The Bled Region of Slovenia is situated about a 45 minute drive to the North-West of the capital Ljubljana and would be perfect for a day trip when you’re doing a city break in Ljubljana. My guide to just that can be found here!
The beautiful Lake Bohinj is about 30 minutes by car from Bled or 1 hour from Ljubljana. Sadly in my case, I ran out of time to visit it. It remains on my wish list though! Similar to Lake Bled, it’s a stunning lake nestled in the Julian Alps. Unlike Lake Bled, it tends to be quieter and thus more tranquil. Still, I think I made the most of my time in the area. This part of Slovenia is utterly utterly stunning! If you’re into hiking, it’s like Mecca, the stunning scenery of the Julian Alps has to be seen to be believed! Have a read at all the beautiful things you can see and do in the Bled Region!
Lake Bled
Lake Bled is the main thing that all the visitors will flock to this area to see. And with good reason too! It’s absolutely phenomenal in all weathers! I was very lucky when I was there because the weather was amazing on the day!
You can simply sit and enjoy the views that are breathtaking from every angle, get your hands on a row boat, kayak or SUP and get out onto the water. It goes without saying that you can do what nearly everyone wants to do here. You can get out onto Bled Island to ring the wishing bell. You certainly won’t be bored, that’s for sure!
To read all about this amazing lake and all it has to offer, click here!
Bled Café
As you’d expect, loads of places in Bled serve the famous Bled Cake. The Bled Café, also known as the Park Café, was the first place to make it and they still produce massive quantities on a daily basis! It’s fairly reasonably priced at €5. The rest of the food there, although delicious was, in my opinion relatively expensive.
The Bled Cake, as you can see is quite heavy on the dairy products! The crispy crust is made from a butter dough. The inside consists of a vanilla cream that’s a specific consistency. This is topped with whipped cream and another layer of crispy butter dough and a generous dusting of icing sugar.
Bled Castle
Bled Castle sits atop a hill that commands a spectacular view over Bled town, Lake Bled and the famous island. There is a small car park up there and you would save a lot of time and mainly energy by going up by road (in a car, taxi or bus). If you want to get your steps up for the day, then take the LONG staircase (about 400-500 steps!!!).
Access to Bled Castle will cost €11 and for this, you get the most spectacular views across Bled Lake and entry into a museum and virtually all areas of the castle! It also has a shop and café for you to get yourself a souvenir or a snack (especially if you’ve climbed up the huge staircase! From both the upper and lower courtyard you can get that all important scenic photo for your Instagram Feed!
Bled Castle was first documented in 1011 when King Henry II granted this area to the Bishop of Brixen. The most beautiful areas of the Upper Courtyard date back to the 16th Century and it, along with the Lower Courtyard are protected by a Roman defensive wall with a battlement, gate tower and large gothic defensive tower. All these are capped with the typical terracotta roof tiles that provide a beautiful contrast to the ancient walls!
Vintgar Gorge
Vintgar Gorge is an absolutely stunning walkway along and over the river Radovna. It’s an easy 10-15 minute drive from Bled town. Along the route, you’ll see loads of parking opportunities. Don’t take them! Set Google Maps for “Soteska Vintgar” and pay careful heed to road signs (some entries will bring you to random places that are not where you want to go). There’s ample parking here that’ll cost you €5. There are also bus services to and from Bled that you can use if you’re travelling on a budget. Entry to the walkway is €10. Make sure to retain your ticket as there are turnstile gates at both ends.
The path is narrow in several places and uneven at times too. Allow yourself about two hours to do the return walk and enjoy the sights at a leisurely pace. It is 1.6km of amazing natural beauty filled with waterfalls, pools and rapids. About halfway along, there’s a beautiful railway bridge that spans the gorge in a beautiful arch over a dam for generating hydro-electric power.
