A weekend in Maribor

At the beginning of December, my sister and I decided to visit the pretty Slovenian small town of Maribor for a weekend.

So on a Saturday morning I set off for the main railway station, where my train departed at 8:00 a.m. About 30 minutes later, my sister joined me in Wiener Neustadt.

The journey was very pleasant. At first the weather was still gloomy, but soon the sun was already shining into our carriage.

Along the way, we treated ourselves to a surprisingly inexpensive and very tasty breakfast in the dining car.

Time passed far too quickly, and at 11:40 a.m. we arrived in Maribor right on schedule, where we had booked a stylish hotel right in the city center.

As we were not yet able to check into our room, we first set off to explore the city.

At first sight, we fell in love with this beautiful little town not far from the Austrian border.

Just a few meters from our hotel was the main square, Glavni trg, with the town hall, where a Christmas market was taking place at the time. Since it was still quite early, most of the stalls were still closed.

In the middle of the square, a Ferris wheel was turning, but we decided to save the ride for later.

From here it was not far to the actual old town, the Lent district with its typical cobblestone alleyways. This part of the city felt particularly romantic and had a charm all of its own.

We strolled leisurely through this area and eventually came upon the Drava River, which is lined by a beautiful promenade.

This is also where the oldest grapevine in the world is located. It is over 400 years old and still bears grapes – a fascinating testament to the wine tradition of this region.

We walked along the Drava for a while and enjoyed the wonderful, unusually warm weather for December.

When we started to feel hungry, we decided to stop at a small restaurant. There we enjoyed the typical pleskavica, accompanied by salad and some French fries.

Well fed, we set off to continue exploring the Lent district.

Particularly impressive was the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist from the 13th century, which is surrounded by a pretty park and combines Romanesque and Gothic elements.

We then continued on to Maribor Castle, whose construction history spans from the 15th to the 18th century. As a result, numerous architectural styles are represented, which today make up the castle’s characteristic appearance.

Another Christmas market was located there, which we actually liked a little better than the one on the main square.

We then walked back to the Drava, where we crossed the river via the bridge.

From there, we had a breathtaking view of this beautiful city with its red rooftops and church towers.

Not far from there was a shopping center, where we quickly picked up a few things we needed.

Then it was finally time to check into our room.

We immediately felt at home in the spacious room on the sixth floor, from which we enjoyed a wonderful view over the city.

We freshened up briefly and rested for a while.

When we set off back into the city, it was already dark. Once again, we strolled through the romantic Lent district, which was now festively illuminated.

Unfortunately, the Christmas market was so crowded that we soon left. The atmosphere was not really Christmassy either. Loud music was being played – though not Christmas music – and it seemed to be more about eating and drinking than about pre-Christmas contemplation

At the Ferris wheel, there were unfortunately so many people lining up that we once again decided against the ride.

So we decided to visit the Jewish synagogue from the 14th century. It is picturesquely located with a view of the Drava and is one of the oldest preserved synagogues in Central Europe.

 Inside, it houses a museum, which was unfortunately already closed. Over the course of its history, the building was remodeled several times and served various purposes until it was renovated in the 1990s and restored to its present condition.

We then walked once more through the alleyways of the Lent district, passing the cathedral on our way toward the castle.

There we visited the Christmas market that we had already liked better in the afternoon. We drank hot chocolate and soaked in the atmosphere.

On the way back to the hotel, we bought a small snack for dinner at a bakery. After the long day, we were far too tired for a restaurant visit.

Back at the hotel, we ended the evening comfortably in front of the television with our snacks and soon fell asleep.

The next morning, we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at the hotel. The buffet truly left nothing to be desired.

Afterwards, we took another short walk along the river. Directly on the promenade, we visited the old Water Tower, which today houses a wine bar. It was built in the 16th century and originally served defensive purposes.

Then it was already time to check out of the hotel and make our way to the train station, where our train back departed at midday.

Maribor impressed us greatly, and we will certainly visit this charming city again.