What to See in Bled?

For Bled it is often said that it is the most beautiful place in Slovenia, and although it is a matter of personal taste, it is likely many people agree with this. With its fairy-tale scene of the island with the church in the middle of the lake and the castle of the rocky wall, it will hardly make you cool. This is also indicated by tourists, especially the guests, who sleep there over night, are in the vast majority strangers. In the following sections I will briefly describe some suggestions of what to do in Bled.

I definitely recommend at least a short walk along the lake. Since the path is nice and flat, I recommend that you do all the way around the lake and so you see the island and the rest of the surroundings from all possible directions. The path around the lake will take approximately one hour with a solid pace, the slower walking with several stops will take some more time. Of course, you can also make it easier to do a part of the way with the tourist train (eg at the beach in Velika Zaka near Camping Bled is one of the stations). If you would liek to walk only half way, then it can be more interesting route along the south side of the lake past the village Mlino, under Cafe Belvedere and above the wooden galleries near Velika Zaka.

If you are capable of rowing and want more freedom, then I certainly recommend you to rent a boat (prices from about 10 euros on for one hour) and so you go on your own adventure around Lake Bled. So you can see the lake and surrounding area from all directions beside doing some exercises with rowing. However, you can sit back in pletna (special type of boat in Bled) and head to the Bled Island with the group of tourists.

Straza is the hill above Bled, where leads many routes. For hikers and nature lovers I definitely recommend visiting Straza. In winter you can ski there and in the summer time there is toboggan run. Even if you are not interested in skiing or tobogganing I recommend climb to the top, because of the beautiful view of the lake, castle and mountains Karavanke in the background. On top is a log cabin where you can get some food and drink. In forest on Straza is adventure park that offers adventures for all ages with different levels of adrenaline tests. Beside Straza tehre are some other hills above Lake Bled that also offer googd or even better views of the lake, such as Ojstrica and Osojnica.

Bled Castle is a place that it is hard to go unnoticed by visiting Bled. The castle has a beautiful location on top of cliffs. You can walk to the castle on one of the many paths from different directions or use the car and park just near the castle. Except for the initial part of the castle, which already offers a view of the lake and the town of Bled, it is necessary to pay an entrance fee. The ticket gives you access to all parts of the castle that are open for tourist visit like printing works, a wine cellar, a chapel, museum, etc.. The castle offers a panoramic view of the lake, so I suggest you to sit on the wall and enjoy it.

In the summer heat it is nice to cool down in just the right warm lake. Around the lake there are many "official" beaches, but we can still swim almost anywhere along the route around the lake. The main and the most organized swimming baths are Castle Bathing Area, which is below the castle itself, Velika Zaka, Mala Zaka, and at Mlino. Swimming baths in Velika and Mala Zaka were renovated not long ago and are free of charge. My personal favorite is swimming in the Velika Zaka. For the Castle Bathing Area is required to pay some admission fee but there is provided more shade and additional services, so it is well worth of the visit.

In winter time you can swim in some hotel pools. I especially recommend Ziva Wellness, which offers both a pleasant swimming pool and sauna. In the surrounding area are many interesting points worth of seeing, such as Lake Bohinj, Vintgar Gorge, Pokljuka Gorge, Hom, Camp Sobec, etc. So you will not feel bored if you visit Bled.