Sveti Martin na Muri
About this place
Sveti Martin na Muri brings together two very different Međimurje landscapes: the flat Mura floodplain around Žabnik and the rolling Sveti Martin hills covered with vineyards, orchards and the Terme Sveti Martin resort. Beside the river stands a traditional floating mill, linked to the nearly five-kilometre Svetomartinska Mura educational trail with interpretation panels and outdoor forest classrooms. The nearby Miller’s House and visitor centre tell the story of miller Franc Žalar, while the traditional river ferry preserves another element of life once closely tied to the Mura. In the village itself, the Church of St Martin the Bishop contains late-Gothic elements dating from the 15th century. The hillier part of the municipality adds wine and cycling routes, family farms and the thermal resort with pools, sports facilities and golf. This compact combination makes it possible to experience river nature, milling heritage, Međimurje food traditions and an active countryside outing in a single day.
Sveti Martin na Muri is best understood through the transition from riverside Žabnik to the hills around Jurovčak and the thermal resort area. Along the Mura, backwaters, woodland and traditional milling heritage shape the landscape; only a few kilometres away, vineyards, orchards and the rolling hills of upper Međimurje take over. Visitor attractions are therefore spread across the municipality rather than concentrated in a single old town: the mill and ferry sit beside the river, Terme Sveti Martin occupies the hilly zone, and tasting rooms and family farms are scattered between the villages. The combination of the Mura, thermal water and vineyard country gives Sveti Martin a character quite different from a conventional inland sightseeing stop.
Things to see
The best-known landmark is the floating mill at Žabnik, presented by the local tourism organisation as Croatia’s only floating river mill and a surviving symbol of traditional milling on the Mura. Close beside it, the Miller’s House functions as a visitor centre interpreting the life of miller Franc Žalar. The traditional river ferry and the Svetomartinska Mura educational trail complete this riverside heritage cluster. In the centre of Sveti Martin, the Church of St Martin the Bishop preserves Gothic architectural elements associated with the years 1467 and 1468. The main sights are therefore divided between the river heritage of Žabnik and the historic religious landmark in the village itself.
Sveta Jelena
Landmark · Šenkovec
Saint Helen in Šenkovec is the archaeological site of a former Pauline monastery, where the church sanctuary survives as a chapel.
15 km from Sveti Martin na Muri
Međimurje County Museum
Museum · Čakovec
regional homeland museum of culture, art, archaeology, ethnography, history and natural heritage in Čakovec, Croatia
16 km from Sveti Martin na Muri
Stays further afield
- Apartment
86 km from Sveti Martin na Muri - Holiday home
Topusko · 142 km from Sveti Martin na Muri Be the first to list here
Guests looking for this place only see stays nearby for now. No commission, and enquiries come straight to you.
List your accommodation
Things to do
A practical day begins in Žabnik at the Mura River Mill, where visitors can follow part of the Svetomartinska Mura eco-trail and stop at the traditional ferry, forest classrooms and river backwaters. The nearby Miller’s House adds an interpretive look at local milling, allowing the natural and ethnographic parts of the visit to be combined on foot. From the river, the route can continue by bicycle or car into the Sveti Martin hills. The afternoon can then be used for swimming and wellness at Terme Sveti Martin or for exploring farms and tasting rooms associated with the Međimurje Wine Road, creating a distinctly local river-to-vineyards itinerary.
Food and drink
For a meal tied directly to the riverside heritage, the Miller’s House in Žabnik serves recognisably Međimurje dishes, including meso z tiblice and Međimurska gibanica. In the hillier part of the municipality, food is closely linked to the Wine Road and the Terme Sveti Martin resort. The official Međimurje Wine Road listings include Qulelle restaurant and the Potkova pub at the resort, as well as Klet Sveti Martin na Muri, while farms and tasting venues are found around Jurovčak. Visitors can therefore choose between traditional food beside the Mura and a restaurant or wine-focused meal among the hills without leaving the Sveti Martin area.
Tours and activities
AdAd · partner offers: GetYourGuideThe partner handles booking, payment and support. StayBravo may earn a commission on bookings made through these links.How we choose offersGetYourGuide offers are selected and ordered by GetYourGuide based on the name of the nearest larger town or national park; we do not influence their selection and do not use data about you.GetYourGuide · Čakovec
We show GetYourGuide offers once you allow their cookies.
