Slovenian thermal tourism has not developed by chance. Particularly in eastern Slovenia, the site tens of millions of years ago of the Pannonian Sea, there are many thermal springs. The benefits of Slovenian thermal waters were first discovered by the Romans. In the middle ages, nobles from all over Europe came to Slovenia for the waters.
The discovery of the healthy mineral waters of Radenska and Donat Mg gave an important boost to tourism. Therapeutic effects in thermal waters were also discovered in organic and inorganic peloids: hummus and mineral-rich mud in Slovenian resorts.
Slovenia’s natural health resorts, thermal spas and wellness centers are pillars of what Slovenia has to offer people for whom health and wellness are important. They combine centuries of tradition, an experience of thermal baths and modern findings of experts dedicated to healthy minds and bodies. They are also part of the cream of Slovenian tourist destinations, offering exceptional opportunities for sporting activities, fun, culinary pleasures and quality accommodation. Far from the noise of cities and the frantic pace of modern life, you can focus on yourself and your loved ones in natural health resorts, thermal spas, and wellness centers.
In recent years, health resorts and thermal tourism in Slovenia have experienced an extraordinary boom. Health resorts and thermal spas associated with public health have greatly expanded the services they offer. Some of the Slovenian resorts are as follows:
Slovenia’s Largest Natural Spa
With around 12,000 sq. m of water surfaces, Terme Catez is the largest thermal pool complex in Slovenia. Thermal water has beneficial effects on mind and body; while a wealth of aquatic attractions on the Thermal Riviera guarantee fun for all generations. Slovenia’s largest natural health resort and second largest tourist center, Terme Catez, is a popular tourist destination for visitors from all over Europe. Health programs and wellness services, water programs, sports and recreation facilities, golf, top-flight accommodation and dining, conference facilities, a casino and many other attractions are complemented by excursions in the picturesque surrounding area. Among the various types of accommodation available ranging from hotels to a campsite, medieval Mokrice Castle converted into a high-class hotel, is a particularly attractive option. The castle restaurant and wine cellar provide select gastronomic experiences and there is an attractive golf course in the castle grounds. The spa bears the name of a mythical creature from the folk tradition. Half-man, half-goat, Catez would appear to people in the locations of the springs. Today, Catez sits in the entrance hall of the Thermal Riviera telling stories about the hot springs, which even in the early 19th century were reputed to be the warmest for miles around.
Summer Thermal Riviera
The largest outdoor thermal pool complex in Slovenia and more! 10 swimming pools and numerous water attractions covering an area of more than 10,000 sqm: a trio of water slides namely the 87-metre “Black Hole” with special lighting effects, “Mini Kamikaze” and “Space Bowl”, Pirate Island, 450-metre lazy river, pool with slides, wave pool, Olympic pool, children’s pools, water park with games, fun park with 10-metre Pirate Tower, electric boat rides, bungee trampoline, etc.
Over 1,800 sqm of indoor water surfaces with attractions and fun for all generations: wave pool, Tree of Experience, amorphous pool with whirlpools, waterfalls and fast river, massage beds, water slide and access to outdoor pool, children’s pool, etc.
Apart from these, there are several outdoor as well as indoor sports like tennis, badminton, squash, bowling, beach volleyball, fitness, 18-hole golf course at Mokrice; cycling in the surrounding area and free activity program.
Mokrice Castle with renowned cuisine, golf course, wine cellar, and a 200-year-old English park Kostanjevica with art galleries and Forma Viva sculpture park, Carthusian monastery in Pleterje, Brezice Castle with its remarkable Knight’s Hall and the Brezice Festival of Early Music, Istenic champagne cellar in Stara vas a Bizeljskem, and wine roads of Bizeljsko and Gorjanci, Jovsi nature park.
Slovenia’s Oldest Thermal Spa
Terme Dobrna is Slovenia’s oldest working health resort. The springs have been known since Roman times and the first mention in written sources dates from 1403. The soon to be renovated spa hotel namely the Zdraviliski Dom was built in 1624. It is famous for its marble baths, which have survived to the present day. The stories of its glorious past are peopled by characters such as the Empress Maria Theresa, Count Hoyos, Napoleon’s brother and other notabilities.
