Events in Celje
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Arriving in Celje
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.
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 daily) and a small railway information desk (open 06:00-17:30 Friday to Saturday), there are a handful of self-service 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.
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.
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.
