Celje - In Your Pocket

Foreword
A quaint central European town that proudly celebrates its
long turbulent history and rich cultural heritage, with 50,000
inhabitants Celje is the third largest city in Slovenia and an
increasingly popular destination for both domestic and
international tourists. Over the past two millennia the city
has seen its fair share of ups and downs. After becoming
a boom town during Roman times, it was virtually absent
from the historical record until the 12th century, and then a
regional powerhouse under the rule of the ill-fated Counts
of Celje (p 10), only to take an historical backseat again
until its re-emergence during the 20th century. Nowadays
the city manages to perfectly blend its laid-back provincial
spirit and wealth of cultural sights and activities, with modern
development and an ample selection of hotels (p 14),
restaurants (p 15) and shopping centres (p 26), as well as
a flourishing arts scene and active nightlife (p 19).
The surrounding municipalities of Laško (p 28), Dobrna
(p 38), Vojnik (p 44) and Štore (p 47) all compliment their
larger neighbour with unique and varied attractions of their
own. From world-class health resorts and spas to charming
tourist farms and idyllic hilltop villages, the region is brimming
possibilities for visitors. Located less than an hour’s drive
from the capital Ljubljana, Celje and its surroundings are a
weekend away just waiting to happen!
Cover story
Celje’s most famous landmark
and many people’s choice for best
castle in Slovenia, there was little
debate over what to feature on the
cover of our first issue of Celje In
Your Pocket. Dating back to the
12th century, the castle has seen
the rise and fall of countless regional
powers, including that of city’s
most storied family, the Counts of
Celje. Today is attracts over 70,000
visitors a year, and hosts numerous events, such as
the summer-long medieval festival Living History. Read
more about Celje’s castle on page XX.
E S S E N T I A L C I T Y G U I D E S
Celje In Your Pocket
Drenikova 33, 1000 Ljubljana
Slovenia
Tel. +386 30 316 604
celje@inyourpocket.com
www.inyourpocket.com
ISSN 1855-9093
©IQBATOR d.o.o.
Printed by Schwarz d.o.o., Ljubljana
Maps by Geodetski zavod Slovenije
Editorial
Editor Yuri Barron
Writers Yuri Barron, Will Dunn
Research Irena Jamnikar
Layout & Design Vaida Gudynaitė
Consulting Craig Turp
Photos Yuri Barron, Zavod Celeia Celje, STIK
Laško, Občina Vojnik, Občina Štore, ZTŠK
Dobrna, Terme Dobrna, Tomaž Lauko
Cover photo Gregor Katič
Sales & Circulation
Director Niko Slavnic M.Sc.
niko.slavnic@inyourpocket.com
Sales & Operations Management
Irena Jamnikar, Barbara Žlender,
Boštjan Famut, Karmen Hribar
In Your Pocket is once again set to break new
ground, this time going Dutch with a move into the
Netherlands. The first issue of ’s-Hertogenbosch
(Den Bosch) In Your Pocket is currently in the latter
stages of preparation, and will appear in the first half
of 2010. Also due out in May 2010 from Kosovo is
the brand new Prizren In Your Pocket, a splendid
guide to the city and surrounding mountains produced
in collaboration with a local NGO. Keep up with
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Text and photos copyright IQBATOR d.o.o.
Maps copyright cartographer. All rights
reserved. No part of this publication
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Editor’s note
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Celje In Your Pocket celje.inyourpocket.com
Europe In Your Pocket Arriving by bus
Compared to the city’s small but aesthetically pleasing mid-
19th century railway station a few blocks south, Celje’s main
bus depot is, quite frankly, something of an eyesore. Of course
if you’re relying solely on public transport you’ll have to spend
some time here if you want to visit any of the nearby towns
and villages not serviced by trains - which is to say, most of
them. On the plus side, the station is within walking distance
of pretty much anywhere you’ll want to go (in fact it’s right
across the street from Celje’s recently opened and highly
recommended MCC Hostel), and also is one of the only places
in town where you can find food around the clock.
Bus Station B-1, Aškerčeva 20, tel. (+386) 3 425 34
00, www.izletnik.si.
