[photo source]

Maribor is a small University town which lies near the Slovenian border to Austria. It used to be under the rule of the Austrian Habsburgs and was claimed by both Austria and Yugoslavia after World War I. During World War II, it was occupied by the Germans but later, it was back again in the arms of Yugoslavia.

Must see places in Maribor are the Water Tower and the Mariborski grad, Maribor's castle which was built by Emperor Frederick III in the 15th century.

The people of Maribor are pretty proud of the Stara trta, too. It's the oldest (400 years!) vine in the world. Imho, though, it looks like a normal vine to me. But hey, I am no wine grower so... The Stara trta, though, grows on a house's trellis which is located in the district of Lent, a very charming district.

What else can you do in Maribor? After you have seen the sights, you can go shopping at the Trgovski city center or at the Vetrinjska ulica. In winter, you can go up the slopes to ski. And in the summer, you can go biking all the way up.

To reach Maribor, you can take a £0.01 (exclusive of taxes and fees) flight from London Stansted via RyanAir.. It's one of the newest routes being serviced by the budget giant.

The next time you find yourself looking for a new place to visit at an affordable price, head over to Stansted airport and fly to Maribor.