Grosuplje
The town of Grosupljelies in a small basin to the south-east of Ljubljana. As one travels from Ljubljana to Grosuplje, Ljubljana Marshes blend into the characteristic hilly landscape of the Dolenjska.
Understand
Grosuplje's surrounding area is well known for its rich cultural heritage and natural beauties. The most interesting places to see include the Magdalenska gora archaeological site, a fortified church on the Tabor hill above the village of Cerovo, the Županova jama cave and a karst polje known as Radensko polje.
The area of Grosuplje has been settled since around 500 BC. Its earliest known mention dates back to 1136. Today, Grosuplje is a centre of crafts and industry whose rapid development is mainly due to its good transport connections and nearness to Ljubljana.
- 1 Tourist Information Center Grosuplje, Adamičeva cesta 15, 1290 Grosuplje, ☏ +386 1 786 25 74, tic@gro.sik.si. Apr–Oct: M W F 14:00-18:00, Sa 09:00-13:00.
Get in
By plane
Jože Pučnik Airport (commonly referred to as Brnik Airport) LJU IATA is located 27 km north Ljubljana. Airport facilities include parking, a bank, money exchange, ATMs, a post office, an information desk, free Wi-Fi in the terminal, a general store, duty-free stores, a self-serve restaurant, bars, and cafes. The following airlines operate service to/from Ljubljana: Adria Airways (Amsterdam, Belgrade, Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Istanbul, London-Gatwick, Moscow-Sheremetyevo, Munich, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Podgorica, Prague, Priština, Sarajevo, Skopje, Tel Aviv, Tirana, Vienna, Warsaw, Zürich), Air France (Paris-Charles de Gaulle), EasyJet (London-Stansted) Finnair (Helsinki), Air Serbia (Belgrade), Air Montenegro (Podgorica), Turkish Airlines (Istanbul IST) and Wizzair (London-Luton and Brussels-Charleroi).
There are several airports around Slovenia with more budget flights that are now well connected to Slovenia by one of many shuttle companies, though you can also use public transport. Look especially for flights to northern Italy: Trieste, Venice (Marco Polo or Treviso), Bologna, Bergamo, Milano-Linate/Malpensa, but also to Munich, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Rijeka, Pula, Zagreb.
Transport from Jože Pučnik Airport Ljubljana to Grosuplje
- Taxi Grosuplje, Brezje pri Grosupljem 80, ☏ +386 31 227 775. Offers taxis to Grosuplje or back for €40.
By train
The Ljubljana bus and train stations are located next to each other at Trg Osvobodilne Fronte ("Trg" means square in Slovenian). The two stations are located just north of the city center and a short walk from most hotels and attractions. The train station has a tourist information center, currency exchange, and left-luggage service.
Ljubljana is the hub of Slovenia's rail system. Local trains run throughout the country - no point in Slovenia is more than 3 hours away. Direct international connections include Zagreb (2 hours), Rijeka (3 hours), Graz (3 hours), Salzburg (4 hours), Pula (4 hours), Vienna (6 hours), Munich (6 hours), Belgrade (9 hours), Frankfurt (10 hours), Zürich (11 hours). Getting to Trieste by train is slightly easier than it used to be. There are now 3 trains per day between Ljubljana and Villa Opicina (an Italian town just above Trieste). From Villa Opicina you can take the bus or taxi into Trieste and from there onwards to anywhere else in Italy. There are also many services a day to Sezana (the last Slovenian town before the border) and again taxis or buses to Trieste are possible. Expect to pay about €10. Book the taxi, as none will be waiting.
As of December 2011 direct links to Venice and Budapest are no longer available due to contractual issues between the Italian Railways (Trenitalia) and Hungarian Railways (MAV-START).
By bus
Ljubljana's bus station [formerly dead link] (avtobusna postaja) is next to the train station and has services throughout Slovenia, and to foreign countries. The station has several useful schedule search engines (also in English) for working out connections. Generally speaking, a bus can take you almost anywhere in Slovenia within a few hours.
