Maribor and Styria – Wine and History

Maribor and Styria – Wine and History

Styria is a scenic region of cultivated flatlands, rolling hills with vineyards and quaint towns and villages.

On this day trip of eastern Slovenia we stop at Slovenske Konjice, a lovely little old town, and continue to the nearby Žiče, where we visit an old charterhouse, the first of its kind outside French and Italian borders. We stop at a wine grower’s farm where you can sample some wine right at the source. Maribor, one of the top attractions in Slovenia, is the home of the Old Vine, which, at 400 years old, is the oldest grapevine in the world, as marked in the Guinness Book of Records. A walk through the old town of Maribor, combined with some wine tasting, makes this trip a true highlight of your Slovenian tour.

Maribor - European capital of culture 2012

Maribor is a cosmopolitan city on the banks of the river Drava, full of tourist attractions. Although you can easily visit it as a day trip from Ljubljana, Maribor has become a popular city break or a weekend break destination. A visit to Maribor must be part of every tour to Slovenia.

Maribor is embraced by wine-growing hills on all sides. Its historic town centre is marked by the Austrian influence, and we will admire the lively and colourful squares - Grajski trg (Castle Square), Slomškov trg (Slomšek Square) and Glavni trg (Main Square), and in Lent, the old river port. It is possible to cover all these attractions on a walking tour of Maribor.

The pinnacle of Maribor culture has been the title of the European Capital of Culture in 2012.

Žiče monastery

Žiče Monastery or Charterhouse lies in the remote valley of Saint John the Baptist. It dates back to the 12^th century and was built following the example of the French charterhouses. The monks were skilled in different crafts but were most renowned as healers and herbalists. The monastery was shut down by a decree from the emperor Joseph II in 1782. Today it offers you a glimpse of the past while you walk through the old ruins and the exhibition on the monastery’s history in one of the restored parts. Next to it there is a rich herbal garden and the oldest restaurant in Central Europe, Gastuž.

Slovenske Konjice old town

Slovenske Konjice is a small town in the northeast of Slovenia with the old town dating back over 800 years. The houses in the old square have mostly Gothic and Renaissance elements with some 19th century redesign. The main church of the town, the Church of Saint George goes back all the way to the 13th century. There is a small stream that flows down through the square from the medieval Trebnik Mansion.

Old Vine, the Guinness Book - certified oldest grape vine in the World

One of the main tourist attractions of Maribor is the Old Vine, the Guinness Book-certified oldest grape vine in the world. The Old Vine is more than 450 years old and it still bears fruits, which are festively harvested each year and produced into wine.

This exclusive wine is used as a promotional gift for visiting state dignitaries, but the Old Vine House has a winery where you can taste regional wines. There is also an interesting exhibition on the history of the Old Vine.

We can enjoy a wine tasting at this magical location.

Price: € 149 / person

Our prices are all-inclusive, so the only extra cost on the tour is lunch. You need to take that into consideration when comparing tour prices, as many agencies advertise low prices and put the admission fees and other extras in the small print.

Price includes:

• Guide,
• Transport,
• Audio guided tour of Žiče monastery,
• Wine tasting in Maribor (3 samples),
• Wine tasting at an organic farm (3 samples and snack),
• VAT.

Optional extras:

• Lunch

Our scheduled day trips have a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 8 passengers (single traveller surcharge is 50€ when there are no other bookings for the tour).

All of our daytrips are also available as private tours. We can customize any tour to the needs and interests of the guest (1-3 persons from 390€; 4-6 persons from 490€).

Further reading: Slovenia