Practical information
Practical information
Visitor information for Sveti Martin is provided through the local tourist board and the Visit Sveti Martin website, while the visitor centre in Žabnik is the most useful orientation point for the riverside attractions. The mill, Miller’s House, ferry and the start of the educational trail are grouped within the same riverside area and work well as one visit. Some Mura-side attractions operate seasonally, so the official pages are the appropriate place to check opening arrangements for the intended date. The thermal resort, wine-related venues and hill routes are several kilometres inland from Žabnik, meaning that a bicycle or car is useful when combining both halves of the destination.
Parking
The municipality’s infrastructure register lists four established public parking areas in Sveti Martin na Muri: in the village centre, beside the municipal offices, at the cemetery and next to the Miller’s House. For Žabnik, the Miller’s House parking area is the most convenient base for reaching the mill, visitor centre and riverside attractions. The central parking areas are better placed for the Church of St Martin and the village centre. From 30 September 2026, the county mobile-library stop was also moved to the parking area by St Martin’s Church, confirming the role of that location as a public access point in the centre of the settlement.
Getting there and around
The most useful public-transport option is the Čakovec–Mursko Središće–Toplice Sveti Martin bus route, with timetables published by the association of Međimurje operators. Local services cover Sveti Martin na Muri, Žabnik, Vrhovljan, Jurovčak, Lapšina and other villages in the municipality, so search for the stop nearest your accommodation rather than automatically choosing central Sveti Martin. Drivers reach the riverside area through Žabnik; the former border crossing towards Slovenia stands on county road ŽC 2245, roughly 1.5 kilometres from Sveti Martin na Muri village.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Svetomartinska Mura eco-trail?
The trail is nearly five kilometres long and includes twenty interpretation panels and three outdoor forest classrooms.
What can be visited beside the mill in Žabnik?
Beside the mill are the Miller’s House and visitor centre, the traditional Mura ferry and access to the educational riverside trail.
What story does the Žabnik visitor centre present?
Its exhibition follows a day in the life of miller Franc Žalar and uses his story to interpret the local milling tradition on the Mura.
Where can visitors park for the Mura River Mill?
The municipal register of public parking areas lists an established parking area beside the Miller’s House in Žabnik.
Which viewpoint makes a good excursion from Sveti Martin?
Mađerkin Breg near Štrigova has a 27-metre lookout with 104 steps and a broad panorama across the Međimurje hills.
Nearby
Sveti Martin na Muri
Open in OpenStreetMap(opens in a new tab)Smaller places
straight-line distance
Related guides
Osijek
Tvrđa and the centre around the main square are distinct starting points for understanding Osijek. The former emphasises the fortified historic quarter and Baroque architecture; the latter…
Read the guide
Vukovar
A cultural visit to Vukovar has several separate centres of gravity. Eltz Palace and the City Museum address the city and its inhabitants across different periods. Vučedol reaches much…
Read the guide
Stubičke Toplice
Stubičke Toplice derives almost its entire identity from thermal water and the Zagorje landscape. There is no large urban historic core; green spaces, bathing facilities and traces of the…
Read the guide
Slavonski Brod
Slavonski Brod developed around one of the major crossings of the Sava, and that border and transport role left a strong mark on the city. Brod Fortress represents the eighteenth-century…
Read the guide
Know Sveti Martin na Muri? Correct us
Tell us in your own words what is not accurate. We check right away.Do not enter personal data. Corrections are checked by the StayBravo AI assistant; changes to the description are approved by an editor. Use the form instead
Do you know Sveti Martin na Muri?
Help the guests who come after you.
Help us complete
Nothing is published without an editor’s review.Report illegal content
Photo credits: Marof, Žabnik, Sveti Martin na Muri — ANDREJ NEUHERZ (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Vrhovljan, Hlapičina, Kapelščak, Selnica, Međimurje County — Doncsecz (CC0) · Lapšina, Sveta Jelena — Silverije (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Čakovec Castle, Međimurje County Museum — Krzysztof Golik (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Church of St. George — Ex13 (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Book Me Apartman — Natalija Kirša (courtesy of the property owner) · Kuća za odmor Green Zen — IVICA ŠKRINJARIĆ (courtesy of the property owner) · Osijek — Rp031 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Vukovar — Bybbisch94, Christian Gebhardt (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Stubičke Toplice — MOs810 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Slavonski Brod — Petar Milošević (CC BY-SA 4.0)