I wanted to go to Slovenia to see Lake Bled. It is one of those picture perfect places that you see on Instagram and travel articles that looks like a fairytale. I thought that most people knew of Lake Bled and hoped to see it someday. When I mentioned it to my husband, he had no idea what I was talking about. I mentioned it to friends and family, none of them had heard of Lake Bled either. So, if you haven’t heard of Lake Bled yet, this post should be all the encouragement you need to go check it out!
We started out our trip by flying into Ljubljana, Slovenia. This is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. We decided to spend a few days there before heading to Bled. I had never heard of Ljubljana in my life prior to planning for this trip, and we quickly fell in love with this charming city. The more we explored, the more we wished we’d planned more time in Slovenia.
We came during our winter holidays, so we were prepared for cold weather. And regardless of the weather, the city was bustling! People were everywhere, and dining al fresco was still very much a thing. Heat lamps, blankets, and some warm mulled wine helped to keep people comfortable hanging outside, which is something that we love. If you live in the US, like we do, you probably know that people don’t spend enough time outside. There were also plenty of cozy places to duck in to warm up when needed.
Ljubljana has an impressive castle that overlooks the city. You can access the castle by car, bus, bike, funicular, or walking up to it. We spent the morning exploring the castle and we really enjoyed it. It was nice to have a view of the whole city of Ljubljana from the top, and the castle itself was fun to explore. It was definitely worth the visit.
The city is built on a river canal which makes for very beautiful views all along the water. We took a boat cruise in the evening down the river and we really enjoyed the experience. The boat we booked was run by a lovely couple. We had pre-booked this experience, but you could also buy tickets right on the canal and hop on. We boarded the boat and were served champagne and chocolates upon sitting down. As the tour continued, we were also offered mulled wine. The boat played music and cruised slowly down the river and back, giving us the opportunity to see Ljubljana all lit up at night. Blankets were offered to stay cozy and the ride wasn’t too long. We really enjoyed this experience and would recommend giving it a try.
We were hoping to find a cozy place for dinner and we scored big with a great little wine bar called “Supernatural: Naked Food + Wine”. The wine and food here were excellent, we each tasted a couple of items from the menu. The waiter was very kind and friendly, sharing some recommendations with us for wines we should try and made us feel very welcome.
The second night in town was possibly one of my favorite dinners we’ve ever had abroad. We were walking down the streets checking out menus and noticing a lot of seemingly popular spots all booked up. We walked past a small and unassuming looking place called “Vino & Ribe”. They said they could take two, so we sat down. The man cooking was the same man who took our order. He asked us what we were leaning towards, and we asked him what he recommended. He said if we were okay with it, he would just make us something that we’d love. This is always the kind of adventure I am looking for! Of course we said, “go for it” and he made us the most incredible seafood board and paired it with perfect white wine. We also ordered grilled calamari as a starter. My husband is not a big seafood eater and he still loved everything on the board. I am a huge seafood eater ,and I was in heaven with this meal. I would highly recommend checking this place out if you are in Ljubljana.
We spent most of the rest of our time in Ljubljana wandering around the city, admiring the streets and sights, checking out street art, and sipping on mulled wine or an Aperol spritz. The next morning we were headed to the main event… Lake Bled.
We took a bus from Ljubljana to Lake Bled. The bus ride was quick and pretty. We were so lucky to see snow on the ground throughout the drive and upon our arrival in Bled. We were dropped off at the Bled bus station, but then we quickly realized we were “stuck”. We didn’t know how we’d get to our hotel. Eventually, we found a phone number for a taxi service and scored a ride to our hotel. After spending 2 days in Bled and getting our bearings, we realized we had been very close to the lake and could have easily found transportation, or even walked if we wanted.
Our hotel, Hotel Triglav, was absolutely one of the best things about our stay in Bled. We dream about going back to stay there again. The hotel has an unreal view over the lake and the island in the middle. We had a balcony from which we could see the lake and the mountains. The hotel had a full spa, an amazing restaurant, and plenty of spaces to relax and enjoy the view. Another huge bonus of our hotel was that it had its own wine cellar. On Christmas Eve, we were able to do a wine tasting in the wine cellar with the hotels sommelier. This was a very special experience, we learned so much about Slovenia as a country, and Slovenian wine and spirits. We loved all of the wines that we tried. Dinner was included in our room rate so we ate at the hotel. The dinner was fantastic, and the restaurant has since been acknowledged by the Michelin Guide. On Christmas, we arrived back to the hotel before dinner and we asked for a cheese board. They brought us the most incredible charcuterie board and recommended a bottle of wine to go with it that was perfect for us! Sitting by the fire in the lounge area and snacking on our cheese board before Christmas dinner was one of our favorite parts of the trip. Dinner was incredible, yet again, and we were so thankful for the cozy warm delicious holiday dinner. This hotel provided an incredible experience that we will never forget and we truly hope to return to very soon.
Exploring the town of Bled itself was also a magical experience. We had lunch at Bled Castle on Christmas Day. If you make a reservation at the castle restaurant, you also get free admission to see the castle area. We dined al la carte at the castle, although they do have a tasting menu. The food was excellent and the view has to be one of the best views in all of Bled.
We walked around the lake at least 3 times during our stay and it never got old. It is a stunning walk to go all the way around. We also ran around it for exercise which was so much fun! We took a row boat to check out the island in the middle of the lake, which has a church you can pay to explore. It felt like “The Notebook” rowing the wooden boat out into the middle of the lake. It was a very fun little adventure, we could see how this would be such a great summer activity. When we weren’t eating at our hotel, we also grabbed lunch at Spica. This place had delicious pizza! We also had smoked fish and a charcuterie here and we were very pleased with everything that we had.
Don’t forget to get the famous Bled cake while in Bled! It really is worth the hype and is a very good treat! We ate it at a few different spots, including the restaurant of the original creator of the cake, and all were really good!
We only got to explore this small corner of Slovenia as our trip took us onward to Austria. We can not wait to go back. The people were all so friendly and welcoming, it was easy to get around, we loved the food everywhere we went, and all of sights were amazing. We want to try and come back in Spring or Summer to see Bled again! There is still so much of Slovenia to see as well, from the coastal areas to the Slovenian Alps and everywhere in between. There is an incredible amount to see and do in this small country, and we look forward to returning to see what else Slovenia has to offer us. We will be back!
Plan for me dani 