Ptuj - Ptujsko jezero (path around the lake)

Access to starting point:
We drive to Ptuj, where we park in one of the parking lots in town. Parking lots in the town center are mostly paid or have time-limited parking. We can also park on the periphery at one of the free parking lots, which slightly extends the path to the starting point, or we can start from another settlement near the lake.
To Ptuj, we can arrive by train or bus.

Path description:
At first, we walk to the center of Ptuj, from the roundabout at the Monastery of St. Peter and Paul in Ptuj we head to street Dravska ulica, where we pass by parking lots, and then turn left onto a footpath that leads us under the road bridge Dravski most.
Further, a circular path around the lake is described, going clockwise, but it can also be done in the reverse direction.
We continue on an asphalt footpath that leads us between a children's playground on the left side and the Drava River on the right side. The path ahead leads us under the railway bridge, and after passing under the bridge Puhov most, the Drava River on the right side widens into Ptuj Lake.
The path ahead leads us past the Ranca Ptuj bar and the boating club, as well as another children's playground, then the path becomes a gravel track, offering beautiful views toward Donačka Gora and Boč, and when looking back, also toward Pohorje. Next follows a longer walk on an embankment; as we approach the settlement of Markovci, we first cross a channel of the Drava River, then the path turns right, and we cross the Drava River, or the southeastern part of Ptuj Lake, via a dam, which also has a narrow asphalt road, with a pedestrian crossing arranged along the edge of the narrow road.
Further, the path returns to an embankment, and for a short time we continue toward the west; the path then gradually turns to the right, so we continue toward the northwest for a while. Next follows an easy walk, where we can observe numerous, mainly water birds, and a little further we reach an ornithological observatory, where several information boards are placed, and from where we can observe numerous birds and the lake.
From here, we continue on a flat path, which is further on surrounded on the right side by a strip of bushes that obscures the view of the lake. When the path leads us under the bridge Puhov most again, we leave the lake area and continue along the right bank of the Drava River, from where increasingly beautiful views open up toward the old part of Ptuj and Ptuj Castle.
At the company Kager hiša d.o.o., we reach a drivable asphalt road, and we continue along street Ob Dravi, following the trail markers. We continue under the bridge Dravski most, then reach a bridge for pedestrians and cyclists, where we turn right and, with beautiful views of Ptuj, return to the left bank of the Drava River.
Here, we turn right (left for Vurberk) and continue to the spot where we reached the lake, and from there, only a walk through the town separates us from the spot where we parked or started the path.
The description and pictures refer to the condition in November 2024.