SI
Maribor
Slovenia’s second city, home to the world’s oldest vine and gateway to the Pohorje hills
Slovenia’s second city, home to the world’s oldest vine and gateway to the Pohorje hills
More than 400 years old, the Žametovka vine on the Lent waterfront is recognised as the oldest vine in the world still producing grapes. A house beside it offers tastings.
Photo: Marco Almbauer, CC BY-SA 4.0
The town hall and a Baroque plague column stand on Glavni trg. Nearby are the cathedral and the castle, which houses the regional museum.
Photo: Андрей Романенко, CC BY-SA 4.0
Forested hills rise straight from the city’s edge, with hiking and mountain-bike trails in summer and a ski area in winter.
Photo: Andrej Jakobčič, CC BY-SA 3.0
Try Styrian dishes such as pumpkin-seed oil on salads, gibanica (layered pastry) and local white wines like Welschriesling and Sauvignon Blanc.
Wine bars and restaurants line the Lent riverside.
Trains from Ljubljana take about 2 hours. Graz in Austria is about an hour away by train or car.
The centre is walkable; buses serve the Pohorje area.
Slovenia uses the euro (€). Prices are moderate by Western European standards.
Prices are approximate; check current rates.
City, wine and hills.
See the Main Square, cathedral and castle, then walk the Lent riverside to the Old Vine.
Taste wines in the hills around the city, or hike on Pohorje.
🛂 Entry rules: EES and ETIAS
Slovenia is in the Schengen area, which has two EU border systems for non-EU visitors.
EES (in force): since 10 April 2026 the EU’s Entry/Exit System registers non-EU visitors’ passport details, fingerprints and a photo the first time they enter the Schengen area, replacing passport stamps. Allow extra time at the border on your first trip; later crossings are quicker. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens are not registered.
ETIAS (not yet running): a €20 online travel authorisation for visitors who don’t need a visa, such as UK, US, Canadian and Australian citizens. It hasn’t started and no start date has been confirmed, so nobody can apply yet; ignore websites that offer to “pre-register” you for a fee.
Visa-free visitors can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area, not per country.
Official information: EU: Travel to Europe (EES & ETIAS) · Reviewed September 2026
The Lent Festival brings music and theatre to the riverside in early summer.
Book a winery visit ahead.
Pohorje has a ski area in winter.
Easy as a day trip from Ljubljana or Graz.
Quick answers for planning time in Maribor.
More than 400 years.
About 2 hours by train.
A forested range above the city for hiking and skiing.
Yes, it is surrounded by wine-growing hills.
May to October.
Planning a wider trip? Our Slovenia travel guide covers getting there, costs, when to go and more.