Bled

Places of Interest - Slovenia

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introduction

Perhaps Bled with its beautiful romantic setting and it’s lake, island and castle is THE attraction of Slovenia. The town is surrounded by the high peaks of the Julius Alps and it has more than enough activities to keep you occupied for at least a few days. For that reason, the resort-town is packed with tourists from all corners of the world in every season.

But do not let that stop you - Bled is a "must" see on your journey in Slovenia and will enchant you with its unique panorama with its picturesque church on the island, the almost hanging castle on a cliff and his warm waters for visitors and pilgrims for centuries. A few kilometers outside the famous town is the Vintgar gorge - a beautiful 1.7 km long trail partly laid out on wooden jetties and gangways.

The route runs through a gorge with a sometimes wild river and ends with an amazing waterfall.

highlights

Bled lake, island and castle:

You can take a circle-walk of 6 km around the beautiful lake without having to climb - of course you can take a ride in a tourist wagon with a traditional coachman or with a tourist train. In this way you can see the beautiful lake from different sides with its warm water, the romantic little island with its church and the almost hanging castle which is located on a large bare rock.

The view of the castle is a "must" - you do not have to enter the castle - you can simply take a walking path next to it. The castle is truly Medieval with castle walls, towers and a real moat and dates back to the 18th century when the Bishop of Brixen lived here.

You can also visit the island in different ways - one of the most common and romantic is taking a gondola - you can also rent a boat and take the ride yourself in a rented boat. If you are interested you can sleep and eat in the "old" house of Tito "himself" - it is Villa Bled.

Entrance fee castle: 8 euro (2013).

Vintgar gorge:

It is a walk of over an hour through beautiful rolling country from Bled to the Vintgar gorge. You walk through a very narrow gap where hardly any light (and sun) comes along the sometimes wild river coming from the branch of the Radovna river.

It is an almost 2 km long walking route along wooden gangways and bridges partly laid out against the steep cliffs of the gorge. When and where the water lays still, you can see the clearness of the stream - rocks, stones and fish are very visible and remind you of the Caribbean Sea.

At the end of the route is the 14 meter high waterfall Sum and you can decide to walk back the same way or take another route back to Bled. Definitely worth it, but it can get quite busy and when it rains it is dangerously slippery. - entrance fee: 4 euros (2013).

Bled-Vintgar-Gorge-Waterfall-Sum-Walkways-Wooden-Slovenia-national-Park

history

The area where Bled is located has been inhabited since the Mesolithic times. The Romans had little attention for it since it didn’t lay on the important traderoutes. The castle of Bled was first mentioned in a text dated in the year of 1004 when it was donated to Bishop of Bixen by Emperor Henry II.

For the pilgrims the town was known for centuries because of its warm water, its beauty and the beautiful church on the island. At one time in history the lake was almost drained and used for making stones but in the 20th century a Swiss doctor called Rikli saw the possibilities here and luckily prevented it. He opened a number of (hot) baths and was lucky when the railway from Ljubljana to Travisio was laid. More and more people found their way to beautiful Bled and it became a holiday resort for the European elite.

Just like the breakup of the Austrian-Hungarian empire in 1918, Slovenia became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and Bled became the summer residence of the Royal House Karadordevic. During World War II (for Yugoslavia: 1941-1945) this part of Slovenia annexation under the name Oberkrainburg was annexed by Nazi Germany and the city was called Veldes again. President Tito of the Yugoslav Federation had his summer palace built here.

It is still here, lays about a kilometer from the campsite and is called Villa Bled.

tips & advice (2013)

Bled - Kransjka Gorda: I took the bus (3.60 euros -half hour) to Jesenice and I had a lift to Kransjka within 5 minutes (hitchhike).

There are a number of kebab- and other fast eateries in Bled and dozens of "expensive" restaurants and cafes. If you still want to drink a "normal" beer for a reasonable price then sit at the Tiger bar next to the bus station. You can also buy (in the late season) beer at the supermarket and take a seat on the wooden benches.

Name: Camping Bled

Address: Kidriceva Cesta 10c

Price: 10.13 euro per night (including tourist tax 0.50 per day and registration fee - one-off 1 euro)

Phone nr. : 575 20 00

Website: www.camping-bled.com

Content:

A great campsite on a green spot right in front of the center of Bled. The laundry rooms are clean, the staff (available 24 hours) is perfect and there is a restaurant, cafe and plenty of activities for the children nearby. The prices are also reasonable - the only thing that can irritate you are the large crowds of people at the campsite and/or maybe the reasonable long walk from the busstop (or road).

Another disadvantage may be that there is not really a lobby or a seating (public) area when it becomes chilly (and dark) in the early and/or late season. For the rest it is fine - it is quiet, green, tidy, there are a number of machines for coffee and snacks and t’s clean. You can also rent cabanas (even with a "love" arrangement) with an outdoor jacuzzi.