Hostels in Maribor, Slovenia

Maribor is little-known outside of the former Yugoslavia and Austria, but it deserves better recognition. This town, Slovenia's second city, is a highly developed and very civil city known for lush riverside greenery, sprawling parks, calm old town, and for being the gateway to the Alps and Austria. It's a very outdoorsy and laid-back place, especially in summer, and there are several Maribor hostel options.

Travelers coming into town by bus or train arrive at the edge of the city center. The train station has frequent local and fast services to Ljubljana and to Graz in Austria (via Spielfeld border). Across the street, the bus depot offers regional and some international trips. Lots of people in Slovenia hitchhike, even to commute. The main highways have a branch to the train station.

Getting around town is pretty easy. It's a small city, so if you're prepared to be on your feet for fifteen minutes at a time, you should be fine. There are bicycle paths next to the sidewalk on every major road. Bus service exists, should you need it, but is none-to-frequent in most areas.

The heart of the historic city center is a mostly pedestrian zone with a series of pleasant squares and side streets home to restaurants and ice cream parlors; here too, you'll find a few museums and cultural institutions. A ways further back from the center of town, there's a huge, well-kept park. A ways out of town, you'll find an island that is a giant beach with pool for hot summer days. Or you can head over to the slope northwest of the center, where a ski lift will take you up, and you can fly down on an alpine slide in summer or ski in winter.

This city shows its Austrian heritage more than its Eastern Block heritage. This, though, can't be said for the hostels in Maribor -- they are much cheaper and funkier than most of their Austrian cohorts. Really, any of them will do, as you're likely to have fun where ever you go, without a drunken all-night party keeping you up if you need to sleep.