My heart was captivated by the postcard view offered by Lake Bled in Slovenia upon the discovery when preparing our upcoming trip. Emerald colour lakeview with a church in the island, against a snow mountain as a backdrop is such a mesmerizing scenery. Although Lake Bled is no longer a secret for tourism activities in Slovenia but an excursion there is still a much rewarding experience. We even had a good time taking a good evening stroll surrounding Lake Bled.
How to Go To Lake Bled from Ljubljana
Taking a bus from Ljubljana to Lake Bled is the most convenient option. Just head to the main bus stop near to the Ljubljana train station and buy a ticket to Lake Bled. The bus is available on a hourly basis and cost €7.8 per person. It takes us slightly more than an hour to reach Lake Bled in a bus from Ljubljana.
Train is another viable option but taking a train from Ljubljana will land you in Lesce-Bled train station, which is about 4km from Lake Bled. You may catch a public bus from Lesce to Lake Bled.
What to Do in Lake Bled
1) Walk around Lake Bled
The first thing that we did upon arrival in Lake Bled is to explore the surrounding of Lake Bled. A full round of walking around the lake will take around 1.5 hours, and there are many good locations around the lake that makes a good photography spot.
If the weather is good, you may able to catch the beautiful view of the Alps, making a nice backdrop against the church in the center of island of Lake Bled.
2) Taking a Boat Ride to the Island Church
Another interesting thing to do here is taking a boat to the island church - either by rowing your own boat or taking a ride in a pletna boat.
The church has a long history dated back to the 17th century. According to local tradition, a husband who can carry his newly married bridge the 99 steps up from the dock into the church will be ensured a happy marriage, and ringing the bell in the church will fulfill one of your wishes.
But personally we feel this is a very touristy thing to do, so it will be your call whether to do it or not. However getting a picture of you in the boat with the island church as background will make a great memory.
3) Bled Castle
Perched at the northern edge of Lake Bled is the 1000 years old medieval Bled Castle, overlooking Lake Bled. It is one of the oldest castle in Slovenia.
It is mainly a castle with historical value, a view, some shops, a restaurant and exhibitions. Entrance fees is applicable. Visitors mainly take a 15 minutes walk up here.
4. Vintgar Gorge / Bled Gorge
Thus far, Vintgar Gorge has been one of the natural favourite spot we have been to. Despite rapid urbanization of the world and influx of tourists to the surrounding in Bled, Vintgar Gorge still preserved its gorgeousness - full of greens, crystal clear water stream and fresh air. We can hear the natural loud water streaming sound that provide such a calmness to mind. It is a unspoilt nature spot preserved at its best. Entrance fees is €15 per person as we checked their website, though it was €10 during our visit in 2019.
Vintgar Gorge is located about 4km away from Lake Bled. The easiest way to get there of course is via driving, or perhaps cycling if you are an avid cyclist.
Otherwise, you can either:
1) Take a bus from Bled main bus station to Vintgar Gorge. There will be a bus schedule posted on the wall at the bus station. However the bus only run from 30 June to 16 September (not sure whether if there is a change for now)
2) The easiest way is to take a private shuttle service provided by Mamut for €10 per return trip. Maximum person each shuttle can take is 8 person only, so be sure to book your trip earlier. They left us for 2 hours there, which is more than enough to complete the 1.6km trail.
Maybe you are still thinking is it worth the hassle or finance to go into Vintgar Gorge, or should you spend more time and have a relax time in Lake Bled instead. Well, we will let the 12 photos below do the justifications.
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Overall, Vintgar Gorge is spectacular in its natural view that we would not mind returning for a second trip. On top of that, it serves as a perfect destination for taking photos.
Fret not if you are worry about your physical ability to manage the 1.6km trail. There are no much ascending steps but merely long walk of flat pathways with a minor ascending and descending. Manage your pace well and you should be able to complete the entire journey without any troubles.
Try to come early to enjoy Vintgar Gorge at its best. We were there around 1pm and crowd has been building in both directions, so it somehow affects the mood here like it or not.
5. Sunrise in Lake Bled
Lake Bled is a perfect spot to catch the sunrise but it was such a sorrow experience that we missed it. Both of us were drunk due to the white wine we bought at Mercator in the previous night. How I wish we can go back again and get that one in a lifetime experience.
To get the sunrise spot, make your way to Ojstrica Hike and you should land your spot within 30 minutes hike. This is the note we have jotted down previously.
Till today, the painful memory for missing the sunrise in Lake Bled still hurts.
What To Eat in Lake Bled
1. Blejska Kremna Rezina (Bled Cake) by Hotel Park
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| Bled Cake by Hotel Park |
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Soon after we set foot at Lake Bled, there are signs everywhere advertising about Bled cakes. It created an indication that it would be a painful experience if I ever I miss out this puff pastry during my Slovenia trip, as this is a divine food that nobody could say "nay".
Indeed, this was the truth. Bled cakes, or known as Kremna Rezina was a memory registered deeply to my taste buds. Yes, it is a touristy thing - to the extent that a hotel even offer a drive through for it. Yet, Bled cakes are a total indulgence. The history of Kremna Rezina is long, but its fame rose to sky high when Lukačević, a pastry chef in Park Hotel Restaurant created it in 1953.
Bled Cake was a perfect marriage of delicious vanilla cream and whipped cream with a crunchy top. Hotel Park still churned out this famous Bled Cakes at the premium price tag of €4.7 per piece but this did not deter people from buying it, simply because it worth the pleasant experience registered to your taste buds. Perhaps, Bled cakes offered by the other restaurant might be equally good too.
Well, try to measure the size of the cake. It fits perfectly into a 7cm x 7cm dimension!
2. Oštarija Peglez'n
Lake Bled never lack of any restaurants or cafe for dining. We simply bump into a restaurant - Oštarija Peglez'n for our lunch and glad that it did not disappoint. In fact, it was good.
Ribja Juha (fish soup, €6.5) is not something common we bump into at restaurants we have been to thus far. Considering the weather is kind of chilling cold, so we had one and it was nice. The red soup was brimming flavourful with fish slices and onion. Best eaten it with the bread served.
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| Kalamari Ocvrti Ali Na Zaru (€14.90) |
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| Kranjska Klobasa (€12.50) |
We thought Lake Bled must be having quite a number of fishes so we had a seafood platter - Squids Fried with Fries (Kalamari Ocvrti Ali Na Zaru). The portion is humongous and we barely able to finish it actually.
Another item we had was Carniola Sausage (Kranjska Klobasa) - something we have fall in love since trying it at Ljubljana. It was served with sauteed vegetables, red beans, roasted potatoes, along with mustard and sweet salsa. Of course, it did not disappoint.
Business was brisk at Oštarija Peglez'n till we have to wait for a long time to get our food here.
Oštarija Peglez'n
+386 4 574 42 18
Operation hours: 11am - 11pm (kitchen closes at 4.30pm, opens for dinner later)
Well, that sums up our trip for 2 days 1 night in Lake Bled. Our trip is coming to a close end soon, and next we move to Salzburg, Prague, Brno and finishing the Central Europe trip at Vienna.
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Check out Shirleen & Ee Pin's Instagram for more beautiful photos we have taken.
Check out Shirleen & Ee Pin's Instagram for more beautiful photos we have taken.
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