Hostel Pekarna is located in Maribor, the second largest city in Slovenia. It is situated on the Eastern part of Slovenia, close to Pomurje region.

The sun was slowly setting when we finally stopped at the Protner tourist farm in Vodole (just 5 kilometers from Maribor). We could easily spot Pohorje mountain range in the distance. Kristijan showed us around his inn and offered us a glass of delicious Sauvignon, while the children loved the grape juice. We tantalized our taste buds with home made Carniola sausages with sauerkraut, beans, onions and homemade bread. We ended our culinary treat with the sweet cheese pastry gibanica.

It was already getting dark when we arrived at Hostel Pekarna. We were greeted by Urška, who showed us around the Pekarna Hostel. The Pekarna Hostel is part of the Pekarna Cultural Centre, a complex of buildings built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries by the Austro-Hungarian army for the purpose of baking bread for the barracks on the outskirts of the city. The hostel is located on the second and third floors of the Youth Cultural Center. The surroundings of the hostel is an artistic paradise for the eyes – graffiti all around. Similar to autonomous social and cultural centre Metelkova in Ljubljana.

The Pekarna hostel can accommodate up to 49 people. There are 7 group rooms, each with 4 separate beds (all guests in shared rooms have access to a fully equipped kitchen, a shared terrace and a living area). There are also some other accommodation possibilities, each one with private facilities (private bathroom with shower and toilet, fully equipped kitchen with dining table and TV) such as a twin-bed apartment, a twin room apartment, single-bed studio with terrace, the one without a terrace and studio with double bed.

There is also a fully equipped communal kitchen with dining room (breakfast is served here, but you can also prepare your own food), reception, a bar with refreshments on site, a terrace, a large communal living room with huge TV, books and board games. Computers and tablets are available free of charge, and you can borrow bicycles for free as well to explore Maribor. The hostel has a youthful, modern, creative and eco- conscious spirit. The hostel has a private parking lot in front of the building. It is only 1 minute away from the clubs and parties.

We stayed in a double room (the kids in one room, the parents in another, but at night the children somehow found a way to switch beds ;)). We loved the walk-in shower and listening to the trains passing by the hostel. What is more, we spent quality time playing games in the living room.

From Hostel Pekarna you can easily explore Maribor on foot. On Saturday, we decided to take part in the Festival of Walks, exploring hidden streets of Maribor, tasting the best gelato in town and strolling through the Maribor City Park.

We also didn’t forget to indulge our taste buds. We stopped at La Cantina Pizzerija/Špageterija Maribor and tasted excellent pizzas (300 °C, Tartufo) with super tasty aromatic olive oil. While we were waiting, we spent time playing La Cantina boarding games Black Peter/Black Cook. The waiter suggested we try the unfiltered green lager and unfiltered Radler from the Pivovarna Maribor brewery. What a combination! And although our stomachs were already full, we couldn’t resist trying sweet desserts (cheesecake, raspberry cake with mint, waffles with fresh strawberries). Thank goodness we had to walk back to our accommodation to get rid of a few grams 😉

On Sunday we hiked on to Piramida (Pyramid hill) and Kalvarija, which are favorite hiking destinations among the locals as well.

Hostel Pekarna is definitely a perfect accommodation option in Maribor for families with children and a good starting point to explore Maribor with its surroundings.

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