Bled City Guide: Welcome to Paradise
The original name of this Slovenian village is Bled, but it is called Bleda in Italian and Veldes in German.
No matter what you call it, it is a collection of buildings that look like something out of a fairy tale.
It is also in a place that looks like a picture from a fairy tale book: Bled is a little gem in the northwestern part of Slovenia, at the foot of the impressive Julian Alps.
Even though it isn’t very big, a lot of people go there. People from Austria, Germany, and Italy come to visit every year, which is why there are a lot more people living there in the summer.
One of the most well-known things about it is its lake, which is about 2 km across and has a turquoise enamel mirror in the middle of which is a precious stone.
The church of the Assumption of the Virgin is on this small island.
You can also add the beautiful thermal springs, which have been known for their health benefits since the second half of the nineteenth century and are one of the most beautiful things in the area.
The trip to Bled can start with a boat ride on the lake and a climb up to the island, which is easy to do with rowboats that can be rented near the shore.
Each season offers a different scene, each one full of magic and charm. In spring and summer, nature shines with bright colors, dressed up with bright greens and sprays of flowers among the plants.
In autumn, the leaves all around the lake light up with warm tones, and the velvety fog that rises from the water fades the golden colors, giving the landscape a mysterious look.
The magic of winter
But the magic happens in the winter, when a white blanket of snow covers the land and protects it. At that time, the lake looks like a silver shield surrounded by cotton wool, and the whitewashed church on the central island looks like a sugar sculpture.
The best way to enjoy such beauty is to sail on the water, but you can also walk around the lake on the paths that go around it. Along the riverbanks, you’ll find campgrounds, tourist centers, and hotels, all of which are ready to welcome you with professionalism and courtesy.
Church of the Assumption
The Church of the Assumption is a beautiful medieval building that stands at the highest point of the islet. On either side of it is a bell tower. The building is preceded by a huge stone staircase with 99 steps.
Inside, the beautiful frescoes of scenes from the life of the Madonna and the famous “bell of wishes” are sure to take your breath away. People say that if you ring this old bell, which was made in 1534, all your dreams will come true.
Bled Castle
The beautiful Bled Castle is perched on a hill about 604 meters above sea level. From there, you can see the lake and the church.
The manor was probably built around the year 1000, and it has been added to and changed several times since then. It now has an interesting museum and is open to the public every day of the year from 8 a.m. until 17.00 in the winter and 20.00 in the summer.
There are also many natural wonders, like the “Babji Zob,” a 300-meter-long underground cave with stalactites and stalagmites that can be seen every Saturday and Sunday from May to September with a guide.
Also interesting are the 1.6 km long Vintgar Gorge, which was cut by the Radovna stream, and the 18 m high Pod Iglico waterfall on the Suha stream.
Bled Spa
After all that wandering and exploring, you can finally go to the Bled spa to take care of your body and calm your mind.
The water from the springs is sent to the pools of three different hotels, where it gets even hotter.
The constant temperature at the source is about 23 °C, and the water contains free carbonic acids and natural salts like sodium chloride, sulfur, carbon chloride, calcium and magnesium carbonate, and calcium chloride.
To find a balance, there is also the subalpine temperate climate of Bled, which has the longest swimming season of all the Alpine tourist destinations.
The peaks of the Julian Alps and the Karavanke keep the cold north winds away from the center, and there are almost no fogs in the summer.
In July, which is the warmest month, the average temperature is around 18 °C, while in January it drops to -1.7 °C.
Events
The most important events are the Violina Festival, which takes place between June and July and brings world-famous violinists to the city, and the Blejski dnevi, which takes place at the end of July and is a local craft fair with concerts, shows, and fireworks over the lake.
Lastly, there was the Christmas concert with the torchlight procession along the stretch of water, the New Year’s party with fireworks on the banks, and the classical music concert in the Sala dei Festival to end the year.
How to get to Bled?
The closest airport is in Brnik/Ljubljana, which is about 36 km away. The local train station is on the other side of the lake from the town center, about 5 km away.
If you take the train from Ljubljana and change trains in Jesenice, it takes about an hour and a half. If you take a direct train from Nova Gorica, which is near Gorizia, it only takes a couple of hours to get to Bled.
