'Pozdravi iz Maribor' - Greetings from Maribor! Ryanair's latest destination, which personally I'm very happy about, because since I left Stanfords' employ, I have been living and working in the Maribor area.
Slovenia's second city is not much more than a small town, and consequently Maribor Aerodrom is much smaller than Ljubljana's Brnik Airport. There is no luggage carousel, for example, just a table where your baggage is handled.
So, a second front has been opened on the tourist invasion of Slovenia. Ljubljana and Lake Bled are already overrun with easyJet weekenders, but Maribor is still mostly tourist-free. A proud city, and rival to the capital, but is it prettier than Ljubljana? Well no, but it's not without its own charm. Its best feature is the riverfront. The River Drava wends its way slowly from the Austrian Alps down to the Danube in far off Serbia. The Old Town is a cluster of red-roofed mediaeval buildings on the left (north) bank, although the best views are from the right (south) bank. Particularly from the terrace of the Europark Shopping Centre, the only place you don't have to look at this monstrosity.
The string of riverside bars and cafes is called Lent, and is the venue for the Lent Festival every June or July - one of Slovenia's biggest cultural events. Also in Lent, you'll find Maribor's proudest possession - the 'stara trta' - the oldest grapevine in the world. It is still bearing fruit and making wine after 400 years. This is wine country and you'll get plenty of opportunity to sample to local produce at 'vinoteke' (wine cellars) or the numerous 'vinogradi' (vineyards) in the hills around Maribor.
Incidentally, Maribor is a left-wing town where the street names have not been changed since the communist era; hence: Tito Bridge, Revolution Square, Paris Commune Street, Proletarian Brigade Street, and so on.
There has been an influx of guidebooks on Slovenia in recent years, from your usual Lonely Planets and Rough Guides, to hiking guides to the Julian Alps. I have read them all and prefer the Rough Guide to Slovenia, as it's the most thoroughly researched and comprehensive guide to the country.
Geodetski Zavod Slovenije (GZS), the country's national survey organisation, provides cartography for two excellent hiking series. Published under their "Kod & Kam" imprint, GZS's main series is currently being revised with about a third of the country covered by new updated editions - watch out for the cycle icon on the cover. GZS also collaborates with Slovenia's Alpine Club, Planinska Zveza, to provide coverage of the country's mountainous areas in a series of hiking maps with information on accommodation facilities in local huts and shelters.
Author: Guy Bristow
Date: 3 December 2007