Bled is a small town in north west Slovenia with a population of around 6000. It lies close to the edge of the Julian Alps and it is the most popular tourist destination in the country, mainly because of it's beautiful, picturesque lake, but in general for the wealth of outdoor pursuits on offer in the area.
No brochures or guidebooks could prepare me for just how beautiful Lake Bled is. It is almost too perfect with it's tiny island and Bled Castle guarding over it protectively one hundred metres above on an ominous looking crag. There have been settlements on the island and around the lake for centuries but it was an enterprising Swiss doctor who made Bled what it is today. He managed to save the lake from being drained (the keeper wanted to extract the clay from beneath the lake to make bricks!) and developed Bled into a spa resort for wealthy Europeans, exploiting the thermal springs. It quickly took off and even the Yugoslav royal family summered at Bled.
The lake itself is quite small, measuring 2 kilometres by 1380 metres, so an easy walk around it only takes about an hour. However, with breaks to stop a while to take in it's beauty and more breaks for liquid refreshment, it can fully occupy a whole morning or afternoon.
For travellers on a budget private rooms arre pretty plentiful in Bled. You can even cut out the middleman and knock on the door of houses displaying a sign saying "Sobe" or "Zimmer Frei". There is also a hostel, Pension Bledec, and a large camping ground at the western end of the lake.
Hotels range from mid to high prices and, naturally, are more expensive the nearer you are to the lake. Unless money is not an issue I would say that you just as well off going for private accommodation which tends to be in quiet residential areas because the cheaper hotels seemed to be on noisy main roads. If you really want some luxury you could try Vila Bled near Mlino which was where Tito used to summer along with his foreign guests. The Presidential Suite can be yours for around 200 Pounds a night.
Bled has plenty of variety as far as eating out is concerned; there is a Chinese restaurant, various pizza places and plenty of restaurants serving a mixture of international dishses and local Slovene cuisine. The full range from cheap and informal to very formal and exclusive can be found in Bled. There is no end of bars and cafes but do me a favour and try the area's speciality - a big cream cake a bit like a custard slice, covered with nuts. Sadly I can't try one as I'm allergic to nuts but I'd love to hear someone's verdict! Most of the cafes and coffee shops proudly sell these confections.
There is not a great number of shops in Bled but given that many wealthy Slovenes live in the area and commute to the capital and many wealthy Slovenes spend alot of time here, they do lean towards the pricey and exclusive with lots of designer boutiques and jewellery shops. There are loads of shops selling all the gear you need for outdoor pursuits so you needn't worry if you've forgotten anything like that.
Bled is a small town and can be navigated on foot. There is a tourist information office next to the casino close to the eastern shore edge and Kompass travel is across the main road in the modern shopping centre.