{"id":3182,"date":"2026-07-10T15:34:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T15:34:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thisworldtobook.com\/blog\/?p=3182"},"modified":"2026-07-10T15:34:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T15:34:45","slug":"stajerska-slovenia-travel-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thisworldtobook.com\/blog\/stajerska-slovenia-travel-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"\u0160tajerska 2026: Slovenia’s Sustainable Travel Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some destinations win a ranking. Others earn it.<\/strong> \u0160tajerska is the second kind. In February 2026, European Best Destinations<\/a> placed this region in northeastern Slovenia 3rd<\/strong> among the 20 best destinations in Europe. On top of that, it beat Verona, Paris, Madeira and Lisbon, backed by more than 1.3 million international travellers. Only Madrid and Nicosia ranked higher. So, if it wasn’t already on your radar, now’s the time.<\/p>\n

\n\"View
Maribor, the capital of \u0160tajerska, on the banks of the Drava River. \u00a9 Jo\u0161t Gantar \/ Slovenia.info<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why 2026 is the moment for \u0160tajerska<\/h2>\n

European Best Destinations calls it a land of “urbanatural pleasure”<\/em> \u2014 landscapes, culture, food and wine blending into something both refined and genuinely authentic. The region brings together seven areas: Maribor, Ptuj, Jeruzalem, Haloze, Slovenske Gorice, Ravno Polje and Pohorje. Also, 2026 brought individual recognition for two of its jewels. Maribor<\/strong> was named Best Wine Capital of Europe 2026. Meanwhile, Ptuj<\/strong> took the title of Best Cultural Heritage Town of Europe 2026.<\/p>\n

That’s no accident. It’s the result of years of quiet work on sustainability and authenticity. In fact, it reflects a quality of everyday life that isn’t manufactured for tourists \u2014 it’s just how people live here.<\/p>\n

What to see in \u0160tajerska<\/h2>\n

Maribor and the world’s oldest vine<\/h3>\n

In the Lent district, right by the Drava, grows the Stara Trta<\/strong>: the world’s oldest living grapevine. It’s Guinness World Records-certified, at over 400 years old. However, it still yields 35 to 55 kilograms of grapes a year. That harvest becomes a wine that isn’t sold \u2014 it’s kept as a ceremonial gift from the city. On top of that, it has its own museum house, its own festival, and even its own anthem.<\/p>\n

\n\"Interior
Maribor’s underground cellars preserve centuries of \u0160tajerska’s winemaking tradition.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A short walk away, the old town hides century-old cellars carved beneath the city. Here you’ll find kilometres of tunnels and thousands of oak barrels. As a result, a tasting down here, among candlelight and centuries-old stone, is probably the best way to understand why Maribor is known as Slovenia’s wine capital.<\/p>\n

\n\"Main
Glavni trg, Maribor’s main square, the everyday meeting point for locals. \u00a9 Igor Unuk<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Glavni trg<\/strong>, the main square, is the best spot to sit down and watch the city go by. There are terraces, market stalls and bikes everywhere. In short, it’s the unhurried pace of a regional capital that has nothing to prove.<\/p>\n

Ptuj, Slovenia’s oldest town<\/h3>\n

Founded by the Romans as Poetovio<\/em>, Ptuj still has cobbled streets and a medieval castle over the Drava. It also holds the title of Europe’s Best Cultural Heritage Town 2026. But its real treasure isn’t behind glass: it’s the Kurenti<\/strong>, sheepskin-clad, bell-ringing figures who walk door to door each winter to chase the cold away. Their door-to-door rounds have been on UNESCO’s<\/strong> Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2017. In fact, Lonely Planet ranks the Kurentovanje carnival among the ten most fascinating in the world, alongside Venice and Rio.<\/p>\n

\n\ud83d\udca1 Practical tip:<\/strong> Kurentovanje runs from February into early March. Outside that window, Ptuj’s Kurent House is an interactive museum where you can experience the tradition year-round.\n<\/div>\n

Nature: Pohorje, the region’s green lungs<\/h2>\n
\n\"Vineyards
The vine-covered hills of \u0160tajerska, heart of Podravje, Slovenia’s largest wine region.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Just 10 minutes from central Maribor, the Pohorje<\/strong> massif begins. Here you’ll find forests, high-altitude peat bogs and more than 40km of hiking and biking trails. The circular cable car, running since 1957, climbs to 1,327 metres in around 10 minutes. That way, it covers a 714-metre elevation gain without a single car.<\/p>\n

Around it, hillsides of \u0160ipon (Furmint)<\/strong>, La\u0161ki Rizling<\/strong> and Sauvignon Blanc<\/strong> form one of Central Europe’s most photogenic wine landscapes. Also, family estates and tasting terraces here are built for slowing down.<\/p>\n

Food and wine: \u0160tajerska’s identity<\/h2>\n

Here, wine isn’t a side note to the trip \u2014 it’s the main event. The \u0160tajerska Wine Region Association<\/strong> brings local growers together with one shared goal. That is, putting this region on the world wine map without losing its human scale. Alongside the whites, reds like Modra Frankinja<\/strong> (Blaufr\u00e4nkisch) and Pinot Noir are showing up too. In fact, they appear more and more on Slovenian wine lists.<\/p>\n

The \u0160tajerska Wine Roads<\/strong> link family-run estates where you can eat, taste and often stay the night. This way, they follow a slow-travel model that avoids the crowded circuits found in other European wine regions.<\/p>\n

Getting around with a lighter footprint<\/h2>\n
\n\"Maister
The Maister, Maribor’s free electric shuttle around the historic centre.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n