The final stop in our Croatia/Slovenia trip was Bled. Bled is a beautiful lake side resort in the foothills of the Julian alps, with a romantic castle and a small island with a church on the lake. Bled is a scenic and relaxing town.
We used GoOpti (It’s a Slovenian Uber type company) to get from Ljubljana to Bled. A very comfortable, on time car ride of about 45 minutes or so and we got dropped off right at our hotel. You can also take a train or bus to Bled. The bus is more convenient than the train due to its drop off being right in town.
We stayed in Hotel Jelovica on the lake side and had a lovely view of the lake and castle from our balcony. Bled is more expensive than Ljubljana and it is possible to do a day trip to Bled from Ljubljana easily as well. Some of the smaller B&B places like Penzion Berc or Mayer Penzion have quality restaurants but their lodging rooms get booked many months earlier.
We dined at Vila Preseren for lunch. It is at the back of Hotel Jelovica and on the lakeside promenade. You can sit on the patio with a stunning view of the lake and enjoy your meal. The ambience was wonderful and the food was okay, with prices a bit high but not too bad. Bled is famous for its cream cake so of course we had the cream cake for dessert.
Bled has its own version of the Venetian gondolas, here they are called the Pletna boats. Once you purchase a ticket, the Pletna boat will take you to the island and you can then return by another boat. It can be chilly on the water so keep a light jacket or cardigan with you even in the summer.
On our trip, some feisty older passengers chatted loudly and one woman snatched my younger daughter’s hat and we almost wondered if she would not give it back. It’s a tiny little island and there is nothing much to do apart from visiting the church, maybe get an ice cream or coffee if you want to. You could also skip the boat and island and enjoy the views from afar if you are short on time.
There is also a tourist bus that goes around the lake and to the Bled Castle, but you would want to check timings. There is a fine restaurant at the Bled castle. The castle dates back to the middle ages. You can walk down from the castle to St. Martin’s Church.
On our return boat ride, we chose to get down at Vila Bled the former summer residence of President Tito. The place is now a hotel and much to my disappointment, unfortunately the historic rooms are only accessible to guests who stay or have dinner at the hotel. So while we were able to see the outside, we could not see the historic murals and photographs – many a famous world leader and celebrity has stayed at Vila Bled as guests of Tito. The view from Vila Bled is fantastic and this is a quiet part of the town.
It was a pretty long walk back to our hotel, but we refueled by ordering a buckwheat/millet pancake and cappuccino at Pension Mlino, right around the corner from Vila Bled, once you cross the street – it was most delicious.
When in Bled, you must eat the Bled cream cake, Kremna Rezina- versions of it are available in many restaurants around town. Be sure to eat the cake immediately though, it must be refrigerated and if it is hot, the cake melts pretty fast. We made the mistake of taking 2 slices to go for our train journey and found it had melted into a puddle by the time we looked at it on the train, on our return trip to Munich.
Bled’s surrounding areas with the Julian Alps and Lake Bohinj are beautiful. You can even go to nearby Austria and visit towns like Klagenfurt if you have several days to spend in Bled. When walking around Bled, use mosquito repellants especially after dark. We wished we had more time to explore the mountain areas around Bled but even our quick 1 night stay was lovely.
The cheapest and safest way to get a taxi in Slovenia is to call a reputable taxi service (Taxi Laguna is one and in Bled, Bled Taxi) and they will send you a taxi straight away at a reduced rate compared to hailing one on the street. Taking a random taxi on the street is not advisable, as taxi companies can set their own prices in Slovenia, so you may end up paying a lot more.
Our return journey to Munich, for our onward flight back to the States was a big adventure with the train being cancelled and later even the flight being cancelled but what’s a vacation without a few glitches. I had booked a direct train from Bled to Munich but it was cancelled and we had to take a train to Villach in Austria and then take a train to Salzburg and from Salzburg another train to Munich. Our direct flight from Munich to Houston also got cancelled and we had to take a flight to Frankfurt and then another to Houston. But travel complications aside it was still a very beautiful and memorable vacation in two lovely countries – Croatia and Slovenia.
Bled Restaurants
Vila Preseren – fantastic view right on the lakeside promenade
Mayer Penzion
Gostilna Pri Planincu – a pub right by Hotel Jelovica, good Slovenian food at reasonable prices, goulash soup a meal by itself. We had dinner here and enjoyed it.
Slascicarna Zima (smon) for cream cake
Penzion-berc for excellent food
Grajska Plaza – nice view but may be slow
Okarina, Balkan grill (for train journey pick up)
Rikli Bistro in Park hotel for cake and cappuccino
Cafe Belvedere (former house of Marshall Tito, upscale dining) Cesta svobode 18, Bled
We were so glad we chose Croatia and Slovenia, both are beautiful countries. My fascination with Europe has not diminished as yet, so here’s hoping for more opportunities to travel some day in the future if God allows.
