Your first thought when you hear Bled might be that it sounds like a terrifying torture chamber. However, Bled is an idyllic village in Slovenia right next to Lake Bled. It is most famous for the castle on the island in the middle of said lake. Nearby there are also waterfalls and the Vintgar gorge, to which you can take a shuttle.
Scenic walk
Once you have arrived in the village of Bled, you can walk the 6km long route around the lake. On a clear, sunny day, this gives you a beautiful view of the island with the church, the castle on a cliff as well as a huge mountain. Since the weather wasn’t in our favour, we only spotted a hint of the mountain when it decided to appear from between clouds and mist for a few moments. Hence, we started referring to it as the Misty Mountain and of course immediately started humming the song.
As picturesque as the island looks, we thought the castle on top of the cliff looked far more exciting.
From several spots around the lake you can take a boat to the island with the church. These boats are traditionally built wooden boats, which require one person to row them. Fares for these boats for both journeys total about 20€.
Be prepared
We decided to go to Bled on the day with the least likelihood of rain. Even though we took our rain jackets, we were not prepared for this non-stop downpour. By the time it started raining we were already a little more than halfway around the lake and had to finish the tour. By the time we returned to Bled, we were drenched to our underwear. We stopped at a café to get some hot tea and famous cream cake, before walking to the bus station since at this point we only wanted to get back to our hotel room and take a hot shower.
The region is famous for the Kremna rezina. It has a very crisp top layer and rich cream filling.
However, we weren’t the only tourists surprised by the rain. There were several groups, huddled together underneath the little roof of the station. Some were using flyers from shops as improvised umbrellas. Others had just given up and waited in their wet clothes while the rain continued to pour down. When the bus finally arrived, everyone stormed towards it because it was another bus until the next bus. We were lucky we enough to get on the bus and even a place to sit. There were quite a few unlucky people who had to stand all the way back to Ljubljana, a drive which takes over an hour.
For lots more views, watch our video
Useful vocabulary
- avtobusna postaja – bus station
- Kremna rezina – traditional cream cake
- čaj – tea
- kava – coffee
tl;dr
How to get there: Buses (//www.ap-ljubljana.si/en/) leave every 1-2 hours from Ljubljana Avtobusna Postaja (the main bus station), which is located right in front of the main train station. As you walk past the bus stands you will see the stations written on big signs above the buses. Just walk until you find the one with Bled on the sign. The bus journey is around 6€ and you can buy the ticket in cash from the driver. The drive to Bled takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Why go: a nice walk through beautiful landscape
Best time to visit: when it doesn’t rain