The park surrounding Terme Dobrna has been created in accordance with the ancient principles of the Chinese art of Feng Shui, which teaches how the suitable arrangement of a space can help restore the natural balance in the body. Connoisseurs say that the Terme Dobrna Park is one of the ideal natural points in the world! The spa has an ideal placement and an excellent combination of all five important elements namely wood, fire, earth, metal, water.
Effective thermal water, a pleasant climate for bio-climate therapy coupled with natural peloids are factors that help in the treatment of a variety of problems. Dobrna has been famous for centuries as a place that helps with gynecological diseases and conditions. Special fertility programs are available.
Ruins of Dobrna Castle or Kacjega Castle; Novi grad and Dobrnica Manor; Hudicev Graben and Paski Kozjak; tourist farms; Zice Carthusian monastery; Celje; Velenje and its 13th-century castle are some of the places worth visiting.
Terme Lendava
Terme Lendava is located at the point where Slovenia, Hungary, and Croatia meet, and hence is a pleasant surprise not only in its beneficial effects but also in its outstanding natural, cultural and ethnological features. Storks nest by the backwaters of the river Mura and the area has a special fauna and flora of its own. The more than 4,000 vineyards in the Lendava hills produce fine wines. The town conserves memories of the time of the legendary King Matjaz and the knight Michael Hadik and surprises visitors with the coexistence of differences: the synagogue and the Evangelical church, the mighty castle and the friendliness of its people.
The greatest natural curiosity is the unique thermo-mineral paraffin water with its green
reflections. It was discovered in 1965 and its miraculous rejuvenating powers led to the building of a spa in this unique environment, enabling countless experiences in a natural setting. The green water has very high paraffin content.
Everything that Terme Lendava offers is close at hand under one roof, around a single courtyard.
The modern spa complex with saunas and a wide range of wellness services is complemented by special gastronomic experiences and numerous recreation options. The small thermal center is a good base from which to explore the surrounding area.
Lendava with its castle, castle wine cellar, art gallery, and museum Lendavske Gorice and the Holy Trinity Chapel Church of St. Mary in Turnisce; church in Bogojina designed by architect Joze Plecnik, sightseeing in Pomurje and Medzimurje regions, wine tours, excursions to Hungary.
From Marcus Antonius Primus to the von Pettau family
One of the youngest spas in Slovenia is located close to Slovenia’s oldest town, full of stories of the past: from ancient Poetovio and the famous Roman general Marcus Antonius Primus to the
Von Pettau family who built imposing Ptuj Castle above the town. Here the winter is driven away by “Kurenai” – one of Slovenia’s most interesting ethnological curiosities.
The Thermal Park which consists of 4,200 sqm of pools and numerous water attractions and the Valens Augusta Wellness Centre pamper guests of the Grand Hotel Primus, the apartments and chalets and the modern campsite. The tradition of bathing in Ptuj dates back to Antiquity when patrician Romans visited the thermae or baths. There were also baths in medieval Ptuj, while in the 19th century the townsfolk made use of a bathing place on the river Drava. A century later, when Ptuj had been without public baths for a long time, it was decided to bore into the earth once again. On that occasion, thermal water bubbled to the surface, today a source of new forms of pampering. The young spa truly revives Roman traditions!
Thermo-mineral water offers relief from rheumatic diseases and following injuries to or operations of the locomotor system. Many therapeutic programmes contribute to a better feeling of wellbeing.
Ptuj, wine cellar archives with the oldest Slovene wine from 1917, imposing castle above the city cultural and historical sites in the immediate vicinity: Mithraic temple, Dominican and Minorite monasteries Haloze winegrowing hills offer numerous possibilities for excursions and picnics, Ptujska Gora with its pilgrimage church, a pearl of Slovene Gothic panoramic flights with balloons or light planes from the airport in Moskanjci.
Bubbling Waters in a Pleasant Climate
Terme Radenci is set in a landscape of wheat fields and vineyard-covered hills along the River Mura. Legend has it that industrious dwarves dug tunnels underground to reach the mineral water. In 1833 an underground rumbling was heard by a medical student called Karel Henn on his first visit to Radenci. After thoroughly analyzing the water, Henn returned to Radenci as a renowned doctor. In 1869 he filled the first bottle of “Radenska” mineral water, water supplied to the imperial court in Vienna and the papal court in Rome. In 1882 the Radenci spa welcomed its first guests. Here they found a naturally carbonated mineral water, thermal springs and a pleasant bio-climate. Today these three factors are complemented by an inorganic peloid or “fango.”
