We recently visited Lake Bled, Slovenia!  We’ve admired Lake Bled from afar for quite some time, so we were very exscited to finally see it in person.  Check out the video below, or keep reading to learn more about our experience.

Lake Bled is a picturesque destination in the Julian Alps of Slovenia.  Only about 55 kilometers from Slovenia’s capital of Ljubljana, it’s surrounded by natural greenery and stunning mountains.  We drove here from Munich, and the drive through the snow-capped Austrian Alps was beautiful.  The natural beauty of this region only got better the closer we got to Bled.

Bled is stunning in all directions and in all types of weather.  We were lucky to be able to take in views of the lake during the early morning when the fog gave it a hazy glow, at moments when the sun shone and the water sparkled and while the sun was setting and creating a colorful sky.  The surrounding mountains also create the most picturesque backdrop for the lake and the the town.  The town is filled with shops selling local products and chalet style houses and buildings that are unlike anything we’ve seen before. 

Besides its stunning appearance, the lake itself is famous for Bled Island, which sits in the middle of the calm, still water.  To visit the Island, you can either rent your own paddle boat, or hire a local traditional boat called a plenta boat.  We opted for the electric plenta boat that was covered since it was quite cold and rainy on the day we visited the island. 

Once you get off the boat, there are a couple of different foot paths you can follow to explore the island.  The main attraction on Bled Island is the Church of the Assumption.  The church dates back to the 17th century and requires a 99 step hike to the top.  However, once you reach the top you can refuel with a cup of coffee at the cafe, shop for souvenirs and take in the beautiful views.  The church is famous for the wishing bell within its tower.  It is believed that if you make a wish and ring the bell three times your wish will come true, but since we couldn’t go inside with Bindi we decided to skip this.  It was really nice to just enjoy the peacefulness of an early morning walk around the island.

Another local landmark is Bled Castle.  Bled Castle is located high up on a hill overlooking the town and the lake.  We took the path up to the castle from the lake and I’m not gonna lie, the walk up there was a bit of a workout!  We did this in the early morning when it was still foggy out, and at times, it feels like you’re walking endlessly into the clouds.  But once you reach the top you are rewarded with the most beautiful views of Bled that make it totally worth it.  

The castle was originally built in the 11th century, and inside there is a museum that details the castle history, as well as the history of the local area.  There is also a very medieval feeling wine shop on the castle grounds where you can taste and buy local bottles.  

In fact, Slovenian wine is something not to be missed when you visit this country.  While you might not be used to seeing Slovenian wines in your local store, wine production is an important part of Slovenia’s history.  According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Maribor vine is the oldest vine still producing fruit, and it is located in Slovenia. This old vine is estimated to date back to the Middle Ages and there is a bit of it on display at the castle.  

Unfortunately, wine from the Maribor vine isn’t commercially available, but we did spend some time tasting other Slovenian wines.  We booked a wine tasting with a local wine expert who talked us through the Slovenian wine regions and introduced us to some great local grapes and producers.  Slovenia is definitely a hidden gem in the wine world.  The  country’s production is small, so not much is exported, but their focus on quality of quantity definitely pays off.

Bled is full of nice restaurants that provide a warm and cozy escape from the cold outdoors.  One of the favorite local specialties we tried was Idrijski žlikrofi, a potato-filled pasta.  This pasta is delicate, yet hearty and almost reminds me of my Italian favorite, gnocchi.  It is also the first Slovenian dish to gain EU-protected status, guaranteeing its quality and proper production. Many of the restaurants here focus on using local ingredients and this seems to really pay off, we had a number of really great meals and everything was top quality.

Bled also has lots of bakeries and we wanted to try some of their local specialties.  Lake Bled is known for it’s Bled cream cake, a flaky pastry filled with cream.  We stopped into a local bakery to try a slice and a cup of coffee.  The cake is very nice, not too sweet, very creamy and has a bit of crunch from the pastry.

We also tried a couple different slices of Potica, another Slovenian specialty.  It’s a sweet, rolled bread that can be filled with a variety of fillings.  From what we’ve been able to gather, it can be either baked into a cake pan, or more in a loaf style.  Potica can have a variety of fillings such as nuts and dried fruits.  Soon we’ll have another post and video. detailing how to make this yourself!

One of our favorite restaurants was the restaurant at Bled Castle.  To be honest, we were a bit worried that eating at the Castle would be a tourist trap, but it was an excellent meal in a beautiful setting with great service.  For dinner they serve a set tasting menu highlighting the local ingredients.   We started off with a small amuse bouche topped with some local cheese and nuts and some of the most delicious butter we’ve ever tasted.  Our next courses consisted of a tuna tartar and some delicious duck.  We then tried pumpkin gnocchi.  Gnocchi is one of my all time favorite dishes so I was very excited to try this dish.  The pumpkin gives the gnocchi just the slightest sweetness which paired perfectly with the creamy sauce served beneath it.  For our next course we had some delicious and tender lamb, and finished the meal with a cream puff and creme brulee.  This meal was totally worth it and we definitely recommend this if you’re visiting the area.

Whenever we visit a new country with Bindi, we’re never quite sure how dog-friendly it will be, but we were thankful to discover that from what we experienced, Slovenia appears to be a very dog-friendly place.  We had no problems entering restaurants with Bindi and our city dog was very happy to be able to enjoy the fresh air, and all the local smells and sights.  

We were also super impressed by the environmental consciousness of Bled.  Bled aims to be a zero waste town and the efforts are evident all over town from drinking fountains, to well-placed recycling bins and environmentally friendly practices in place everywhere.  These efforts really appear to be paying off as it is one of the most pristine and cleanest destinations we’ve ever visited.