Рогашка Слатина

May, June and September are the most pleasant months, with mild to warm days and green hills. July and August are warm, with regular afternoon storms. Winters are cold and grey, with frost and some snow, but spa treatments run all year.

The main summer event is the Anin festival, a series of classical, jazz and pop concerts on summer evenings in the town centre. It is a good reason to plan a summer stay.

The spa park is the heart of the town. Its long promenade has flower beds, about 4,500 box shrubs and the neoclassical Tempel pavilion from 1819.

Crystal Hall is the grand hall of the Grand Hotel Rogaška, on the spa square. Emperor Franz Joseph I and the pianist Franz Liszt were among its guests, and it still hosts concerts and balls under crystal chandeliers.

The round drinking hall in the medical centre is where guests drink the local mineral waters. Try Donat Mg, the most famous one, or the milder Styria.

The Crystal Tower is the tallest building in Slovenia, at 106 metres. From the top, you get wide views over the spa and the hills.

The town has made hand-made crystal glass for generations. The Rogaška glassworks offers a visitor route through the production, from glass blowing to final packing, and a factory shop.

Rogatec Open-Air Museum, about 5 km east in Rogatec, shows farm and village life of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Old wooden houses, a smithy, a wine press and a hay rack stand in an open field.

Strmol Mansion, in the same small town, is a Renaissance and Baroque manor first recorded in 1436. Inside are painted rooms, a chapel, a gallery, a glass collection and a café.

Boč Lookout Tower stands on the forested ridge of Boč, north-west of town. From the top of the metal tower you can see far across eastern Slovenia.

Rogaška Slatina is all about water, crystal and calm walks.

• Drinking cure: Join the guests who drink the mineral water in the drinking hall. The springs include cold and warm water, and longer cures are given under medical supervision.
• Spa treatments: Book a massage, a mineral bath or a full health programme at the medical centre or one of the spa hotels.
• Crystal Tower ride: Take the lift up the 106-metre tower. On the panorama floor, VR headsets show the local legend of the winged horse Pegasus.
• Glassworks visit: Follow the visitor route at the glassworks to see how master glassmakers blow and cut crystal by hand.
• A ball or concert in the Crystal Hall: Concerts and dance evenings fill the hall, including Anna's Ball, a spa tradition of almost 200 years.
• Spring hike on Boč: Walk up to the lookout tower through the protected landscape park. Around Easter, the rare greater pasque flower blooms on its slopes.

The hills around Rogaška Slatina have monasteries, castles, thermal pools and historic towns. Most are close, but a car makes them much easier to reach.

• Olimje: About 20 minutes south by car. Olimje Monastery is a former castle with a Baroque church and one of the oldest monastic pharmacies in Europe. A small chocolate maker sits next to it.
• Podčetrtek: About 20 minutes south by car, or about 15 km by cycle path. The Terme Olimia thermal resort has large indoor and outdoor pools, and Podčetrtek Castle stands above the village.
• Kozjansko Park: About 35 minutes south by car. It is a quiet landscape of forested hills, orchards and castles along the Croatian border, with marked walking trails.
• Celje: About 40 minutes by car, or 45–50 minutes by train. Visit the large medieval castle of the Counts of Celje above the old town.
• Ptuj: About 45 minutes by car. Slovenia's oldest recorded town has a castle, Roman remains and an old wine cellar.
• Maribor: About 50 minutes by car. Slovenia's second city has the riverside Lent district and the oldest vine in the world.
• Velenje: About 1 hour by car. Visit the coal mining museum, deep underground, and the castle above the town.

Rogaška Slatina lies in eastern Slovenia, in the Štajerska region, close to the Croatian border.

• Nearby towns: Celje is the regional centre to the west, and Velenje lies beyond it in the Šalek valley.
• Heading north-east: Ptuj and Maribor are historic towns on the Drava River.
• The capital: Ljubljana is about 1.5 hours away by car.

• By air: There is no airport in Rogaška Slatina. Zagreb Airport in Croatia and Graz Airport in Austria are each about 1 hour 20 minutes away by car. Ljubljana Airport is about 1 hour 40 minutes away. Public transport from all three needs several changes, so a rental car or pre-booked transfer is easiest.
• By train: Trains from Celje take about 45–50 minutes, but they run only every few hours. From Ljubljana, allow 2.5 to 3 hours with a change in Celje. The station is a short walk south of the spa centre. Slovenian Railways
• By bus: Buses from Celje run about once an hour and take about 50 minutes.
• By car: Rogaška Slatina is about 110 km from Ljubljana. Take the motorway to Celje, then the regional road east. Motorways in Slovenia need an e-vignette.

• On foot: The spa centre is small and flat, and the park, hotels, drinking hall and shops are all a few minutes apart. Forest paths start right behind the spa.
• Buses: Regional buses link the town with Celje, Rogatec and nearby villages, but services are infrequent, especially at weekends.
• Cycling: Bikes can be rented at a station just below the Crystal Tower. A cycle route leads south to Podčetrtek, but the surrounding hills are steep.
• Taxis: Local taxis are useful for reaching Olimje, the Boč hiking area or the train station with luggage.
• Tourist information: Visit Rogaška Slatina

• Is a car worth it?: Not for the spa itself, which is best seen on foot. A car is very useful for Olimje, Boč and the villages around, where buses are rare.
• Parking: Use the hotel car parks or the public car parks around the spa centre. A park-and-ride car park under a solar roof sits below the Crystal Tower.

Rogaška Slatina sits in the hilly wine country of eastern Štajerska, so look for local white wines on menus. Local specialities include jerpica, a leavened cake, and zavihjenča, a pastry filled with curd cheese. The Rogaška Wine Road leads to small wineries in the hills. Many spa hotels also offer light, healthy menus to go with their cures.

For eating out, the best area is around the spa square and the main street, where hotel restaurants and cafés with terraces cluster. Strmol Mansion in Rogatec has a restaurant and a wine cellar with tastings, and the chocolate maker in Olimje is a popular stop for sweets.

Rogaška Slatina is a very safe, quiet town, and crime against visitors is rare. Normal care with bags is enough.

Donat Mg has a strong laxative effect. Start with small amounts and follow the advice of the medical centre or your hotel before drinking it regularly. If it is too strong for you, try the milder Styria water.

On Boč and other forest trails, wear good shoes and carry water. The paths can be steep and slippery after rain.

Local legend says the god Apollo showed the winged horse Pegasus where to strike the ground with its hoof, and the healing spring appeared. A statue of Pegasus with a golden hoof stands in the spa park today. The spring was first recorded in 1141, and it became famous in 1665, when the Croatian ban Peter Zrinski was said to be healed by its water.

The spa was founded in 1803 under Count Ferdinand Attems, and its first doctor arrived a year later. St Ana's Chapel, built in 1805 for the spa's patron saint, and the Tempel pavilion of 1819 still stand in the park. In the 19th century, royal families and artists came for cures, and Emperor Franz Joseph I stayed in town in 1883. Crystal Hall is the best place to feel this era.

Glassmaking has a long history in the region. The Rogaška glassworks was founded in 1927, and its crystal is still made by hand today.

Quick practical facts for Slovenia at a glance: