Posted by Ptuj is located about 20 km south-east of Maribor in eastern Slovenia. Like Maribor, the city lies on the river Drava. In the southern part of the city, the Drava crosses a larger lake.
Ptuj can be reached by train from Maribor in far less than an hour.
History of Ptuj
Ptuj is considered the oldest town in Slovenia. People settled here as early as the Stone Age. The town was important in Roman times. At that time the town had almost 50,000 inhabitants and was called Poetovio. Even a Roman emperor was crowned here, Vespasian in the so-called year of the Four Emperors, 69 AD.
The old German town name Pettau is hardly used today. Today Ptuj has about 21,000 inhabitants. Until about the middle of the 19th century, Ptuj (Pettau), like Maribor, was an important town in what was then Austria-Hungary. After the new railway between Vienna and the Adriatic (Southern Railway) was built via Maribor and not via Pettau, the town lost some of its importance.
Book day trips in Slovenia onlineYou can book many great day trips within Slovenia by bus online. Many of these tickets are available on the well-knownwebsite Getyourguide.de. – Bus tours to the Postojna Caves: Click here – Tours to and from Lake Bled: Click here – Tours and bus trips Ljubljana: Click here |
Today, Ptuj lies only on a railway branch line. If you arrive in Ptuj by train, leave the station and keep left. After about 200 metres, turn right into the city centre.
Sights Ptuj
The main attraction is the large castle complex. You should also pay a visit to the monastery, which has been extensively renovated and rebuilt in recent years. The Mestni Trg (translated simply town square) is the central square of the town.
In Slovenia and beyond, the small town is known for its thermal baths, which are simply called Therme Ptuj. It is about a 20-minute walk from the centre (north, on the other side of the river Drava).
If you are travelling by car in Slovenia, you can take a short detour to the vineyards around Ptuj. A signposted wine road is located south of the town.
Shopping Ptuj
Between the railway station and the Drava, on the other side of the tracks, is a new shopping centre. In the Quandia shopping centre you will find at least 50 shops, including chains known in Germany such as New Yorker and a DM drugstore. There is also a gigantic Spar supermarket (Megamarket Interspar). Address shopping centre: Qlandia Ptuj, Ormoška cesta 15.
In addition, there are of course many shops in the city centre.
Staying overnight in Ptuj
If you are looking for inexpensive accommodation in Ptuj, you should take a look at Hostel Sonce. It is on the other side of the Drava (river) from the train station and the city centre, about a 10-minute walk from the centre. A double room with bathroom costs about 45 euros out of season, a single room a little over 30 euros. The rooms are clean, the staff very friendly. Free WLAN internet, also in the rooms.
Directly in the city centre not far from the Ptuj Museum, just a stone’s throw from the Drava River, is the 3-star Hotel Mitra. The Mitra has been considered the best cafe house in the city of Ptuj for more than 100 years. It is a hotel with history and traditional hospitality.
Book day trips in Slovenia onlineYou can book many great day trips within Slovenia by bus online. Many of these tickets are available on the well-knownwebsite Getyourguide.de. – Bus tours to the Postojna Caves: Click here – Tours to and from Lake Bled: Click here – Tours and bus trips Ljubljana: Click here |
By train to Ptuj
There are about 10 trains a day to and from Maribor, and the price for a single ticket is just over 3 euros for adults. On some connections you have to change trains in Pragersko. Many trains from Maribor continue to Murska Sobota (formerly German Olsnitz) not far from the border with Hungary.
There is also a daily train in both directions from Ljubljana to Budapest in Hungary via Ptuj. In the 2019 timetable, the D 247 departs Ljubljana at 9:08 and arrives in Ptuj at 11:25, with the express train (D train) arriving in Budapest at 17:29. The train in the opposite direction departs Budapest (Deli station) at 8:30, reaching Ptuj at 14:11 and the capital of Slovenia at 16:30. Beware, these international trains do not pass through Maribor.
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