Lendava

Late spring and September are the best times, with warm days for walking in the vineyards. July and August are hot on the open plain, so plan the Vinarium and the hills for the morning. October brings the grape harvest and autumn colours. Winters are cold and grey, but the thermal pools stay open all year.

The best time for a wine trip is around St Martin's Day on 11 November. In the first half of November, Lendava and its wine hills hold St Martin's celebrations, with the new wine blessed and cellar-to-cellar walks through the vineyards.

Lendava's main sights are close together. The castle, the churches, the synagogue and the theatre are in the town centre, and the hill sights are a short drive or a steep walk above it.

• Vinarium Tower is the town's landmark, a 53.5 m steel tower on top of the Lendava Hills. A panoramic lift takes you to the viewing level at 42 m, with views over Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia and Austria.
• Lendava Castle stands on the slope above the centre. The Esterházy family rebuilt a medieval fortress here into a Baroque castle, which now houses the bilingual Gallery-Museum Lendava, with collections on local folk life and a memorial room to the sculptor György Zala.
• Lendava Synagogue dates from 1866 and is one of only two synagogue buildings left in Slovenia. It now holds an exhibition on the town's Jewish community, which was destroyed in the Holocaust in 1944.
• Holy Trinity Chapel is a small Baroque chapel high in the vineyards. Its crypt holds a naturally mummified body, traditionally said to be the soldier Mihael Hadik. Visits to the mummy must be booked by phone in advance.
• St Catherine's Church is the Baroque parish church in the centre, built in the mid-18th century.
• The Theatre and Concert Hall on Zala György Square is a striking organic building by Hungarian architect Imre Makovecz, opened in 2004. It is the main stage of the Hungarian community, and its lobby hosts art exhibitions.

Lendava is a place for slow days: views, wine and warm water. A few things to do here:

• Soak in thermal water: Terme Lendava started in 1965, when oil workers drilling nearby struck hot water instead of oil. Today the resort has indoor and outdoor pools, and in summer a large outdoor pool with water slides opens.
• Walk the wine road: a road and marked paths run along the Lendava Hills past family wine cellars, chapels and viewpoints. Many cellars open for tastings if you call ahead.
• Cycle into Hungary: flat, quiet roads lead from Lendava across the open border to the villages on the Hungarian side.

Lendava sits right on the borders, so short trips into Hungary and Croatia are easy. Times are by car.

• Murska Sobota — about 25 minutes. The regional capital, with the Pomurje Museum in its castle and a large Lutheran church.
• Moravske Toplice — about 25 minutes. A spa village near the hills of Goričko, with Plečnik's church in Bogojina and the Selo rotunda close by.
• Varaždin — about 40 minutes, in Croatia. A Baroque old town with a moated castle and a famous park-like cemetery.
• Maribor — about 50 minutes by motorway. Slovenia's second city, with an old town on the Drava river.
• Ptuj — about 55 minutes. Slovenia's oldest town, with a castle above the Drava and a famous carnival.

Lendava is part of Prekmurje, the flat region beyond the Mura river. The region's guide covers its villages, churches and Goričko hills in more detail.

The other main bases in the region are Murska Sobota, the regional capital with the best transport links, and Moravske Toplice, the largest spa resort.

• By air: The nearest airports are Graz in Austria, about 1 hour 15 minutes by car, and Zagreb in Croatia, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Ljubljana Airport is about 2 hours 15 minutes away. There is no direct public transport from the airports, so most visitors rent a car.
• By bus: Buses link Lendava with Murska Sobota, which has connections to Maribor and Ljubljana.
• By train: Lendava's small station is not connected to the rest of the Slovenian rail network. Its only passenger trains are a few local services to Čakovec in Croatia. From inside Slovenia, take a train to Murska Sobota, from Ljubljana or Maribor, and then a bus or taxi for the last 30 km. Slovenian Railways
• By car: The A5 motorway passes just outside the town on its way from Maribor to the Hungarian border. Lendava is about 200 km from Ljubljana, or around 2 hours. Slovenian motorways need an e-vignette.

• On foot: the town centre is small and flat, and the castle, churches, synagogue and theatre are all within a 10-minute walk of each other.
• To the hills: the Vinarium tower and the Trinity chapel are on the ridge above town. You can drive almost to the top, or walk up through the vineyards: about 2 km and 150 m of climbing, roughly 40 minutes.
• Cycling: the plain around Lendava is flat and quiet, and the wine roads in the hills suit e-bikes. Marked routes lead along the Mura and into Hungary.
• Public transport: local buses are rare, especially at weekends. For anything outside the town, a car or bike is easier.

• Is a car worth it?: For the town itself, no. To reach the hills, the spa at the edge of town and the wider region, a car is the practical choice.
• Parking: easy and mostly free in the centre and at the sights. Check the signs for time-limited zones near the main square.
• Motorway: the A5 needs an e-vignette, also for short trips to the Hungarian border.

Lendava's signature dish is bograč, a spicy stew of several kinds of meat with paprika, onions and potatoes, cooked slowly in a kettle over an open fire. The town calls itself the home of bograč, and you will find it on almost every local menu. Also try prekmurska gibanica, the region's layered cake with poppy seeds, cottage cheese, walnuts and apples, and the fresh white wines of the Lendava Hills.

The most rewarding places to eat are the wine cellars and inns in the hills, where you can combine a meal with a tasting and a view. In town, the cafés and restaurants around the main street and the church square serve both Slovenian and Hungarian dishes.

Lendava is very safe, with little crime aimed at tourists. The main risks are outdoors. Ticks live in the grass and woods, so check yourself after walks in the hills. In summer, the heat on the plain can be strong, so carry water when walking up to the Vinarium. Do not swim in the Mura or its side channels, as the current is fast.

For most of its history, Lendava belonged to the Kingdom of Hungary. A fortress stood above the town in the Middle Ages, and in 1603 its defenders held it against an Ottoman siege. The Esterházy family later rebuilt it into Lendava Castle. St Catherine's Church followed in the mid-18th century.

Jewish merchants settled in Lendava in the 18th century and became an important part of town life. In 1944 most of the community was deported to Auschwitz. Lendava Synagogue remembers them today.

After the First World War, Lendava became part of the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and Hungary occupied it again from 1941 to 1945. Today it is the centre of Slovenia's Hungarian minority. The Makovecz theatre in the centre, built for the Hungarian community, is the most visible sign of that identity.

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