Day 1: Arrival in Ptuj

After about a 3.5-hour drive, I arrived in Ptuj. The beautiful lobby and the friendly staff immediately made a positive first impression. After a brief introduction, I was shown to my room—a large, very beautiful suite.
After dropping off my luggage and exploring the room, I headed straight to dinner, since it was already 8:00 p.m. All the hotels offered breakfast and dinner as buffets with a wide selection of dishes. That was perfect for trying out lots of different dishes. In any case, I never went to bed on an empty stomach.

Day 2: Trip to Maribor

The day began with the breakfast buffet. I got ready for the first leg of my bike ride and picked up the e-bike from the garage. At that point, I had no idea how grateful I’d be for the electric assist. Especially as someone who doesn’t bike regularly, I can definitely recommend an e-bike.
The first few kilometers took me along quiet side roads, bike paths, and through small villages. Although it was still quite cool in the morning, I took off my jacket early because the sun was already warming me up nicely.
The closer I got to Maribor, the more the route ran along a busier main road—unfortunately without a bike path. That made the ride less relaxing. (I spoke with Matej Hlebec, who is responsible for the route planning, among other things. Together with his colleague Danilo, who handles the GPX data, he’ll look for an alternative route.)
Once I arrived in the center of Maribor, I parked my bike and explored the old town. I especially liked the area along the Drava River. That’s also where I found a restaurant for my lunch break. Well-fed, I then set off on my way back. As soon as I left Maribor and the main road behind me, the route became quiet and scenic again.
The final stretch back to Ptuj had a few steeper climbs, but they were easy to manage on the e-bike. By the end of the stage, I was pretty exhausted, so I didn’t explore Ptuj in detail. Instead, I took some nice photos from the opposite side of the river. I then spent the afternoon relaxing in the spa before heading out for dinner.

Day 3: Ride to Radenci

I particularly enjoyed this stage. Most of the time, I was riding on quiet roads and bike paths. Right at the start, however, the route took a somewhat strange detour over a railroad track without a proper railroad crossing. I discussed this point with Matej later as well.
About halfway through, the route took me through a beautiful wine region with stunning views. Here, I was once again very glad to have the e-bike, as some of the climbs were really challenging. But I was rewarded afterward with a long stretch that was all downhill.
Around 1:00 p.m., I stopped for a snack on a park bench at the edge of the forest. When I checked my navigation afterward, I saw that I was actually already right on the border with Radenci. After only about 15 minutes, I reached the hotel.
Radenci itself is a lovely little town. After checking in, I stowed my bike and took my luggage up to my room. It was a bit smaller than the one in Ptuj, but perfectly adequate for one person. You could tell, though, that the hotel and its furnishings were a bit older.
After a visit to the spa, I headed out for dinner. The restaurant was significantly larger than the one in Ptuj and felt more welcoming thanks to the better layout.

Day 4: Round Trip Through Austria

Within 20–30 minutes, I was at the Austrian border in Bad Radkersburg. As I rode across the bridge, I was surprised by the impressive walls surrounding the old town. I took a short stroll through it, but soon continued on my bike, knowing I’d be back anyway.
I really liked the old town, though it seemed a bit deserted in places, with several empty stores and shop windows.
The stage itself was very peaceful. Much like in Slovenia, you cycle for long stretches through fields and small villages here. About two-thirds of the way along the route, you reach Klöch. Even from a distance, you have a beautiful view of the town with its castle ruins in the background.
I wanted to take a closer look at the ruins and rode up an extremely steep, short road. Unfortunately, the ruins aren’t accessible to the public, but I took the opportunity to have a light snack on a bench.
Afterward, the route took me back toward Slovenia. A longer stretch ran along a country road, though there was hardly any traffic. Back in Bad Radkersburg, I followed Guibo’s restaurant recommendation and enjoyed a good schnitzel with a beer.
Afterward, I headed back to the hotel and spent some time in the spa area again.

Day 5: Ride to Jeruzalem/Kog

This stage is definitely one of my favorites. The route took me through small villages toward Jeruzalem. I made my first stop at the Expano Pavilion by a small lake.
Shortly afterward, I passed Rakičan Castle before the route followed the bike path alongside a highway for quite some time. A little later, I passed another old castle with a large park that wasn’t marked on the Guibo map.
From there, I continued on to the Mur River and the so-called “Island of Love.” Apparently, an event was taking place there at the time, as there were a lot of people on the grounds. It’s a lovely little spot with a watermill, a ferry, a small museum, a souvenir shop, and a large playground.
In the final quarter of the stage, I finally reached the Jeruzalem wine region. The landscape there is simply breathtaking and offers many fantastic views. Of course, I took the opportunity for another snack break with a view.
The village of Jeruzalem itself is quite small and consists mainly of a church and a few buildings. There was a swing with a panoramic view as a nice attraction, which I naturally tried out myself.
After the final few kilometers, I finally reached the Hlebec Winery, where Matej and his brother Milan gave me a warm welcome. Milan runs the winery, while Matej is responsible for tour groups, among other things. Valerija also stopped by briefly, and together we discussed a few points regarding the route.
I was greeted with great warmth and hospitality and offered wine and beer, which I gladly accepted, of course. Later, I accompanied Matej to visit his brother Milan at the house he’s building; we had a beer together before stopping briefly at Matej’s home for a glass of wine. Afterward, we headed back to the winery for dinner. Since it’s already October, I was the only guest staying overnight.
The room was spacious and decorated in a rustic style, just like you’d find at an Austrian inn. It had large windows and a patio door offering a fantastic view. There was also a pool, though unfortunately it was already a bit too chilly for that.

