No brochures or guidebooks could prepare me for just how beautiful Lake Bled is. It is almost too perfect with its tiny island and Bled Castle guarding over it protectively one hundred metres above on an ominous looking crag. There have been settlements on the…Read More

No brochures or guidebooks could prepare me for just how beautiful Lake Bled is. It is almost too perfect with its 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. There is plenty of interest as you circle the lake - pretty houses, swans and scores of handsomely coloured ducks and a lovely canopy of trees overhead. In Mlino, a hamlet on the south shore, there are a couple of cafes and bars and a small supermarket if you rather pick up a picnic and eat beside the water. Further round on the western shore there is a bar and restaurant at the Zaka Regatta Centre with indoor and outdoor tables. Even in February we sat outside and enjoyed a beer and a hot fuit tea overlooking the tranquil lake.

Rowing is a popular pastime in Slovenia and nowhere more so than at Bled. A competition is held on the lake each June and the locals are understandably proud of their local boys who won a medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 - not bad for a little-known country tucked away in the heart of Europe!

If you visit Bled in summer you will find the lake very popular with swimmers: there are a couple of "beaches" dotted around the lake and on the north side there is a lido with a waterslide. You can also visit the Castle Baths which has separate enclosures within the lake which means safer swimming for children and an indoor pool too. The Castle Baths are open from mid-April until October. Apparently in summer some people swim over to the island but be warned that if you do so you should take with you some clothes in a waterproof bag because entering the church in swimming clothes is not permitted (as you would expect).

For a touch of luxury, contemplate staying in - or spending a day - at Hotel Gran Toplice - this top class spa hotel has it's own private jetty for sunbathing!

The best way to see the lake properly is from the water and you could hire a rowing boat or take a trip out to the island on a by hand-propelled gondola. On our first visit in winter the lake was partly ised up so we went on a small motorised boat.

Those with walking problems (or who simply don't wish to walk) can easily find an alternative way to tour the lake. There are horse and carriage rides (pricey), a frequent land train (only €3 for adults) or you could hire a bike from any of several places in town. Pension Pletna right by the lake at Mlin has bicycles to rent if you are at the other end of the lake.

No trip to Bled would be complete without seeing the Lake - I can't imagine why you'd go if not to see this beautiful little corner of Europe!Close

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…Read More

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. Close

“And now,” the gravelly voice of the restaurant host bellowed, “is time for dessert.” The seven of us at the table looked at one another apprehensively. We had all just eaten a massive four-course lunch whose Slovenian name I cannot recall, but probably translated as “Absolutely…Read More

“And now,” the gravelly voice of the restaurant host bellowed, “is time for dessert.”

The seven of us at the table looked at one another apprehensively. We had all just eaten a massive four-course lunch whose Slovenian name I cannot recall, but probably translated as “Absolutely Everything Grilled (served with a tiny green salad)”, and we were all full. However, no one at the table wanted to contradict a man who stood about seven feet tall, had the voice (and the gait) of Frankenstein’s monster (with Bela Lugosi’s accent), and was armed with a dry wit that could catch an Englishman off guard.

After some silence, one of my friends had the courage to answer, “But if I eat anything else, I’ll explode.”
Our host considered this information for half a second before answering. “So you eat. You explode. Is okay for you.”

This exchange was followed by boisterous laughter from all sides, and by rakia (yet another round). This was par-for-course during our long weekend in Bled, Slovenia. And during this lunch, I was asking myself, weren’t we supposed to be skiing?

Background Notes:
Positioned between Austria, Italy and Croatia, Slovenia is the smallest nation to share the dramatic geography of the Alps. Like its better known neighbors, the Julian Alps of Slovenia (Julijske Alpe) offer breathtaking views and numerous year-round activities, but with a unique character all their own.

As soon as you cross the border from Austria into Slovenia, you know you are in Eastern Europe. The ski traffic disappears, as do the roadside billboards. The overdeveloped resorts and towns of Austria are replaced with the underdeveloped Slovenian countryside, (characterized by the ubiquitous hay drying racks), and in winter your nose is immediately hit by the smell of burning heating oil.

The Gorenjska region of Slovenia used to be popular with vacationing families of Italians, Austrians, and Germans as well as Yugoslavians before the dissolution of Yugoslavia and war. Slovenia was spared the kind of bloody ethnic violence and destructive battles that characterized the war in the rest of the former Yugoslavia, and Slovenia’s “war” for independence lasted 10 days.

The restaurant within the fortress was the first of many meals we had that lasted over three hours and 4,000 calories. The only surprise is that while Slovenia was a good value in comparison to Austria, Bled is not for the shoestring budget. Bled was always considered a high-end resort, and Slovenia itself has always been industrious and relatively prosperous in relation to the other Yugoslav republics. The approx. 2 million people that make up Slovenia were 6% of the population of Yugoslavia, but 20% of GDP. Food and lift tickets were comparably cheaper to St. Moritz or Ischgl, but on par with lower altitude ski villages in Bavaria, for example (approx. US$ 20 for an all-day lift ticket).

Bargains were to be found in hotels rates. Local beverages like Zlatorog (the national beer) and coffee were also a good value. Besides, no day of walking would be complete without two to three cups of proper Slovenian kava per day between activities (around $.50). A Slovenian coffee is small and strong like an espresso, but with the consistency of Turkish coffee.

It's less than an hour from Bled to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, but it's very interesting. The first village you pass through is Lesce. The railway station for Bled is here (a distance of 4km, so you'd want to get a taxi if you arrive…Read More

It's less than an hour from Bled to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, but it's very interesting.

The first village you pass through is Lesce. The railway station for Bled is here (a distance of 4km, so you'd want to get a taxi if you arrive here on the way to Bled). The village is home to Slovenia's only chocolate factory. Soon after you join the main road to the city passing by Lesce's airfield, which is the centre of gliding and parachuting in the area. You may be lucky, like we were, to see parachutists coming down to earth.

Then the road passes an ostrich farm. This is a means of diversifying Slovenia's agriculture as on entering the EU, Slovenia is not able to compete with the large farms of Western Europe. They hope to diversify into types of farming which are different from the norm. Looking at the farms as you pass, you will notice that although they are small, farming is very intensive. Maize is the main crop and every house (even some in the towns) has its own vegetable gardens, producing much of what the people need. Hay racks are found everywhere.

On the left of the road, you will see the village of Brezje. This is famous for its Basilica of the Virgin, a prominent landmark in a village with a population of only 500. The Pope celebrated mass here in May 1996, during his visit to Slovenia. Some 300,000 pilgrims visit the Basilca every year.

Soon after this you join the motorway to Ljubljana. This will eventually extend up to Bled (but things are moving slowly). A toll has to be paid here, 290 tolars (€1.28). The queues were short when we were there, but seemingly they can be very long, especially at the weekends when many Slovenes travel down to the Croatian coast. To these are added huge numbers of Austrians and Germans, many of whom just travel through Slovenia to the Croatian coast for their holidays.

We pass Kranj, a major industrial town and soon are on the outskirts of Ljubljana. The first impressions of the city are poor; the suburbs are not attractive. There are lots of ugly high-rise flats everywhere. They are leftovers of the socialist period in the country's history.

However, you are soon in the city itself and, boy, are you in for a surprise. Small and compact, it must be one of the most attractive capital cities in Europe.