It feels strange looking back on this holiday as it was one of the last times we travelled before lockdown began. The idea of cramming onto an aeroplane and sharing a buffet breakfast with hundreds of other tourists doesn’t seem quite so appealing now!
I had always wanted to go to Lake Bled and January was the perfect time for a weekend visit! We were really lucky with the weather as it was cold but nice and sunny.
WHERE TO STAY?
We stayed in the Rikli Balance Hotel right in the centre of Bled and I would definitely recommend staying here if you are thinking of going.
The location is perfect as it is only a 5 minute walk to the centre. The hotel itself is set above the lake giving beautiful views over the water and of the mountains.
We stayed in a standard double room with a balcony. The hotel is designed with the environment and sustainability in mind and this is reflected in the décor of the hotel. Our floor was themed around the Carniolan Honey Bee!
THE SPA
One of the main reasons I chose this hotel was for the swimming pool and spa area. It is amazing!
There are 6 different pools you can use within the pool complex! Some are outside overlooking the lake and others inside. There is also a waterslide so you can relive those Centre Parks holidays!
I loved sitting in the jacuzzi looking out over the lake and mountains.
The pool area wasn’t too busy when we visited, although it may get more crowded during the school holidays. There were a few school groups visiting for swims but the place is so big it isn’t really a problem!
We also treated ourselves to a massage at the spa. I had the honey massage and it was so relaxing!
WHERE TO EAT IN LAKE BLED
We had the buffet breakfast at the hotel which was pretty good. It was quite standard in terms of the food offered, but it was tasty and there was a wide variety. You could get a cooked breakfast, fruit, cereal, toast, yoghurt, cheese and meats.
For dinner we ate at two different restaurants.
This restaurant is right on the edge of the lake and has a great outside deck. The owner said it gets packed in Spring/Summer but we had it all to ourselves! There were fire pits and chairs with cosy blankets so we had some wine and watched the sunset over the lake. I was glad of the blankets and fire to keep nice and warm!
We moved inside to eat and there was a really good choice of main meals. Most of the dishes in Slovenia were meat heavy. I had Goulash with some fresh crusty bread – it’s not normally something I would go for in the UK but it was really warming and filling after a cold day outside!
We ate here on the second night (we had to reserve a spot here the night before). It is a Mediterranean/ Italian restaurant but still served Slovenian dishes. It is a little more expensive than the restaurant from the previous night. I had the Tuna and it was delicious. The restaurant has a really cosy interior and the owner was super friendly. It was only a few minutes walk back to the hotel at the end of the night.
Writing this in sunny lockdown makes it hard to imagine wanting a hot chocolate to warm up! But these hot chocolates were perfect after a long walk around the Lake!
You also have to try the famous Bled Cake which we ate over looking the Lake. It is a sweet cream cake with pastry on top and is delicious!
Public and Vegan Kitchen
We ate here twice for lunch the food was so good! Inside it feels a bit like an English pub and all food is vegan. We had amazing veggie burgers and vegan quiche and the portions were a good size!
THINGS TO DO IN LAKE BLED
Bled itself isn’t huge but there are lots of out door activities you can enjoy, especially if you have good weather.
Mala Osojnica
I would really recommend this walk for the amazing views you get at the top! It is quite a steep climb up and as a warning there aren’t barriers/stairs to get there so it’s probably best to avoid this one if you aren’t steady on your feet. At the final part there is a really long set of narrow stairs – when you see this you’ll know you’re nearly there!
We took a trip to the castle on our last morning in Bled. It was quite a steep climb up but there is a car park there if you have a car or want to take a taxi. You can reach the castle directly from the centre of Bled. It took about 20 minutes to walk there.
It costs 13 EUR for a ticket but you get a discount with a student card.
I would recommend a trip here but it probably isn’t top of my list. The castle wasn’t super impressive for me, but I am comparing it to castles I have visited in the UK which are far bigger!
You can wander around the castle courtyards and also visit the castle chapel, tower and museum.
The castle offers amazing views over the lake so it is a great photo spot!
Bled Island
I would put this at the top of your to-do list for a trip to Lake Bled. There weren’t many other tourists there so we almost had the Island (and Lake!) to ourselves.
We took a boat with a few other tourists from the jetty at the bottom of our hotel which cost 12 Euros each. It took about 10 minutes to get there and then we had about 50 minutes on the island to explore. It was plenty of time as the Island is quite small.
You can pay to visit the Church on the island and the clock tower, but we decided to just explore the grounds. You can walk around the edge of the Island and there is wooden decking where you can sit down at the edge of the water.
There is a café on the island for coffee and cake too!
Walking
There is lots of opportunity for walking around Bled. We only had a few days there so we walked around the Lake. It took us about two hours but we weren’t walking very fast!
It was a really lovely walk and of course a perfect chance to take loads of photos! It reminded me a bit of my trip to Montreux and walking around Lake Geneva!
Other Activities
If you are in Bled for a bit longer or there in the summer there is lots of opportunity for other outdoor activites. We stopped by one of the activity centres in the town and we looked into doing a day trip for snow shoeing!
In the summer you can visit Triglav National Park and do a waterfall trip which sounded amazing!
HOW TO GET TO LAKE BLED
We flew direct to Ljubljana from the UK. Flights weren’t too expensive as we went in the low season.
I looked into different options to get from the airport to our hotel. One option is to get a bus via Ljubljana but this took a few hours and I wanted to maximise our time at the hotel and in Bled. In the end I booked a taxi transfer with Bled Taxi. It cost 45 Euros each way and took about half an hour. The taxi company were reliable and on time so I would recommend reaching out to them if you want a private transfer too.
I hope you have found this post useful if you are planning a trip to Slovenia! Or maybe I have inspired you to visit Lake Bled instead!