Lake Bled
Slovenia is the smallest Country in Europe and parts can be described as ‘Slovenian Tuscany’ with the many vineyards. It boasts lovely countryside with 60% of the land being covered by forest, so very green and lush. The bordering Countries are Italy, Austria, Hungary & Croatia. The Capital Ljubljana is one of the safest capital cities in the world. It is very clean, green and with over 50,000 students living there it’s a young & lively city, and is one of the smallest and youngest capitals in Europe.
Coming into land at Ljubljana airport you realise you’ve flown into somewhere special with the Julian Alps surrounding you. After a 30 minute transfer to Lake Bled you arrive at a stunning, unspoilt Lake resort. Getting around the 6 km perimeter of Lake Bled is very easy with many different options. It takes anything from 1 hour 30 minutes to walk around, to all day depending on the number of stops you make. Or you can take the tourist train, hire a rowing boat, or take a horse ride, whichever way you choose the views will be breath-taking, and you will certainly feel relaxed and feel as though you’ve come to a special part of the world. With the Julian Alps in the background of the lake, you get the best of scenery.
You can take the “pletna” which is a special boat to the island church which is located on Lake Bled. The 99 steps to the church attract much attention when a wedding is taking place as it’s tradition for the groom to carry his bride up the 99 steps! It reputedly brings them good luck.
There are many walks around the surrounding area of Bled. Through woods, traditional villages, or you can walk to Vintgar Gorge which was discovered in 1891. The beautiful and mysterious gorge is 1,600 m long, and full of small waterfalls, rapids and erosion potholes.
On one of the hillsides which is a winter ski run, tobogganing is offered in the summer. It was loads of fun and the cable car journey to the top gives you great views! I’d recommend you pay for two rides on the toboggan, you can then get more speed up on the second run!
We visited Postojna caves and Predjama castle, and these two places are a must. At Postojna caves you travel by electric train into the heart of the cave system. The astonishing natural underground formations are awe inspiring. With over 21 km’s of cave systems which are still being explored, you can certainly see how it’s classed as the biggest cave system in Europe. Predjama Castle, is one of the biggest cave castles in the world and literally hangs in the middle of its 123 metres high rocky cliff, making it a very dramatic setting.
A few top tips – 1) It’s worth paying for a room with a lake view and balcony so you can sit, relax and take in the lovely lake from your balcony. 2) Take a towel and swimming things if you fancy spending some time at the public lido and maybe swim in the lake with the fish. It was lovely to come out of the water not smelling of chlorine. 3) Don’t forget to enjoy ‘The Original Bled Cream cakes’. Made from the original recipe dating back to 1953, they aren’t just an ordinary cream cake, they are very special and are the symbol of Bled. 4) Blueberry schnapps and other types of schnapps are very popular and nice! 5) Visit an ice cream kiosk selling many different varieties of gorgeous ice cream, at very reasonable prices. 6) If you decide that a twin centre holiday is your preference, with maybe 3 nights in Ljubljana and 7 nights in Lake Bled, then it makes sense to visit Postojna caves and Predjama castle whilst you are staying in Ljubljana.
I’d highly recommend you visit Lake Bled, we can’t wait to return again one day soon, as a week wasn’t long enough. You won’t be disappointed. Don’t hesitate to make contact for up to date information and advice.