Castles & Vineyards: Painting in Slovenia
May 14 to 21, 2027
Paint the striking views from the loveliest town in eastern Slovenia
May 14 to 21, 2027
Your Instructor: Leslie Jorgensen
Slovenia is very much part of Europe with strong influences from Austria and Italy. Yet, it is also a place apart. The town of Ptuj, where we’ll be based, lies only a few miles from Croatia and 50 miles from Hungary.
In all cases, Ptuj is ideal for an artist workshop. Some days we’ll paint among the red-roofed buildings that line the main street and central plaza. We will also ascend to the castle that holds watch over the town. It is less than a block from our hotel and offers sweeping 360-degrees views up and down the Drava River Valley.
And our painting will not be limited to town. We will head out, along the river and into the countryside. Here the hills rise up into wine country, as rows of grapes weave patterns on slopes.
One might venture to say that Ptuj is a painter’s paradise. Bring your creativity and join us.
Leslie Jorgensen and Ron Salerno are leading a coordinated artist workshop and cycling tour in Slovenia. The trip dates coincide for pairs where one person wants to bike and one wants to paint. Those who just want to do one or the other are also certainly welcome. (Read more about the cycling tour.)
Paint while your partner cycles
Over the years we’ve come to realize that spouses and partners rarely both paint. So we have taken to scheduling this painting trip back-to-back with a cycling tour. This way, the artist can paint and her or his partner can enjoy the countryside from a bike seat.
The trips are both on the same dates, we’ll stay at the same hotel, and enjoy our meals together. We’ll very much be together, except during the day when you can each pursue your own passions.
The painting workshop is for all levels. The cycling requires some experience, but you need not be a die-hard cyclist. We will be on electric mountain bikes.
The Artist Workshop
In this workshop we will explore eastern Slovenia and create artwork that renders and translates the delightful sights, sounds, and tastes of a place where you’re unlikely to have been before.
En Plein Air
After breakfast each morning, we will head out to that day’s location to observe, record, and immerse ourselves in the area. We’ll choose locations that offer diverse architecture and landscapes.
Leslie, our instructor, will start the day with a demonstration, showcasing her unique viewpoint. During the work session, Leslie will circulate to offer individual support and guidance to each artist. We’ll have group critiques aimed at problem solving and appreciation, as well. You will be responsible for bringing the materials you need for this work.
Students in the workshop can work in any medium. Demos will be done mostly in acrylic.
Change your Perspective
Leslie’s goal is to help you look from a new or renewed perspective and push you to use color in unusual ways. Her work is focused on using the natural beauty of landscapes and shifting the traditional to create unexpected pieces. Leslie thrives on being a part of the landscape, and the joy she gets from painting en plein air is contagious.
Join us! All media and levels of art experience are welcome!
Dates: May 14 to 21, 2027
Location: Ptuj, Slovenia
Cost: $4450 (see below for details)
Maximum group size: 14
More:
See below for full trip details and costs
See below for more details about this workshop
Questions about payments, costs, our cancelation policy and more? Consult our Frequently Asked Questions.
Trip Details
(Click + to expand)
-
May 14 to 21, 2027 (7 nights - 8 days)
Total cost of the tour: $4450
Supplement for single occupancy: $575
Deposit required to reserve a place on the tour: $600
(Places in the tour are limited to 12 and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend that you reserve your place early!)Payment schedule
$600 deposit is due when you make your reservation.The remainder of the cost will be due in 4 installments on:
October 1, 2026
December 1, 2026
February 1, 2027
April 1, 2027
Each installment payment will be $963. The cost of a single room is additional and will be due December 1, 2026. You can pay in fewer installments if more convenient for you.
Cancelation Policy:
If you cancel up to 90 days prior to the trip’s start, any payments you’ve already made will be held for you so that it can be applied to a future trip. If you are within 90 days of the trip’s start, we’ll have already incurred substantial costs related to your reservation and so we won’t be able to offer you a credit. Instead, you will need to file a claim through your travel insurance. More information is found in our FAQ.If we need to cancel a trip for another reason, such as a natural disaster at the trip’s destination, the trip will be rescheduled. You will also have the option to apply the payments you’ve made to another trip.
** Receive a $350 credit on your next trip when you bring or refer a friend. Read More.
-
Art instruction with Leslie Jorgensen
Excursions and special activities throughout the week
Pick-up and drop-off at designated airport at designated times
7 nights lodging
7 dinners with appropriate amounts of alcohol and breakfasts
4 Lunches
Local transportation by minibus and driver
Tips at our hotels, restaurants and for our drivers
What’s not included:
Airfare & Travel Insurance
3 Lunches
-
Where we’ll stay
Hotel Ptuj offers comfortable and stylishly furnished rooms that combine modern comfort with touches of Ptuj’s historical elements. Each room has its own story and unique atmosphere, creating a pleasant and relaxing stay in Slovenia’s oldest town.
