Podčetrtek, the tiny village with the region's biggest crowds

697 residents and 143,378 arrivals

According to SURS, Podčetrtek has 697 residents and its municipality 3,699 on 1 January 2026, across 26 settlements. In 2025 the municipality logged 143,378 arrivals and 438,076 overnight stays, the highest in Savinjska. The tourist board lists a string of awards for the destination, from the silver Slovenia Green Destination label to a spot on the global Top 100 sustainable destinations list and the European Destination of Excellence title.

The old core is one of the most important in the Kozjansko area, with the statue of St Emma, the pillory and a lone rock called Ajdovska žena, the pagan woman.

What does Terme Olimia in Podčetrtek offer?

It’s what drives the village. Terme Olimia has Wellness Orhidelia, voted the country’s best wellness centre for eight consecutive years according to the tourist board, and the Aqualuna thermal park, with slides such as the King Cobra. There’s also a family area, Termalija, and Spa Armonia for couples, plus wellbeing programmes with meditation and gong baths.

Olimje and the Kozjansko area

A few kilometres away at Olimje, the Minorite friars keep what the tourist board calls Europe’s third-oldest pharmacy, alongside a medicinal herb garden and an artisan chocolate shop. Nearby are the Haler homestead brewery, the Amon golf course, the Jelenov greben farm with deer roaming some 8 hectares, and the Land of Fairy Tales.

Kozjansko Regional Park, with 69% of its area in Natura 2000, protects meadows of tall old fruit trees, and the Kozjansko apple is its emblem. It has 50 km of marked trails, including a stretch of the E7 European long-distance path, and Podsreda Castle.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Podčetrtek on Expedia and filter by area before price.

Food and getting around

The road to Olimje is lined with an avenue of pear trees, which the tourist board presents as a sign of the area’s commitment to heirloom fruit varieties. To stay, besides the spa hotels, there are Ortenia eco-apartments and a glamping village of luxury tents.

Capon, a young, well-fed castrated cockerel prized for its tender white meat, is the area’s festive dish. The tourist board also recommends Kozjansko capon, the local bread cake, home-cured meats and wines from Virštanj. The Amon homestead was home to Slovenia’s first organic restaurant. By bike there are more than 35 km of routes, one of them linking the village with Rogaška Slatina. Two or three days let you see the spa and the countryside at an easy pace, and it fits neatly into a tour of the spas in Slovenia.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Podčetrtek and pick one that fits your day.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Podčetrtek on Booking.com and filter by area before price.