Radenska, the water of Radenci, is recognized everywhere by its three hearts symbol. The heart
is also at the center of the work of the modern spa complex that offers guests medical and preventive programs for the effective treatment of cardiovascular disease and also kidney
and urinary tract diseases, rheumatic diseases, disturbances of the locomotor system and metabolic disorders.
Excursions walks, visits to wine cellars with wine and champagne tasting, tourist farms, pottery workshops, stud farms for harness racing horses, floating mills on the Mura River cultural and historical sights of Pomurje panoramic flights
Rogaska
Legend has it that the winged horse Pegasus drank from the Rogaska springs at the orders of Apollo, the god of the sun and of health. This is how the springs are celebrated in the poetic
mythologies of the 17th century. The spa truly flourished two centuries later: in the second half
of the 19th century, when Rogaska was enjoying a golden age under Count Ferdinand Attems, the spa was visited by ruling families and members of the high nobility. This select clientele was entertained by some of the foremost artists of the age, among them Franz Liszt.
Buildings with the splendor of the Habsburg traditions, a modern thermal riviera and pool
complex with thermo-mineral water, wellness centers and beauty programs and an excellent
medical center are the most important reasons – but not the only ones – to visit Rogaska. A place
with a rich history as a health resort, Rogaska offers a wealth of sports activities and entertainment options, while the local glassmaking traditions and the attractive countryside of the Kozjansko hills merely add to its charm.
Tour of Rogaska Glassworks with purchase discounts Wine Road for wine tasting and snacks in wine cellars; Olimje which is medieval pharmacy and Baroque church, open-air museum in Rogatec Ptuj and Ptujska Gora Maribor
Terme Smarjeske Toplice
Terme Smarjeske Toplice has six thermal pools for the relaxation and recreation of its guests.
The wooden pool at Terme Smarjeske Toplice is built above a spring of thermal water with a
temperature of 32° C. Because the pool has a constant flow of fresh thermal water, the temperature of the water and its healing mineral composition remain constant. The pool is
drained every evening and by morning is refilled with pure thermal water with all its healing properties. The spa park also contains a lake filled by a warm water spring. An Indian lotus – a plant species very rare in Slovenia – has been growing in it for a number of years.
This modern health resort in the shelter of green forests is known primarily for its Vitarium
Spa & Clinique Centre, offering a wide range of modern and effective medical wellness programs and services like slimming programs, detoxification programs, and pampering. Relaxations programs help preserve balance, vitality, health, and creativity at all stages of life.
Friendly environment of the health resort is inviting for cycling trips, visits to vineyard cottages and leisurely walks to the hills featuring small churches. Tourists can also visit Krka River Valley, Novo Mesto, Otocec Castle, Pleterje, Kostanjevica, Trska Gora or Bela Krajina.
Talaso Strunjan
Talaso Strunjan is distinguished by its outstanding location beside the sea at the heart of a nature park famous for its steep high flysch cliffs, abundant Mediterranean vegetation, and millennium-old salt pans that offer sanctuary for birds and where salt is still produced today using traditional methods. Paths lead from the health resort through the park and past some of the finest views of the coast.
Talaso Strunjan is a thalassotherapy center in the best sense of the word. In a delightful seaside
a location you can experience the effects of a beneficent climate, heated sea water pools and the application of sea mud and sea salt in beauty and health treatments. In Strunjan peace and wellbeing are also connected to alternative experiences of the infinite blue of sea and sky. At the top of Moonlight Bay, where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared in 1512 to two watchmen employed to guard the Strunjan vineyards, stands the most important pilgrim church in Istria. The cross near the church marks the junctions of the so-called Dragons’ Roads and one of the most important bio-energy centers on the planet. Walkers say that it restores their vital energy!
The Strunjan hinterland is dotted with picturesque Istrian villages. In the company of our animators, the guests will discover interesting corners that they would not normally find themselves. They can visit an oil mill where they press olive oil, a genuine, cozy Istrian inn – Konoba, the church in Krkavce, and get to see life as it once was. A boat trip or visit to the Secovlje saltpans, Trieste with the famous Miramar castle or even Venice are few sights that they will never forget.
