slopes with drag lifts. Moving between the different slopes can be hard work if the snow is sticky. During the summer, cycle trails are available.

Contact

There is an internet cafe in Partizanska cesta called Mark's cafe. The cafe can be found on the right side of the street (heading towards the centre of the city) between Cafova ulica and Cankarjeva ulica.