Visiting Celje and its castle

After visiting the Skocjan caves and a brief stop in the Lake Cerknica area, we took the motorway to head towards Lower Styria because we were staying in Maribor that evening. So we stopped at the end of the day to discover the small town of Celje and its castle. And what a lovely surprise!

What to see in Celje

The town centre

Celje’s town centre is quite small and can be visited very quickly. We wandered through the pedestrian streets to the banks of the Savinja river which flows at the foot of the old castle. If you have time ahead of you, there are a few museums to visit such as the Celje Regional Museum, the Princes’ Palace or the Museum of Recent History of Celje.
We didn’t come across many people in the streets, no doubt due to the fact that we were there at the end of the day and the weather was overcast. That is really the whole joy of this trip to Slovenia: feeling alone, even in town!

The old castle (Stari Grad)

We then got back in the car to go up to the top of the hill that overlooks the town and to visit the castle. The latter was still open when we got there around 7pm: the summer opening hours (9am-9pm from June to August) let you enjoy the site at sunset. Student entry cost us only 2€ per person (4€ for adults), so we didn’t hesitate for long.
Here again, we were almost alone for the self-guided visit across the whole site: a real joy!

The castle and its ramparts are very well restored and offer a panoramic view over the whole area around Celje. The warm light of the sun made a lovely contrast with the grey sky and the green of the mountains. A magnificent spectacle! It is without a doubt one of the loveliest views of our trip to Slovenia.

So we got an eyeful during this visit to Celje castle. The site is worth the detour for its exceptional views and the good state of preservation of its ramparts.

What we thought of Celje

Still little known and rarely mentioned in tourist circuits in Slovenia, Celje was a lovely surprise we weren’t expecting! While the town can be visited quickly, the castle is a must, to be discovered at sunset in summer for a breathtaking view over the whole valley.
We strongly recommend including Celje in your itinerary if you’re passing through Lower Styria!

Planning a trip to Slovenia? Read all our articles about our road trip!