Arriving by car
If you’re coming from the direction of either Ljubljana or Maribor,
getting to Celje just means following Slovenia’s main A1 motorway
until you see the exit for Celje (Centre). The exit puts you a
couple of kilometres north of the city centre, but the directions
are well-signposted so you shouldn’t have any trouble following
Mariborska Cesta into town. Celje lies roughly 80km from the
capital, and the drive should take something less than an hour,
while Maribor is only 40 minutes or so away.
Arriving by plane
Although Celje has no international airport of its own, there are
three located within 120km of the city - in Ljubljana (90km), Graz
(110km) and Zagreb (120km) - all which are well-connected
to the rest of Europe. If you’re travelling by public transport,
Ljubljana’s Jože Pučnik Airport will likely be the easiest to reach
due to the frequency of rail and bus connections.
Ljubljana Airport (Letališče Jožeta Pučnika)
Zgornji Brnik 130a, tel. (+386) 42 06 10 00, fax (+386)
42 02 12 20, info@lju-airport.si, www.lju-airport.si.
Most of the old town is pedestrian only
Taxis
Taxi Bučko Krpanova 3, tel. (+386) 31 490 810.
Taxi Radio Krekov Trg 3, tel. (+386) 3 548 33
00.
Taxi Sara 6 Na Otoku, tel. (+386) 40 532 832.
Taxi Simby Kersnikova 52, tel. (+386) 31 205
060.
celje.inyourpocket.com
Arriving in Celje
Bus schedule
Departures from Celje
City Mon-Fri Sat Sun
Dobrna 04:00, 06:30, 07:25, 10:27
08:25, 09:25, 10:25,
11:25, 12:00, 12:25,
13:25, 14:25, 15:25,
16:42, 18:27
14:27 08:25
Laško 05:45, 08:10, 10:10, 05:45 04:50
12:10, 14:10, 15:10, 08:10
16:10, 19:25 10:10
12:10
14:10
Ljubljana 04:50, 05:45, 08:10, 04:50 04:50, 08:20,
08:20, 08:50, 10:00, 08:20 08:50, 15:10,
12:45, 15:10, 18:10 08:50 18:10
Maribor 05:20, 06:15, 13:10, 13:12 13:10, 18:55,
13:50, 18:55 18:55 21:59
Arriving by train
Located on Slovenia’s major East-West railway line, Celje sees
more traffic and thus offers more frequent connections than you
would find on a less opportunely placed city. That said, train
travel in Slovenia, especially when coming and going further
south in the Balkans, is not comparable in terms of speed
with that in larger (and flatter) countries - although the scenic
views are often more than enough to make up for it. A trip to
the capital Ljubljana takes anywhere between one hour and
an hour and 45 minutes, with the faster trains costing noticeably
more. In the other direction, a train to Slovenia’s second
largest city, Maribor, takes between 45 minutes and one hour.
For the short trip to nearby Laško, trains are far more frequent
than buses and take only 10 minutes. The station itself has
sufficient, if not overwhelmingly luxurious or vast, facilities, and
is conveniently positioned across the street from the old town,
within easy walking distance of most hotels and restaurants.
Aside from the ticket office (open 05:00-21:00 Mon-Fri, 06:00-
21:00 Sat-Sun) and a small railway information desk (open
06:00-17:30 Friday to Saturday), there are a handful of selfservice
lockers, a couple vending machines and the requisite
railway station coffee bar. If you find yourself stick waiting for
a train during the wee hours, your best bet for a bite to eat is
a few blocks north at the main bus station.
Railway Station B-2, Krekov Trg 1, tel. (+386) 3 293
33 156, www.slo-zeleznice.si.
Train schedule
From Celje To Celje
First Last City First Last *
06:33 21:42 BELGRADE 05:45 21:40 3-4
06:50 14:28 BUDAPEST 07:10 14:11 4-6
07:59 22:07 KOPER 05:23 19:12 3-5
04:41 22:07 LAŠKO 05:15 23:50 16-27
04:41 22:07 LJUBLJANA 01:59 22:25 20-28
05:25 00:01 MARIBOR 03:40 22:20 21-32
05:45 22:07 MUNICH 05:52 23:40 5
06:50 00:01 VIENNA 08:03 22:58 7-8
06:33 21:42 ZAGREB 05:00 21:15 7-9
Most trains run less frequently on Sundays. Schedule valid
until 11 December 2010. * Trains per day.
May - November 2010