Not far from Strunjan are the towns of Piran, Portoroz, Izola, and Koper. Piran is an ancient coastal town famous for its narrow streets, the city walls and the numerous tiny churches. Portoroz, the centre of coastal tourism, is beloved for its vibrancy. Izola is a cute fishing town on what was once an island and Koper, a key commercial centre, boasts a beautiful old city centre.
Lipica, where the whole world goes to admire the elegance and graciousness of the famous Lipizzaner horses, is merely a half an hour’s drive away. Only slightly further afield is the Postojna Cave, the most beautiful Karst cave in the world, and nearby is the UNESCO world heritage site of the Skocjan Caves. Piran and Portoroz are in close vicinity to Strunjan. Piran is an old coastal town, which has preserved its architecture – narrow streets, town walls, churches, and Portoroz is famous foremost for its nightlife.
Piran, Izola, Koper, the Secovlje saltworks and Strunjan, Regional Park, Istrian villages, Lipica, Skocjan Caves, Postojna Cave, Venice excursions by boat and panoramic flights
Terme 3000
The area once covered by the Pannonian Sea contains many natural curiosities. Among them is the unique black thermo-mineral water with specific medicinal effects. Along with natural peloids and a variety of traditional and alternative therapies such as acupuncture, this water helps in the treatment of rheumatic illnesses and diseases of the respiratory system and skin, and in rehabilitation following injuries and operations to the locomotor system. First-class therapies and wellness services are complemented by a wealth of relaxation, recreation, and entertainment options.
Terme 3000 offers various kinds of accommodation such as hotels, apartments, etc., while the most demanding guests will be delighted by the first hotel in the world to boast thermo-mineral water in almost every room. The five-star Hotel Livada Prestige has a state-of-the-art wellness center, six pools, the wide range of saunas, a fitness center and excellent cuisine. The hotel also contains a business center equipped with the latest multimedia technology and designed for congresses, conferences, meetings, and seminars.
An 18-hole golf course including the longest hole in Slovenia, excellent sports facilities in the sports park with artificial surfaces, excursions and cultural activities in the local area and other active leisure opportunities, together with attractive water surfaces of 5,000 sqm and the latest programs and services in centers dedicated to physical and mental wellbeing are yet more reasons for an unforgettable break at Terme 3000 in Moravske Toplice.
Picturesque landscape ranging from the romantic plain to the colorful Goricko hills rich with forests, orchards, and vineyards, traditional pottery workshop in Filovci, church in Bogojina designed by architect Joze Plecnik, medieval church in Martjanci, Romanesque rotunda in Selo, vineyards, wine cellars, Wine Road, and tourist farms
Dolenjske Toplice
According to an ancient legend, the first to discover the beneficial effects of the thermal
waters of Dolenjske Toplice was the sexton’s dog. It is said that the owner found his injured dog at a thermal pool, bathing its injury in the warm water. The written history of Dolenjske
Toplice dates back to 1228. Half a millennium later, in 1776, the Hotel Vital was built here, followed in 1899 by the Hotel Kristal. Both hotels are still open today. You can enjoy the thermal water in the hotel pools and at the Balnea Wellness Centre, which extends over an area of 9,200 sqm and guarantees that even the most demanding guests will be properly pampered.
Experienced and highly trained experts provide a wide range of programs for relaxation, pampering and strengthening health. With both preventive and curative programs, which are carried out in the Medical Rehabilitation Centre, the modern medical equipment of the health
resort is also important. The beneficial effects of the thermal water are proven, while the beautiful Dolenjska countryside contributes to feelings of well-being.
Everyday variegated offer of animation program offers relaxing and educational contents to our guests such as: Lectures with health contents; Travelogues; Tea parties; Social gatherings ; Various cultural events; Creative workshops; Trips around Dolenjska and Bela Krajina, Krka River Valley, Novo Mesto, Otocec Castle, nearby slopes of Kocevski Rog, Pleterje, Kostanjevica, Bela Krajina.
Karavanke
There are thermal springs in a beautiful mountain setting below the peaks of the Karavanke which is the longest mountain range in Europe. Warbling birds, the gentle whispering of trees, and the babbling of brooks, combined with a mountain climate, offer an ideal environment for treating respiratory ailments, milder forms of chronic cardiovascular disease and stress. Our experienced and highly qualified medical staff designed individual programs and therapies to suit your needs and wishes.
