Day trip exploring the eastern part of Slovenia, visit cosmopolitan Maribor - European capital of Culture 2012 and enjoy enchanting Ptuj, both musts to include on any tour to Slovenia. Why visit Styria? A tour for lovers of Central European traditions, a day trip through the wine-growing region of Styria - Steiermark and its medieval cities. We start the excursion with Žiče monastery. In the renovated upper part of the outbuilding, you can see a permanent exhibition about the history of the charterhouse; the Otakar champagne cellar is where champagne of the Golden Hill (Zlati Grič) brand from Konjice matures and you can walk in tidy herbal gardens and visit the herbal shop. The Carthusian monastery Žice is the oldest Carthusian monastery in Central Europe. It was built in the 12th century. It will impress everyone with its mysticism when you walk among the preserved buildings and ruins with the church of St. John the Baptist. The mighty walls with towers and the herb garden have been restored. You will learn that the Carthusian monks did not spread the faith among people through the spoken word, but through the written word, which is why the library here was one of the richer monastery libraries. Next to the monastery is the oldest guest house in Slovenia from 1467. Here you can enjoy coffee with homemade strudel. After the monastery we will visit Ptuj, which is the oldest continuously settled place in Slovenia. Lying by the Drava river, Ptuj was an important stop on the prehistoric Baltic – Mediterranean amber route. Historically it is one of the most important places in the country and its 2000-year history can be felt as you walk through town. You will admire the elegant city squares and townhouses, rich in architectural details and incorporated archaeological objects. A view from the castle above the city is simply breathtaking. At the end of winter, Ptuj is the city of the carnival, which is called »kurentovanje» after special masks that drive away winter and