Bled – Tips for Lake Bled in Slovenia

A few kilometres from the Austrian border and about 50 kilometres from Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana is a small natural wonder. Lake Bled with its tiny island with St. Mary’s Church (by the way, the only island in Slovenia) is a little bit like the St. Moritz of Slovenia. There are many beautiful pictures of the lake on the internet and it was precisely these pictures that inspired me to visit the lake myself.

But what if we are in Bled and the weather throws a spanner in the works? During the last trips we rarely had luck with the weather. Most of the time it was grey. This time, too, Peter sent dark clouds ahead of us…

A walk around the lake takes just under 1.5 hours. During the first half hour, the gray water ripples and the dark clouds pass by at a rapid pace. Far and wide, no reflection is visible. Nevertheless, the footpath around the lake is actively used on this Sunday afternoon. After about half an hour – we have now reached the other end of the lake – a blue stripe appears on the horizon as if out of the blue. We can hardly believe our luck. After only a few minutes, the rough surface of the lake has almost completely calmed down. From now on, the camera will be busily snapped. The result is the following pictures and I hope that with one or the other I can convince you that Bled is a real gem.

p.s. Sorry for the flood of pictures, but I couldn’t decide…

Tips for Lake Bled

Bled Castle

The next morning, the sun shines from the steel-blue sky and only a gentle breeze blows. Perfect for tackling the steep stairs up to the castle in the morning. After a good 20 minutes, we have managed the countless steps with burning thighs. The entrance fee to the castle is 9 euros. For us, however, the entrance fee was definitely worth it, as we can enjoy a fabulously brilliant view of a mirror-smooth Lake Bled before 10 o’clock in the morning. Not even my wildest dreams had included such a brilliant view. My advice to you: visit the castle either early in the morning or at sunset.

Tips around Bled

Go

We traveled by public transport via Austria (Villach) to Bled. The quickest way to get to Lesce Bled is via Jesenice without changing trains. From here there are regular bus connections (ticket cost 1.30 euros) directly to the center of Bled (and get off there not at the first stop, but only at the turning point). Alternatively, there is also the train station Bled Jezero (opposite Bled), which can be reached by changing trains in Jesenice.

Sleep

We stayed at the Hotel Astoria in a nice little room with a lake view. The 3 star hotel is relatively new and is centrally located just above the bus stop and within walking distance of the castle and lake. For an overnight stay including breakfast we paid 81 euros (booked via booking.com).

Eat

The culinary symbol of Bled is the cream cake. Already during the check-in at the Hotel Astoria we are told where we can get the “Original Bled cream cakes”. The sweet delicacy owes its origin to the head of the pastry shop of the Hotel Park on the shores of the lake. In the café opposite the hotel, in addition to the original, you can also taste copies with chocolate and strawberries (cost 3.40 euros each).

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Other activities in the area

The area around Bled offers a variety of hiking and cycling trails and beautiful nature reserves. Active nature lovers will get their money’s worth here. If you have more than one day to spare, you should definitely plan a trip to Lake Bohinj, part of the Triglav National Park. From Bled there are regular bus connections to Bohinj (approx. hourly).