Why you must visit Lake Bled

Hi everyone! Ok, so surely, I can’t just say, “trust me, it’s so beautiful”, and you take my word for it?

“I saw the photo of Bled, and was like “Omg, where is that? I need to visit”?”

Ok, ok, fine. I’ll explain. I was first attracted to Lake Bled a few years ago, when I saw a photo on Instagram, before then, I didn’t even know it existed, nor did I know anything about Slovenia. I saw the photo of Bled, and was like “Omg, where is that? I need to visit”? After looking at the hashtags, and seeing #Slovenia, I thought, “what the heck? This beautiful place is in some random country”? and then I realized, that Slovenia is a stunning country and I was ignorant to the fact, that so many “not as common places”, hold so much secret or not so secret beauty. I had to visit Lake Bled, and so I planned the trip to take the train down from Bratislava, on my way to the cute capitol Ljubljana. Pronounced like Lube-ee-ana. 

           

Views from my hotel room balcony at Hotel Triglav.

“Everything had a beautiful untouched blanket of white snow, and the cold and fog was in the air. It looked frozen and enchanting.”

  I arrived at Bled at 6am, and it was freezing and it had freshly snowed. I couldn’t help to think just how magical this place was, even though it was -6 and I was shivering. I got a taxi to my hotel, Hotel Triglav, where they were nice enough to make Ashli and I breakfast, even though breakfast didn’t begin for another hour. Can I just say the view from Hotel Triglav must be one of the best hotel views in Bled, if not the best? You are sitting right there eating a lovely home-made Slovenian breakfast, and staring across the lake at Bled island and the historic Church. I was truly in heaven. I know it sounds cheesy, but it reminded me of that Disney Film Frozen. Everything had a beautiful untouched blanket of white snow, and the cold and fog was in the air. It looked frozen and enchanting. I was so excited to discover this small town and the beauty it was filled with. 

“Triglav really felt authentic and as if I took a step back into the beautiful history of Bled. ”

            I chose to stay at Hotel Triglav, because it’s authentic Slovenian. As mentioned above, it seemed to have the best views over the lake. It is a small boutique hotel, that feels more like you’re staying in a family owned mansion. It dates back to 1906, which is also the name of the restaurant upstairs that has delicious food. It’s right next to the train station, which is also handy. Triglav really felt authentic and as if I took a step back into the beautiful history of Bled. There is also a spa, indoor pool, wine cellar and wine room, as well as room views over the lake. The staff were wonderful and treated you like family and because it’s a smaller hotel, there is more detail and care with clients. 

            

You can walk the entire lake from here, which Ashli and I did. Walking around the lake is a great way to see everything. You get so many unique and different views of Bled and the lake. There are boat rental places, which we also did. Ash rowed, as I am a wimp so make sure if you go on your own boat, one of you knows how to row properly. It’s quite a work out. We took the boat to Bled island, to walk around and explore the few sites there. There are also tour boats that go every hour as well, but those are packed with tourists. I enjoyed just having our own little boat, so we could decide when we wanted to go, at our own pace, and we could get loads of photos.

Just chilling, while poor Ash is killing her arms rowing to the little island in Lake Bled.

Once you get to the island, an hour is more than enough time. You can visit the church, but it does cost to go inside. You can get great photos of the surrounding mountains of Bled from the island, but to me, the best photos were on the mainland, that included the island in them. Either way you need to go over and explore it, as it’s a true part of Bled. The history dates back years. 

If you are someone who isn’t into nature or if your husband or boyfriend gets bored taking in the beauty. (I don’t know how you could, but in case) There is a casino you can send him to, in hopes he keeps himself entertained and wins you some shopping money. 

           

  Another thing to do if you have time, is walk up through the trees to the Bled Castle. When I was there, it had scaffolding on it, which was a little frustrating and again, it cost to enter, so I didn’t. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth it, I’ve just been to 70 countries and seen castles in about half of them, so to me, I wasn’t that bothered. It was cool enough just to hike up and see it and check out the great view over Lake Bled. Make sure to have comfortable shoes for the hike up. It’s not a difficult hike, just need decent walking shoes.        

             On the way up to the castle, if walking around the lake, you can also have a peak into the beautiful St. Martin’s church. It’s lovely inside and there is a great coffee shop next to it. 

             

            Another fun thing to do for the whole family, is checking out Straza Ski slope. In the summer, you can go down a man-made bob sled roller coaster track. In the winter, it’s a great ski resort. It’s walkable from the lake, and there are plenty of posted signs directing you there. 

“Another place to visit, which I sadly couldn’t because the time of year is Vintgar Gorge. It’s a 2 hour walk and truly magical. It’s a gorge that extends up over a waterfall.”

            

Hiking from Bled is amazing. There are three main hikes that most people do, which is Triglav, Mt. Stol, and Pokljuka. I would say beginners should try Pokljuka, while more advanced hikers and adventure seekers should do Triglav. Another place to visit, which I sadly couldn’t because the time of year is Vintgar Gorge. It’s a 2 hour walk and truly magical. It’s a gorge that extends up over a waterfall. Check out the photos and you’ll see why I recommend it. It’s true tranquility and peace and great for any nature lover. Again, be sure to bring the appropriate clothing and shoes, but enjoy getting away from civilization for a bit. Don’t worry cell phones work here I’m told, so you won’t be stranded like the beginning of some horror camping film. Ha. 

            I would say Triglav National Park, is truly something you can’t bypass, especially if you’re here in spring or summer. There is such great hiking, waterfalls, caves, and some true natural beauty to see. You can also go water rafting here and horseback riding. It is something to spend the day doing and can be very romantic. 

            The restaurants I ate at, were 1906 in Hotel Triglav, which was amazing and then we had a beautiful lunch at Sova Bled. The presentation was lovely, as was the food, and it’s right on the lake. Both meals were amazing. There is also a great vegan spot called Public and Vegan kitchen. A restaurant with great views is Grajska Plaza Restaurant, and a good romantic spot is the first two mentioned with the addition of Ostarija Peglez’n. While in Bled, you must try the famous Kremšnita cake. You will see signs of this cake everywhere. It’s amazing and was birthed here. There are many places to get it, but I was told to get it at the hotel to the right of Hotel Triglav. Ah! I’ve forgotten the name but you can ask your very helpful and lovely staff at Hotel Triglav their recommendations as they gave me the real scoop of places to go and not just the touristy ones. 

“While in Bled, you must try the famous Kremšnita cake. You will see signs of this cake everywhere. It’s amazing and was birthed here.”

“What a great trip. It truly looks like somewhere from a Disney movie.”

            

Bled is a beautiful place. There isn’t a ton of things to see and do, but it’s a great place to spend 3 days in nature and peace. I would love to come back here one day with a significant other. It’s just so romantic here. The best thing I did honestly, was just walking around the lake, hiking, and getting a row boat out to bled island. What a great trip. It truly looks like somewhere from a Disney movie. Enjoy!