New flight & new holidays to N.E. Slovenia

New Ryanair flights into Slovenia’s second city of Maribor, starting in early June, are opening up the lesser known north east of the country, a rural, undulating region of spa resorts, ski centres, historic cities, wine routes with numerous opportunities for cycling, walking, site-seeing, and adrenalin sports.

This is the first time a British airline has flown the route and Ryan Air will initially be offering a three-times weekly service from London Stansted.

Taking advantage of the flights, specialist tour operator Just Slovenia has put together a choice of new holiday packages. A three night stay in Ptuj, arguably one of the most charming towns in Slovenia with a history dating back to the late Stone Age, costs from £248 per person, with return flights, car hire and b&b accommodation at the Garni Mitra, an historic hotel in the old quarter of Ptuj.

Slovenia’s tourist farms provide a rustic and authentic way to enjoy the country and Just Slovenia has a new, two-centre, 7 night tourist farm stay, with 4 nights at the 400 year old Locknikar farmstead, where guests enjoy home made bread, salami, cheeses pickles and organic meals, and three nights at the Hlebec Tourist Farm, close to Croatia, amid rolling hills in one of Slovenia’s wine producing region. Prices for a week’s b&b stay from £386 per person, with return Ryan Air flights to Maribor and car hire.

Just Slovenia’s tailor made programme also enable guests to fly into Maribor and out of Ljubljana and to take in other parts of Slovenia.

Slovenia Tourist Board produces a number of guides to the region, including a `Next Exit’ map and guidebook to area between Ljubljana and Maribor. Highlights of the Next Exit `Amber Route’ are:

- Gastronomy: well-stocked wine cellars along numerous vineyards, wine roads, famous sparkling wines and heady white wines, dried meat products such as “sol?avski želodec” or “pohorska bunka,” Štajerska’s “kisla juha” soup

- Bicycling: from the Kamnik area across the Posavje Hills, in the Pohorje mountains, in the Logarska dolina valley, in the Koroška and Podravje regions

- Hiking: Zreško Pohorje, Ribniško Pohorje, and Mariborsko Pohorje, Lovrenška jezera lakes, letting the adrenaline flow on Mariborsko Pohorje

- Wellness: thermal spas: in 600-year-old Dobrna, in Laško, Topolšica, and Maribor

- Events: Festival Lent, Beer and Flowers in Laško, Medieval Days at Celje Castle, flower exhibitions at Vol?ji potok Arboretum and Mozirski gaj Botanical Gardens, The autumn wine festivals In the Embrace of the Ancient Vine and Starobistriški ve?eri, winter’s Golden Fox World Cup ski races on Pohorje

- Golfing: on Zlati gri? near Slovenske Konjice, beside the Vol?ji potok Arboretum and at Terme 3000

- Riding: on horseback across the Posavje Hills, on Maribor’s Pohorje

- Water: rafting on the Drava River at Dravograd and Maribor

Suggested activities featured in the Next Exit `Amber Route’ include:-

- The Slomšek pilgrimage trail from Bizeljsko to Nova Cerkev
- Cycling through the underground mineshafts of Mount Peca
- Cycling on the routes from Dravograd to Ptuj
- Trekking on horseback across the Posavje Hills
- A visit to the Rifnik Late Roman archeological park
- The New Year’s sled run at Kope in the Pohorje mountains
- Dancing lessons with a medieval dance troupe at the old castle in Celje
- Hiking, horseback riding and adrenaline activities at Pohorje
- Wine-tasting in the underground wine cellar in Maribor

For further information, to request a copy of the new Just Slovenia brochure, or to discuss a tailor-made itinerary, visit Justslovenia.co.uk.