Direct international connections: Trieste (2 hours), Venice (4 hours) , Banja Luka (5 hours), Bihać (6 hours), Bologna (6 hours), Munich (7 hours), Florence (8 hours), Tuzla (8 hours) [dead link], Zenica (8 hours), Belgrade (8 hours), Ulm (9 hours), Stuttgart (10 hours), Sarajevo (10 hours) [dead link], Niš (12 hours), Karlsruhe (12 hours), Mannheim (13 hours), Frankfurt (14 hours), Skopje (15 hours), Tetovo (16 hours), Sofia (16 hours), Pristina (18 hours), Copenhagen (19 hours), Malmö (20 hours), Gothenburg (24 hours), Linköping (28 hours), Örebro (34 hours), Stockholm (36 hours).
- Turanus, ☏ +38640802525. Turanus offers transportation to every destination in Slovenia and several European airports.
Ljubljana Budapest direct bus by Eurobusways [dead link]
By car
Ljubljana is at the center of Slovenian road network, which means that if you're not driving towards the border, you're approaching Ljubljana. Traffic can be frustrating at rush hours, but is generally lighter than in larger European capitals. Huge jams can occur if there's an accident or road works, though, so consult the Traffic-information centre or listen to Radio Si which offers regular traffic information in several European languages.
Get around
By foot
Grosuplje is small enough to cover by foot. You can pick up a free city map at a tourist information center or in Kongo Hotel & Casino. Navigating or finding a street is easy as streets are clearly marked.
By city bus
Ljubljana Passenger Trasport (LPP) is provided all days of the year in the city and around the city; the extent is only reduced during the vacation season and on holidays. The city passenger transport system has 28 city lines. Bus line which drive in and out of Grosuplje is line 3G (Ljubljana-Grosuplje). Grosuplje it is located at the third zone.
- 2 LPP Information Centre, Slovenska cesta 56, 1000 Ljubljana, ☏ +386 1 430 51 74, tic@gro.sik.si. M-F 07:00-19:00.
By taxi
Taxi Ljubljana"http://www.taxi.jezakon.si/"Taxi Laguna (tel. 080 11 17), Taxi Metro (tel. 080 11 90) are considered the cheapest taxi companies. These are free numbers (all numbers starting with 080 are free in Slovenia), so you can use a phone booth to make a free call. Note that not all taxis charge the same fare.
While taxis ordered by phone are cheap, those waiting on the street will usually charge through the roof, and you can end up paying €25 for a short ride! Unless you're in a hurry, always order a taxi by phone!
See
- Fortified church of Tabor nad Cerovim. In the surrounding area of the village of Cerovo, on the Tabor hill near the famous Županova jama cave, stands a medieval church of St. Nicholas, built in the 15th century and later slightly modified. In the first half of the 16th century it was frescoed by several Croatian painters. In the same century, it was fortified to provide a place of refuge and defence for farmers from nearby villages during Turkish attacks. Being one of the few fortifications of the kind in Slovenia, it is one of the country's most important historical monuments of the period.
- Magdalenska gora archaeological site. Its exceedingly well preserved prehistoric settlement with man-made terraces and defensive rampart, its great number of family mounds, its lively history of archaeological research and rich archaeological finds put Magdalene mountain among the best known archaeological sites in Slovenia. Most of the finds date between the 8th century BC and 1st century BC and some finds are from Roman and Medieval times. They are kept in museums in Ljubljana, Vienna and Harvard. On the top of the hill, on the site of the acropolis of the ancient settlement, stands the church of St Magdalene, built in rustic gothic style. The church, first mentioned in writing in 1366 is dedicated to St Magdalene, a very vivacious woman, who became a saint when she met Jesus. The walkway will guide you across the protected grounds of cultural heritage. The archaeological walkway–learning path enables you to see the remains of the Iron Age settlement and provides insight into the life of its ancient inhabitants.
