I took a solo trip to Maribor when I was in Europe. I wanted to visit Lake Bled and Ljubljana, but could not find proper connectivity to the places as per my schedule. Instead of totally giving Slovenia a miss, I decided to take a day trip to Maribor. If you haven’t heard of this place before, keep reading to know the details.

Maribor Location

Facts about Maribor to know as a tourist.

• Maribor is safe enough to travel solo.
• It is the second largest city in Slovenia.
• Maribor is famous for wine. It has a wine culture, just like the other parts of Slovenia. It is home to a lot of vineyards and wineries. They also host annual wine festivals here.
• Locals of Maribor speak in the Slovenian language. They also understand English and German.
• Slovenia is a part of the Schengen zone.
• The city is pretty small and you can walk to all the places mentioned below if you are fit enough.
• The currency of Maribor is Euros.

Places I visited on my one day trip to Maribor.

1. Regional Museum

If you like History or like to dig deep into the past, this is surely your place to be. The entrance fee for the Regional Museum was 5.00 EUR. You might also pick up souvenirs from here. The Regional Museum boasts various collections as mentioned below.

• The fine arts collection comprises of works of art from the 14th century up to the beginning of the 20th century.
• Collection of coins of various periods.
• The craft collection comprising products made of ceramic, metals and glass.
• The pharmacy collection from the 16th to 20th century. It also includes laboratory equipment.
• The fashion collection of modern clothes as well as military and civil uniforms.
• The furniture collection of chests, chairs cabinets and more.
• Collection of tools from the Stone Age, Copper Age and Iron age.
• Collection of guns and arms.
• Models of houses in various phases and ages.
• A Collection of paintings.
• Collection of Statuary Art.
• Uniform collection.
• Collection of musical instruments and more.

2. City Castle

Maribor city castle was built between 1478 to 1483 by Emperor Frederick III. The castle went through a lot of reconstruction work. As a result, the castle’s original Gothic appearance has changed over the centuries.

3. St. Florian Monument

St Florian was the patron against flood, fire and natural catastrophes. Maribor saw numerous fires. Therefore, the monument was dedicated to St. Florian. The monument is just a couple of minutes away from the Regional Museum.

4. National Liberation Monument Maribor

The National Liberation Monument was built to pay tribute to the people who were executed by the Nazis in Maribor during WWII.

5. Franciscan Church of St. Mary

6. Maribor Water Tower

The Maribor Water Tower was built in 1555. It is right beside the River Drava. The Maribor city walls needed some protection. As a result, the Maribor Water Tower was built for fortification. The area surrounding the tower is pretty peaceful. Again, the tower is at a walking distance from the old town.

7. Vinag Wine Cellar

The Vinag Wine Cellar is just about two minutes away from the Regional Museum. Vinag offers a wine cellar tour followed by a wine tasting. The tour is usually at 3 pm. The guide is knowledgeable and shows you around one of the oldest wine cellars. He also explains the history of wine in that region. The price of the tour was 7.00 EUR when I visited. The wine tasting session included 3 varieties of wine. They were more than tasting portions. Do not miss this tour if you like wine.

8. Drava River

River Drava links Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary.

Cafes I visited in Maribor

9. Astoria

The cafe which was situated just a couple of minutes from the Vinag Wine Cellar. Tried a couple of Spritzers from their menu. The menu was in Slovenian.

10. Mojo Kavarna

The location of the cafe is really good. It is just a minute away from the Maribor Castle Museum and Vinag Wine Cellar. They have a vast variety of drinks to choose from. The sandwiches were good too. The staff understood English which was a plus.

Overall, Maribor was a one day visit place in my opinion. Of all the places, I had a good time at the Vinag Wine Cellar and the museum.

If you like historical places, Check out the blog on the Amer Fort Tunnel in Rajasthan, India.