The hotel has its own café and a wellness center that offers massages and a sauna and below the hotel you’ll find a wine cellar where wine tastings are available that feature some of the area’s most celebrated vintages.
The hotel lies along a quiet street in the center of Ptuj, less than a block’s walk to the Ptuj Castle. The town’s primary church and plaza are also quite close.
-
Dinners will be taken at local restaurants throughout the trip. Breakfasts are included and will be at our hotel. Appropriate amounts of beer or wine are included with dinners. On some days, we may have our main course of the day at lunch, rather than at dinner.
-
To extend your trip, and take some time to catch up on your sleep before the tour begins, you may wish to arrive early in Slovenia, Croatia, or elsewhere in Europe.. This also helps protect against flight delays and cancellations.
You can also extend your trip with a longer visit to Europe.
-
Yes, you may cancel your trip if you need. Up to 90 days prior to the trip’s start, any payments you’ve already made will be held for you so that it can be applied to a future trip. If you are within 90 days of the trip’s start, we’ll have already incurred substantial costs related to your reservation and so we won’t be able to offer you a credit. Instead, you can file a claim through your travel insurance.
Contact Us as soon as you know you must cancel and going forward, let us know what future trip you’d like to join and we’ll set it up for you.
You will not be responsible for any payments that have not yet been made.
Any credit you have with Travel Fever Tours may be applied to a different person’s account, if you like. Credits are valid for a period of three years.
You will be contacted once the trip reaches minimum enrollment so that you can proceed with purchase of your flights and make other travel arrangements.
Note: This trip will involve some walking. Within the towns and elsewhere, there may be cobblestones and other uneven surfaces. Our hotel does have an elevator and the center of town is mostly level.
Meet your Instructor, Leslie Jorgensen
Leslie grew up in Florida, and when she moved to Colorado she fell in love with the mountains. She quickly came to love hiking, skiing, and snowshoeing, and took every opportunity to explore new mountain adventures on the roads less travelled.
Now Leslie is expanding her horizons further with travel and instruction in Europe. Leslie has led tours for Travel Fever Tours to Austria and Italy, and is now looking forward to Provence.
Originally working as an abstract painter, Leslie has found a new passion for nature and landscapes.
“I love what the wild places have done to me and to my art,” says Leslie. “I merged my abstract techniques with a lively, gestural painting of my experiences outdoors. I wanted to take the kind of risks with my subject matter that I do on the ski slopes.”
Find more information about Leslie and view more of her work on her website at www.lesliejorgensen.com.
Above: Leslie with her wall mural created for Vectra Bank’s corporate headquarters in Denver. Below: Samples of her vibrant landscape paintings.
Where we’re based:
Ptuj, Slovenia
Ptuj is the oldest town in Slovenia with its roots dating back to the Stone Age. It’s a town of many influences including Roman, Slavic, Austrian, Ottoman, Habsburg and finally as part of Yugoslavia before Slovenia gained its independence in 1991.
The town lies on the Drava River which flows into a lake just outside the town.
On the hill in the center of town sits Ptuj Castle that dates back to the 12th-century and was built by the Archbishops of Salzburg. The views from the castle are memorable and the red roofs on the buildings below offer themselves to be painted. And the castle itself has been beautifully renovated and today it hosts the extensive collections of the Ptuj-Ormož Regional Museum.
Beyond the old town walls, the surrounding countryside presents a range of rural subjects for plein air painting. Rolling hills carpeted in ordered vineyards stretch out into the Haloze and Slovenske Gorice wine regions, dotted with white chapels and rustic wine cellars.
Painters who set up along the far riverbanks will find serene reflections of the town skyline across the water, framed by weeping willows and the sky, providing peaceful scenery just minutes from the town center.
Ptuj is only a 90-minute drive from Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital, and its international airport. It is an equal distance from Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. This location opens many opportunities to extend your trip before or after the workshop.
Where we’ll stay
Hotel Ptuj offers comfortable and stylishly furnished rooms that combine modern comfort with touches of Ptuj’s historical elements. Each room has its own story and unique atmosphere, creating a pleasant and relaxing stay in Slovenia’s oldest town.
The hotel has its own café and a wellness center that offers massages and a sauna and below the hotel you’ll find a wine cellar where wine tastings are available that feature some of the area’s most celebrated vintages.
The hotel lies along a quiet street in the center of Ptuj, less than a block’s walk to the Ptuj Castle. The town’s primary church and plaza are also quite close.
Click/Tap to enlarge photos
