lake bled

We started off arriving at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik International airport, situated 24 km northwest of the capital. Passing through customs and luggage collection was a breeze, and so too was collecting our rental car from Budget Car Rental.

Alternatively, you can take the bus from the airport to Lake Bled, the bus stop is directly opposite the airport and departs on the hour, every hour and costs €3.7, make sure you have cash to pay the driver or you can purchase a ticket online from Arriva.si. This is the same bus that leaves Ljubljana Central Bus Station 30 minutes prior to arriving at the airport. First bus departing the airport at 9am, with the last bus leaving at 8pm.

One hour later and we were checking into the popular Hotel Park situated on the beautiful Lake Bled, I recommend a room facing the lake, I heard the rooms at the back facing the road can be a little noisy. It was still light so we had a little time to explore before dinner. The main town is situated to the east of the lake and is compact enough to wander around in an hour or so, but the main attraction is definitely the lake. The views stretching across to the picturesque island with the mountains in the background make for a magical atmosphere. We stumbled upon the cozy Old Cellar Bled which served authentic Slovenian cuisine with a good selection of wine.

After breakfast the following morning we set out along the southern shore of the lake to find the boat to take us across to Bled Island. There are a number of different options where you can either hire a boat for around €20-25 per hour, or you can elect to be rowed across on a traditional wooden boat called a pletna for €20 per person. If you decide to be rowed across be aware that you only have an hour on the island which we found to be plenty of time. On the island, once you have climbed the 99 steps up, you will find the lovely Church of the Assumption, a small museum and a gift shop. There is no charge to visit the island but there is to enter the church.

For an all inclusive simpler approach try prodaja.blejskiotok.si/en

In the afternoon we climbed up to the wonderfully medieval Bled Castle (blejski grad) which is 100m above the lake. There are three trails up to the grad, if you want a challenge then take the trail up from the Lido swimming area, or take the bus from Union Station which is close to Penzion Union for a few euros. Bled castle dates from the 11th century and with its towers and ramparts epitomises everyone’s idea of what a medieval castle should look like. It houses a 16th century Gothic chapel, a museum, a printing work’s complete with replica Gutenberg press, a wine cellar (yes, you can try their wine), a cafe, a beautiful restaurant, the beehouse, and a lovely terrace with stupendous views of the lake, the island and the surrounding countryside.