The eastern side of Slovenia is far less touristy than the western Soca Valley, or Slovenia’s capital city Ljubljana, and is relatively undeveloped in comparison. Bordered by Austria, Hungary and Croatia, Maribor was once part of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty, it then underwent a tug of war between Germany, Austria and Yugoslavia during the early 19th-century. Finally made independent in 1991, following the Slovenian secession from Yugoslavia, it struggled against unemployment for almost 20 years and is still a fairly poor region today. The main industry is agriculture and the Mariborske and Slovenske Gorice regions are famous for their wine growing. Landscape-wise it’s much flatter than western Slovenia - think rolling hills dotted with wineries and long dusty plains - so it’s a great place to walk and bicycle, and its natural thermal springs are thought to be medicinal.