Wherever travellers come from, the Pohorje region, the green specialty of Slovenia’s mountain world, greets them with remarkable peat moors with lakes, extensive grassy plains and slopes that in winter become attractive ski areas, mighty forests and gigantic trees, well-marked mountaineering and hiking trails, hospitable inns, and inviting sporting and tourist centers.

From Maribor, a university and cultural center with an opera, theatre, museums, art galleries, and numerous events and many points of interest, it is possible to reach the cable railway to the top of Pohorje on a city bus. The Maribor Pohorje area, with its views of the nearby winegrowing hills that reach right into the city, attracts visitors with the Snow Stadium, the venue for international skiing competitions and romantic night skiing and the challenging Adrenalin Park. Chair lifts lead to the higher village of Bolfenk with its Center of Natural and Cultural Heritage and to Areh with its remarkable Baroque church. This part of Pohorje is a popular destination for the residents of Maribor as well as for tourists, who can also relax at the Maribor Thermal Spa. Especially in the summer, destinations beside the Drava River are very attractive, for example, the Lent quarter of the city that hosts a famous international summer festival, the Mariborski otok Landscape Park, and nearby Brestrniško jezero lake, as are the numerous wine roads through the surrounding area.

From Maribor Pohorje, the view spreads across the Dravsko polje and the Ptujsko polje flatlands all the way to the hills of Haloze and Slovenske Gorice. Below the imposing Ptuj Castle with its regional museum, Slovenia’s oldest city Ptuj invites visitors to this part of Slovenia. This city of Kurenti masqueraders and other original traditions also boasts Slovenia’s oldest wine cellar with its archived treasures that inspire tourists to tour the winegrowing regions of Slovenske Gorice and Haloze. The Ptuj Thermal Spa promises relaxation, and Ptujska Gora with its remarkable pilgrimage church and the nearby castles of Štatenberg, Vurberg, and Borl guarantee visitors a unique encounter with the past. At Ptujsko jezero lake on the Drava River it is possible to fish, row, and sail, while the Ormoško jezero lake is a nature reserve. Nearby Ormož boasts a castle and a park of exotic trees.

Like Maribor Pohorje and its surrounding, the Zreče Pohorje area with Rogla Tourist and Recreation Center and its sister Zreče Health Resort ensure the highest quality experiences for seekers of sport pleasures and relaxation. In this part of Pohorje, there are forest reserves by Črno jezero lake, by the Šumik Waterfalls, and by the Lovrenc Lakes in the unique peat moor. Below the peaks of Pohorje lies Slovenske Konjice, one of the most beautifully kept towns in Slovenia with its ancient castle and Trebnik Manor, and nearby Žiče Carthusian Monastery with its Gastuž restaurant, the beautifully renovated oldest hostel in Slovenia. The hospitality of Slovenska Bistrica, Oplotnica, and Vitanje also draws visitors to this part of Slovenia.

The highest parts of Pohorje and the mountain tourist center on Mount Kopa are accessible by trails from the west, from Slovenj Gradec with its interesting old city core and from the alpine valley of Mežiška dolina. Mežica boasts an abandoned lead mine that is now transformed into an attractive underground museum, near Črna na Koroškem the legendary King Matjaž sleeps beneath Mount Peca, and the ironworking center of Ravne hosts the Koroška Museum. Visitors can also set out for the groomed ski trails and hiking trails on Mount Kopa from the towns along the Drava River like Dravograd, Vuzenica, Muta, and Radlje ob Dravi, and another excellent starting point for exploring of this part of Pohorje is Ribnica na Pohorju with its nearby Ribnica Lake and Ribnica Lodge.

Pohorje - Lovrenška jezera (360°)