Day 6: Ride to Moravske Toplice

Matej joined me for the last two days of cycling, which was a welcome change from riding solo.
We crossed the border into Croatia and rode to a large observation tower located just a few hills away from the winery. The weather was great again, and once we reached the top, I took some fantastic photos.
The route here was also constantly going up and down, but with the e-bike’s assistance, it was no problem at all.
After the first third of the route, Matej suggested extending the tour by about ten kilometers. Instead of the original route, we rode through several small villages to a promenade along the Mur River with beach bars and places to stop for refreshments. After a short break with beer and shandy, we cycled along the river back to the original route. Although this section was on gravel, the scenery was very beautiful. It may be offered as an optional extension in the future.
Later, we passed Slovenia’s largest tomato greenhouse and took another short break at a café for hot dogs. During the ride, Matej also showed me several alternatives that might be more pleasant for cyclists than some of the road sections.
Finally, we reached Moravske Toplice. Afterward, Matej drove me to Ptuj in his car so I wouldn’t have to ride back on the last day.
Once I arrived at the hotel, I naturally tried out the spa area right away. The facility is very modern and offers several options for relaxation. The entire complex actually consists of three hotels, each with its own wellness area that can be used by all guests.
I was staying at the Hotel Ajda. I really liked both the room and the restaurant. Everything looked modern and well-maintained, and the restaurant was also very spacious.

Day 7: Round Trip Through Hungary

After breakfast, Matej and I met in the hotel lobby. Since it had rained for the first time during the trip, we decided to have a coffee at a small café and wait for the weather to clear up.
After about half an hour, the rain actually let up, so we were able to set off, well-equipped. At first, it was still drizzling lightly, but soon after, it stopped completely.
Along the route, we visited the old shrine of St. Nicholas and the Virgin Mary. To tour the interior, you normally have to book a guided tour in advance. I was still able to take a quick look inside, though, since someone was on a guided tour at that very moment.
Afterward, the route took us into Hungary. Right after crossing the border, we could already tell that the road conditions were significantly worse than in Slovenia. While this wasn’t a major problem for cycling, it definitely made us appreciate the quality of our roads back home.
We passed many abandoned houses and farms. There was practically no traffic. Along the way, we made a short stop at a small restaurant decorated with lots of painted pumpkins. In general, we saw many Halloween decorations in this region and throughout Slovenia, which I really liked.
The wind was very strong at times on days 6 and 7, which made cycling significantly more strenuous in some places. On the other hand, it also provided an extra athletic challenge.
Back in Slovenia, we stopped for lunch in a small village. Matej ordered a traditional dish for us that was similar to goulash. (I think it was called bograc.) Even half a portion was enough to fill us up and warm us up on that cooler day.
For dessert, we had a traditional Slovenian layered cake with poppy seeds, apples, and cottage cheese called Prekmurska Gibanica.
Later, we visited the Plečnik Church in Bogojina before cycling back to the hotel. There, I returned my bike to the rental shop across from the hotel and said goodbye to Matej.
I spent my last evening visiting the various spa areas once more and trying out the famous black thermal water, which is said to have healing properties

Day 8: Journey Home

After breakfast and checking out, I met up one last time with Valerija and Marco from SAVA. Together, we talked about the tour, the bikes, and various aspects of the route.
It was a very pleasant wrap-up conversation and a great way to end the trip. I filled up the tank for just €1.88 per liter of diesel and drove back to Vienna.

Conclusion

The Slovenia bike tour offers beautiful, rural, and peaceful landscapes to explore. You ride mostly on bike paths, partly on roads with little traffic (with the exception of Maribor, which is currently being improved), and rarely on gravel paths.
The bike paths are constantly being expanded, which is why the route sometimes needs to be adjusted.
As a casual cyclist, I can definitely recommend an e-bike. I rode longer stretches without assistance, but it’s always a welcome help on longer climbs. Since the itinerary is planned to spend two nights in each place, it’s also a great way to build in a rest day if needed.
Combining the trip with stays at wellness hotels is a great way to relax after a day of cycling. The food is varied and offers plenty of choices.
As a young person, you might not always feel like you belong in the hotels, since the majority of guests are past retirement age; however, I’d say this should be a good fit for our customers.
I can also highly recommend the Jeruzalem region. It’s truly beautiful there, and everyone at the Hlebec Winery is incredibly kind.
Valerija and Matej (as well as everyone else involved) go out of their way to make the tour as enjoyable as possible. They’re always open to suggestions for improvement and new ideas.

Got interested? Book your trip here →Slovenia - Bike, Wine and Relax