Bled scenery is almost impossibly romantic, with a little white church on an island in the center of an emerald green mountain lake, Bled Castle perched high above and the peaks of the Julian Alps all around — and it is consequently often packed with honeymooning couples and the like. The town is also a popular access point for Triglav National Park and offers numerous possibilities for an active holiday, including hiking, mountain biking, swimming, rafting and skiing in winter or a relaxing spell in a modern wellness centre.
A settlement area since Mesolithic times, Bled Castle was first mentioned as Ueldes (Veldes) within the March of Carniola on April 10, 1004, when it was awarded by Emperor Henry II to Bishop Albuin I of Brixen. With Carniola it was ceded to Rudolph of Habsburg after he defeated King Ottokar II of Bohemia at the Battle on the Marchfeld in 1278. From 1364 on Bled was part of the Duchy of Carniola and of the Napoleonic Illyrian Provinces between 1809 and 1816.
After the dissolution of Austria-Hungary in 1918 it belonged to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and became a summer domicile of the ruling House of Karađorđević, a tradition that President Josip Broz Tito continued, when he built his residence here in 1947. Bled became an independent municipality in 1996. In 2000, Bled became the home of IEDC-Bled School of Management, "the Harvard of Southern and Central Europe.
PLACE TO VISIT
Bled Castle is a picturesque white and red castle, perched on a rock on the northern side of town. There is a little museum inside with an exhibition on the castle's history and the usual array of medieval pomp, pageantry and weaponry. There is also a small wine center run by Andre, the monk. There, for the price of a champagne bottle (15€) Andre will teach you how to perform Sabrage, or Sabree, the art of cutting the top of the bottle off with a blade. You can also bottle, label, and wax stamp your own wine right in the cellar with Andre. Very fun. By taking the wooden steps near the wine cellar above the courtyard, you can find a small shop that sells various herbs and oils. Go in here for the smell if anything.
The little island on Lake Bled. The small church on the island dates back to the 10th century, but the present building was built in the 17th century. According to local tradition, a husband who can carry his newly married bride 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. The way to reach the island is by a special boat called Pletna +386-41-948-168.
An alternative to taking the Pletna to the island is to rent a kayak and explore Lake Bled yourself. With a kayak a person can easily reach the island, tie up, and go exploring by foot, and also explore the hidden shorelines of the lake, otherwise inaccessible without a small boat. Your hotel or hostel can give you information on where to rent a kayak.
Bled is famous for the glacial Lake Bled, which makes it a major tourist Attraction. Naturopath Arnold Rikli (1823-1906) from Switzerland contributed significantly to the development of Bled as a health resort in the 2nd half of the 19th century. Due to its mild climate, Bled has been visited by aristocratic guests from all across the world. Today it is an important convention centre and tourist resort, offering a wide range of sport activities (golf, fishing, horseback-riding) and is a starting point for mountain treks and hikes especially within the nearby Triglav National Park.
WHAT TO DO
Nearby Triglav National Park offers plenty of excellent hiking opportunities. In particular, the scenic Vintgar Gorge is only 4.5km away from Bled. A myriad of activities is available in Bled and the surrounding area, including easy walks and more demanding hikes, mountain biking, rafting, canyoning, fishing, climbing, riding, panoramic flights, tandem paragliding, adrenaline parks, alpine and cross-country skiing, ski safaris, snow-shoeing, sledging and ice climbing. These may be booked at hotel receptions and in a number of agencies in the town.
All-round relaxation for body and mind is provided at the Ziva Wellness Centre at the Golf Hotel and Wellness Centre Bled. Unwind in their thermal pools, whirlpools and saunas, or alternatively let yourself be pampered with a soothing massage, a calming bath or a rejuvenating beauty treatment.
Bled Golf Courses, Twin courses (18 + 9 holes) that are said to be among the most beautiful in this part of Europe.
Alpine Flying Centre, offers you panorama flights, glider rental, and tandem para-jumps.
HOW TO REACH
By plane - The nearest airports are Ljubljana-Brnik & Maribor, EUR 35-45 & EUR 130 by taxi, Klagenfurt (Austria), EUR 85-120, Trieste & Venice (Italy), EUR 120 & EUR 230 respectively. The Slovenian national airline, Adria Airways flies to London-Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham! EasyJet operates flights from Ljubljana to London Stansted
By bus - Buses from Ljubljana city leave hourly and take about an hour and 15 minutes to reach Bled. The buses from Ljubljana leaves the bus station right next to the train station every hour on the hour. The return buses leave Bled every hour on half hour (10:30, 11:30..)
By train - Lesce-Bled International Station is 5 km from town, there you can buy international RW-tickets. Connections via Ljubljana and Villach, Austria are available several times daily.
Bled Jezero, local is located on the "wrong" side of the lake opposite the town, some 1,5km away. Trains from Jesenice and Nova Gorica leave every two hours or so. If you are coming from Ljubljana, Lesce-Bled is the right station. You can also take a bus (2 euros) or a taxi (8-10 euros) or take a 1-hour walk to town. Alternately, you can take the train to Jesenice and change there to a train to Bled Jezero (adding an additional hour of travel and 1 mile walk to center).
By taxi - When you came by train, it's stops on station LESCE-BLED. For Bled you have to go by foot app.4km to reach the city center or use taxi transfer like below. Same, if you came by plane, you need to use taxi service.
