# Maribor and Ptuj, two towns in Lower Styria > Our journey through Slovenia continued in the east, in the Lower Styria region. There we mainly discovered Maribor, the country's second city, and Ptuj, one of the oldest towns in Slovenia. Source: https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/en/blog/maribor-and-ptuj-lower-styria/ Published on 19 August 2019 Our journey through Slovenia continued in the east, in the **Lower Styria** region. There we mainly discovered **Maribor**, the country's second city, and **Ptuj**, one of the oldest towns in Slovenia. ## What to see in Maribor We spent the morning and had lunch in Maribor: we really liked both the buzz and the calm of this city. The pedestrian city centre is quite lively and well stocked with shops and restaurants. A few **points of interest to see in Ptuj**: its town hall square with the superb Plague Column (_Glavni Trg_), its Gothic cathedral, without missing the Lent district along the Drava, where you can admire a vine more than 400 years old! ![Maribor castle and its onion-domed clock tower](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-02-200a4501.webp) ![Tree-lined park in front of a large yellow building](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-03-eca718e0.webp) ![Busy shopping street dominated by a yellow tower](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-04-568f9fd7.webp) ![Window with white stucco on a pink facade](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-05-a7a0eaf6.webp) ![Plague column standing in the middle of the square](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-06-9dbef353.webp) We loved walking along the banks of the Drava, moving away from the noise of the city. If you go to see the old vine (_Stara trta_), don't miss going into the shop-museum which offers wine tastings. ![Houses along the quay covered with climbing vine](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-07-1b978288.webp) ![Vine trellis running along a white house](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-08-766f7ed3.webp) ![From a pink bridge, the river and the wooded hills](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-09-07adfe2a.webp) ![Red rooftops of the riverside quarter seen from above](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-10-6e75dd77.webp) ![Barge moored on the wide, calm river](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-11-fe83ea4a.webp) For lunch, we went to the city park (_Mestni park_) which is actually a very lovely **arboretum** on a hill. This "green" side gives the city a certain character and makes it very pleasant, especially in summer when the sun is beating down! For the next stage of this road trip, the **road from Maribor to Ptuj** crosses hills and vineyards and follows the Drava, which makes it very photogenic. ![Hills covered with vines and scattered farms](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-12-4d8ab11b.webp) ![Sloping vineyards and villages scattered down below](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-13-8336cbbc.webp) ![Church perched on a hill planted with vines](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-14-feca9d99.webp) ## What to see in Ptuj Ptuj looks like a small provincial town, nestled on the banks of the **Drava** river, which gives it that postcard setting typical of Slovenia. You recognise Ptuj by its red roofs, which bring a certain charm to the town. Visiting Ptuj is fairly quick: so we devoted a few hours to it in the afternoon. A few **points of interest to see in Ptuj**: the Monastery of the Friars Minor, turned into an art centre, its castle, its main square (_Slovenski trg_) and of course the view of the opposite bank, by taking the bridge (_Most za pešce in kolesarje_). ![Ptuj and its castle lined up at the edge of the river](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-15-87b60da2.webp) ![Pink facade of a baroque church and its monastery](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-16-2aa2a94f.webp) ![Cobbled street lined with a long red building, bell tower at the end](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-17-a9bcc5e7.webp) ![Red tiled roofs of the old town seen from above](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-18-a3f640d8.webp) We didn't visit the inside of the castle but we were able to admire the view from the courtyard in front of the entrance. It gives you a lovely perspective over the Drava and the red tiled roofs of Ptuj. ![View over the rooftops out to the plain and the river](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-19-8622a811.webp) ![Carved gateway opening onto the castle courtyard](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-20-5ff3dd05.webp) ![Statue and gravel path on the castle terrace](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-21-cf05c027.webp) ## Our accommodation in Maribor For this one night stage in Lower Styria, we chose to set down our bags in Maribor. Our accommodation booked on [Airbnb](https://www.airbnb.fr/rooms/12785470?source_impression_id=p3_1577473109_ST9ltE9f6k6NKz1Q) was very nicely decorated and looked like a small loft. We recommend it without hesitation. It is in a quiet spot, five minutes from the city centre by car or about twenty minutes on foot. For **47€ a night**, it's a real gem! ## Our favourite spots in Maribor and Ptuj - **[Gostilna Pri treh ribnikih](https://www.tripadvisor.fr/Restaurant_Review-g274874-d942581-Reviews-Gostilna_Pri_treh_ribnikih-Maribor_Styria_Region.html)**: a very good spot for lunch, listed in the Gault-et-Millau, right in the heart of Maribor's park. The lunch set menu with starter, main and dessert costs only 15.50€! - **[Muzicafe](https://www.tripadvisor.fr/Hotel_Review-g315908-d3927187-Reviews-Muzikafe_Bed_Breakfast-Ptuj_Styria_Region.html)**: a lovely spot (a youth hostel and café) in the centre of Ptuj to drink an iced tea or a juice, on the leafy terrace or in the garden at the back. ## What we thought of Maribor and Ptuj Maribor and Ptuj are two charming towns to discover on a road trip in eastern Slovenia. A certain calm reigns there, no doubt due to the fact that there are still very few tourists over there too. **So we recommend visiting these two towns, why not on the same day!** Planning a trip to Slovenia? Read [all our articles about our road trip](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/en/destinations/slovenia/)! ![Couple posing in front of the river and the town of Ptuj](https://voyagesurlacomete.fr/photos/2026/maribor-et-ptuj-deux-villes-de-basse-styrie-22-c81cbb12.webp)