Set in the midst of divine nature, Terme Topolsica is a modern health resort offering spa and recreational services, quality hotel accommodation, wellness and medical services, modern pool and sunbathing areas and fine cuisine. The centre is 10 kilometers from the town of Velenje, home to some of Slovenia’s most important industries. The surrounding area contains many interesting sights.
The Topolsica springs have been known since the 16th century and were first opened to the public in 1838. In the last decade the spa has undergone a rebirth with new facilities, including the attractive new Zora Aqua Park.
In addition to this, there is the Zora aqua park which offers attractive thermal pools, spill-over pools, water attractions, slide, paved sun terrace, grassy areas and comprehensive catering services, saunas -infrared, Turkish, Finnish; gym; cycling; walking and hiking; downhill and cross-country skiing; tennis; cafe with large garden ; souvenir shop; visiting art exhibitions in the hotel to name a few.
Saleska dolina including Jezero, Velenje Castle, Rotovnik Cave, Savinjska Valley including Mozirje, Nazarje, Gornji grad, Mozirski gaj, Golte Logarska dolina which include Rinka Falls, panoramic road, Mount Okreselj, Lajse Recreational Airport or panoramic flights, hiking trails Kavcnik, Homestead Bled, Ljubljana, Postojna Cave are some of the landmark places worth visiting.
Lasko
Lasko combines the attractiveness of a view of the river and the surprising beauties of thermal water. The stimulating energy and the quality bio-field of the water, which helps re-establish
the energy balance in the organism, are scientifically proven. The beneficial ionic structure and regular forms of water crystals have been restoring health and conserving wellbeing for 150 years.
The restorative properties of the Lasko springs were known to Roman legionaries; in the Middle Ages missionaries returned here and washerwomen used the warm water for their washing. In the 19th century a cosmopolitan resort grew up here, and was visited by the Austro-Hungarian emperor Franz Joseph. Lasko today conserves the beauty of the past, while the new thermal spa centre beneath its great glass dome creates surprising images of the present.
The Health Tourism Centre offers preventive and curative programs; the Lasko Wellness Centre in an outstanding location right above the river is a paradise for recreation, rest and relaxation in a state-of-the art swimming pool and sauna complex. You will immediately be struck by the resorts architecture, with its movable glass dome, massage pools and an outdoor massage pool in the shape of a crystal of Lasko water immediately above the confluence of the rivers Recica and Savinja.
Old town core of Lasko, Lasko Manor, Tabor Castle which is a restaurant, wine shop and a wedding hall, Lasko Brewery, Marijagraska church with 16th-century frescoes walks in the surroundings and excursions to nearby peaks.
Terme Zrece
At Terme Zrece there is always something you can do for yourself and for your health. Warm acratothermal water, invigorating baths, soothing compresses and traditional medical therapies
strengthen health and improve wellbeing. A unique natural remedy, Pohorje peat, is notable
for its ecological purity and effectiveness in treating and alleviating rheumatic and other
disorders.
A wide variety of massages, baths and relaxation programs to fill you with new energy and
restore body and soul – total pleasure and relaxation for even the most demanding guest. You can choose from among a range of massages of different kinds, in combination with healing herbs, essential oils, salts and mud. The Sawaddee traditional Thai therapy centre occupies a special place. In the Sauna Village you will be caressed by warmth, intoxicated by aroma and invigorated by colors and sound. The chefs will pamper you with fine food – accompanied by wines from the surrounding vineyards.
The town of Zrece is young, attractive and friendly and has grown up in the embrace of the vast Pohorje forests, at the point where the torrential river Dravinja grows calmer, connecting
the world of the mountains with the vineyard covered Dravinja Hills. It shares its youth and vitality with a modern spa that takes advantage of all the natural advantages of the area. Just half an hour’s drive from Terme Zrece is the Rogla climatic health, skiing and sports centre which is 1,517 meters above the sea level. With a mild mountain climate and endless opportunities for sport and recreation, it is the perfect complement to the spa all year round.
Skomarje village with its old church Slovenske Konjice with medieval Trebnik Castle, ruins of Stari grad Castle, and Riemer Gallery Carthusian monastery in Zice Wine Road museum buildings: blacksmith shop, ironworks, glassworks, flour mills, sawmills slopes of Pohorje Mountains with tourist farms sightseeing in Celje, Maribor, Ptuj, and Slovenska Bistrica Lovrenc lakes, Crno jezero, Jezerc are also recommended.