Celje

Celje is halfway between Ljubljana and Maribor on the A1 highway, a one-hour drive from either. It is also served by Ljubljana - Maribor railway line with trains running twice an hour on workdays.

The town has a population of about 50,000, but it's very compact. The best way to get around is on foot. Almost everything's within walking distance.

The downtown part of Celje is very old, and very beautiful. There are two churches, as well as an "Old Celje" section.

• 🌍 Stari Grad (On the top of a hill overlooking the town, built in the 1400s. A vehicle is recommended to get to it. It has a tower with several staircases, but the climb is worth it. Once on top, the view of Celje is absolutely spectacular and breathtaking.). 

Beside medieval remains, Celje is also famous for its multitude of remains from the ancient Roman Empire (from 1st century C.E.), when it was a rich Roman settlement called Celeia. The Celje Regional Museum holds remains from gravesites, roads etc. Remains of various buildings and the ancient city walls are also scattered around the town itself.

You can see an office guide from the town's tourism agency here.

• 🌍 Laško castle. 
• 🌍 Lemberg castle (Löwenberg). 

• The obvious thing to do in Celje is simply walk, and take in the amazing views of all the historic buildings. Spend a whole day just walking around and taking pictures. In some places, they have the original cobblestone roads, which are beautiful. The old part of town is rather sleepy, so there's usually not much to do besides sightseeing.

• 🌍 Šmatinsko Jezero (A path for walkers, joggers and bikers starts from the Holy Spirit church in northern Celje (address: Ob koprivnici 1) and directs to the lake.). An artificial lake built in the 1970s to hinder flooding, this lake just outside the city of Celje has become a nice recreational area. (updated Aug 2022)

• Football: NK Celje play soccer in PrvaLiga, the top tier. Their home ground Stadion Z'dežele (capacity 13,000) is 3 km north of town centre.

Shopping malls with movie theatre and the fairground are located some 2 km north of the centre, along Mariborska rd.

• Metropol, café and cinema (kavarna and kino): at every hour of the day, the Metropol is a good choice. It is located in the pedestrian precinct, Stanetova 15.

• MCC Hostel. Opened in 2010, every room of the hostel has been specially designed by a local artist. Prices range from €18 in dorms to €29 in single rooms. 
• Hotel Astor. The hotel itself is nothing spectacular, but the location is totally ideal. It is on the outer part of town, which makes driving to it a piece of cake. However, it's close to three supermarkets, the pharmacy, as well as two banks. There is a restaurant in the hotel with complimentary breakfast consisting of croissants, yogurt-type foods, cereal, and deli meats. The dinner menu includes venison, stallion (real horse meat), fish and lamb.
• Hotel Štorman. Štorman is situated across the street from the town's main bus station, 500 m from the main train station, and is an easy walk to the shopping mall. If your after a cheaper stay than the more expensive hotels in town, this is where to go. A little noise from the train line and dual carriageway outside is expected but even with a room overlooking these, little noise gets in.

• Zagreb