- Radensko field (Radensko polje). A typical intermittent or seasonal Karst Polje (a field which due to underground streams becomes a lake in certain seasons). It is a truly beautiful area, ecologically diverse and biogenetically accordant, providing a great natural environment for many rare and protected species of plants and animals. Because of its typical Karst features (underground streams, sink holes and gorges) it reminds one strongly of the famous intermittent Cerknica Lake. In the middle of the Radensko field is a 68-m-tall hummock Kopanj, the most beautiful example of a Karst hum (a small hill typical of Karst regions) in Slovenia. Radensko Polje is 4 km long and 1 km wide. It is surrounded by steep woody slopes reaching as high as 300 m. It is located south of Grosuplje by the main road leading from Grosuplje to Račna and Videm Dobrepolje.
- Mayor's cave (Županova jama). Mayor's cave (Slovenian: Županova jama), the most beautiful underground cave in the Dolenjska region, is located near the village of Cerovo, just off the Grosuplje-Turjak side road and only 700 m away from another attraction of the area, a fortified historical church known as Tabor. The Županova jama cave complex was discovered in 1926 by the then mayor of Šentjur, Josip Perme. Before his discovery, the locals were only familiar with one of the cave's chambers, which they used as an ice pit. The 330-m-long cave complex extends to a depth of 122 m. It can be accessed via 478 stairs and a 600-metre-long pathway. Besides six chambers, it contains all the curiosities of karst caves, including abysses, tunnels, all kinds of dripstones, shallow calcerous sinter pools, and ice dripstones in winter. Cave tours for groups of more than five people guided in Slovenian and English are available all year round by prior appointment. To arrange a time, please call +386 (0)1 786 13 23 or +386 (0)41 407 705. The tour takes about an hour.
- Little tower (Turenček). The inhabitants of Šmarje defended themselves from the Turks by building strong defensive walls around the church of Mary's birth. The original wall had four towers, of which only one remains standing and is now beautifully renovated – The Turenček or Little Tower in English. The two-storey tower has a rich history – it was home to the first school as early as 1504 and in more recent times it hosted a library on the first floor and a small hall for theatre productions on the second. The inhabitants of Šmarje defended themselves from the Turks by building strong defensive walls around the church of Mary's birth. The original wall had four towers, of which only one remains standing and is now beautifully renovated – The Turenček or Little Tower in English. The two-storey tower has a rich history – it was home to the first school as early as 1504 and in more recent times it hosted a library on the first floor and a small hall for theatre productions on the second.
Do
Buy
Grosuplje's the closest main shopping area is Rudnik Shopping District (take bus 3G infront of the Kongo Hotel & Casino, go down station Spodnji Rudnik). The former Rudnik industrial estate, located on the south-eastern edge of Ljubljana, has grown into a vast and still expanding shopping area. Several shopping halls offer mainly furniture, white goods and other household furnishings, cosmetics and food.
- 1 [formerly dead link] Shopping centre Rudnik, Jurčkova cesta 1000 Ljubljana, info@rudnik.si. Mondays to Fridays 08:30:00-21:00, Saturdays 08:00-21:00, Sundays 09:00-15:00.
Eat
Drink
Sleep
- 1 Kongo Hotel & Casino, Ljubljanska cesta 65, ☏ +386 1 781 02 00, info@kongo.si. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 11:00. The renovated Hotel Kongo, prides itself in its modern furnishings and easily accessible location. The hotel's guest rooms have been decorated with the help of celebrities from the worlds of entertainment and sports. 4-star hotel popular among business travelers, families travellers and other travellers. Rooms are well furnished with comfortable beds, bathroom, minibar, flat LCD TV, free Wi-Fi and safe box. The hotel boasts also a royal suite. Casino is open 24/7 and offer different sorts of fun. Restaurant offer each morning hot buffet breakfast. You can use public transport city bus line nr. 3G to reach this accommodation. Room rates from €59; Breakfast, wi-fi & parking included.