Eastern Slovenia: castles and wine hills
Celje’s castle, the world’s oldest vine in Maribor, Roman Ptuj and the terraced Jeruzalem hills near the Hungarian border.
- Distance
- 197 km (123 mi)
- Driving
- 2 h 43 min
- Suggested days
- 3
- Stops
- 7
- Countries
- Slovenia
- Updated
- June 13, 2026
At a glance: 3-day road trip of about 197 km (123 mi) with 7 stops, from Ljubljana to Jeruzalem Wine Hills. About 2 h 43 min of driving in total.
Route description
Follow the A1 motorway (vignette required) east from Ljubljana to Celje, where the largest castle in Slovenia guards the Savinja valley. It is a good place to stretch your legs and look back over the Pohorje hills.
Maribor, Slovenia’s second city, stretches along the Drava. On the Lent embankment the Old Vine House shows off a vine planted more than 400 years ago, and wine bars along the river serve the local whites; the Pohorje hills above town have forest trails and a ski slope.
Ptuj, 25 km downriver, is the oldest town in Slovenia, founded by the Romans. Its castle museum holds the kurent costumes of the February carnival, and the town’s old wine cellar is one of the oldest in the country.
The last leg climbs into the Jeruzalem hills, a ridge of steep, neatly terraced vineyards with a pilgrimage church and cellars along the road. Drive slowly on the narrow lanes and stay overnight at a farm to enjoy the tastings; the vineyards are most beautiful in October.
Stop-by-stop itinerary
In driving order. Distances are estimates between consecutive stops.
- 1Start
Ljubljana
Slovenia - 277 km
Celje Castle
HistoryCelje, SloveniaThe largest castle in Slovenia, stronghold of the powerful Counts of Celje, on a hill above the Savinja. Parking is just below the walls.
- 359 km
Maribor
Slovenia - 40 km
Old Vine House
FoodMaribor, SloveniaThe world’s oldest productive vine, more than 400 years old, still trained along a house on the Drava embankment. The house has a tasting room for Slovenian wines.
- 529 km
Ptuj
Slovenia - 60 km
Ptuj Castle
HistoryPtuj, SloveniaA castle museum above Slovenia’s oldest town, with collections of arms, musical instruments and the shaggy kurent carnival costumes.
- 731 km
Jeruzalem Wine Hills
FoodJeruzalem, SloveniaSteep, neatly terraced vineyard hills with a pilgrimage church and wine cellars along a winding ridge road. Known for crisp Šipon and Laški rizling.
