Introduction to Bled, Slovenia

There's no denying that the lake resort of BLED has all the right ingredients for a memorable visit – a placid mirror lake with a romantic island, a fairy-tale castle high on a bluff, leafy lanes and a backdrop of snow-tipped mountains. In summer, the lake, fed by warm-water springs that take the water temperature up to 26°C, forms the setting for a whole host of water sports – major rowing contests are held here throughout summer – and in winter the surface becomes a giant skating rink. During the day a constant relay of stretched gondolas leaves from below the Park Hotel, the Pension Mlino, and the bathing resort below the castle, ferrying tourists back and forth to Bled's picturesque island (1800SIT return). With an early start (and by renting your own rowing boat from Mlino) you can beat them to it. Crowning the island, the Baroque-decorated Church of Sv Marika Božja is the last in a line of churches on a spot that's long held religious significance: under the present building are remains of early graves and, below the north chapel, a pre-Roman temple. In summer months it's feasible to swim from the western end of the lake to the island; during winter, under the snug muffle of alpine snow, you can walk or skate across. From the bathing resort, a couple of paths run uphill to Bled Castle (daily 8am–5/8pm; 700SIT), originally an eleventh-century fortification but whose present appearance dates from the seventeenth; the museum, containing local artefacts, is pretty dull, but the lovely chapel decorated with frescoes is worth a look, and the views across the lake and towards the Alps are terrific. The main attraction in the outlying hills is the Vintgar Gorge (May–Oct daily 8am–8pm; 600SIT), 5km north of town, an impressive defile accessed by a wooden walkway. To get there, head northwest out of Bled on the Vintgar road (just up from the bus station), turning right on the outskirts of town towards the villages of Gmajna and Zasip. Head uphill through Zasip to the hilltop chapel of Sv Katarina before picking up a path through the forest to the gorge entrance. Alternatively you can get there by bus (mid-June to Sept daily at 10am) from the bus station.

Bled's tourist office, down below the Park Hotel at Cesta svobode 15 (July & Aug daily 8am–10pm; rest of year Mon–Sat 8am–5/8pm, Sun 10am/noon–5/6pm; tel 04/574-1122, www.bled.si). Private rooms are available through Kompas, in the shopping centre at Ljubljanska 4 (tel 04/574-1515, www.kompas-bled.si). There's an outstanding HI hostel (tel 04/574-5250, www.mlino.si; 4000SIT) just above the bus station at Grajska 17, and some reasonable pensions scattered around the lake, such as the smallish Pletna at Cesta svobode 37 (tel 04/574-3702; £20–30/$32–48 [€29–44]), and the Mlino, 200m further along at no. 45 (tel 04/574-1404; £20–30/$32–48 [€29–44]). Bled campsite (tel 04/575-2000) is beautifully located at the western end of the lake amid the pines; catch a bus towards Bohinj and ask to be set down near the access road. The best places for eating are in the hillside area between Bled's bus station and castle. Gostilna PriPlanincu, Grajska 8, offers solid Slovene home cooking; Pizzeria Portobello on Rikljeva is probably the best of the Italian places; and the hostel restaurant is pretty decent too.

Information by Rough Guides

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