I had been talking to my good friend wiz (isabelle) about the possibility of meeting up somewhere in europe to share a few days of hiking. One day she messaged me asking about my plans, I told her about heading to slovenia and funnily enough she and her boyfriend had been checking out flights to Croatia.
We planned to meet at Lake bled, probably the most iconic spot in slovenia, and spend the next three days together. We didn’t know what exactly we would do but we wanted to do some hiking and hopefully spend a night in a more remote mountain hut.
I Arrived in Lake bled a few hours before Wiz and her Boyfriend, so I ditched my things at our hostel, walked around town and found some lunch.
walking around town
The blue-green water
The alpine color of this lake has made it one of Slovenia’s top destinations for centuries, evident today by a castle with homes of past aristocracy placed around the lake. A summer retreat for all this lake offers swimming, kayaking and traditional wooden row boats called pletna.
A walking path circumnavigates the entire lake and at end of the lake opposite to where the town of bled lies is a hike that offers a great sunset view. Along the main boardwalk in town are a few cafes and plenty of space to sit at the lakes edge with your feet in the cool, clear water.
vegan burger for Lunch
hungry after a few days of hiking I treated myself to a vegan burger at a place called public bar & vegan kitchen. I remember it being quite hard to pick something off the menu. I think this is the place if you are looking for vegan food in lake bled.
People Watching
After hiking alone for a few days, lake bled felt very touristy. I sat in the shade under this tree for a while and watched my fellow tourists walking by. SOME IN SWIMSUITS holding ICE CREAM CONES, OTHERS DOLLED UP IN FANCY CLOTHES OUT FOR LUNCH. THE BUSINESS DIDN’T DISTRACT FROM THE BEAUTY OF THIS SPOT, THOUGH i WOULD BE READY TO GET BACK INTO THE MOUNTAINS TOMORROW.
I sat under this tree a little while longer until my friends finally arrived and came to find me here.
The Castle
a medieval castle sits on a hill above the city of bled and the lake. My friends AND i WERE NOT sure it WAS WORTH THE 10 EURO ENTRANCE FEE, BUT WE WENT FOR IT AND THE VIEWS ALONE WERE WORTH IT. tHE CASTLE IS PERFECTLY POSITIONED OVER THE MAGICAL LAKE BLED.
The view from the castle is not simply of the lake, but of the swimming pool and most iconic of all, the church in the middle of the lake. Both photographed below
The Iconic Church
Lake bled in its own right, in the color of its waters, is spectacular. However, what makes it extra special is a church sitting in the middle of the lake. The church of Mary The Queen.
The Swimming Pool - Grajsko Kopalisce
Translated to english this pool is called the castle bathing area, referencing its location just below the castle rock. It is the only designated outdoor bathing area on the lake and includes waterslides, trampolines, jumping board, a sandbox and table tennis.
We didn’t visit this pool, but from the castle it was beautiful to watch tiny people below swimming and lounging. Their pricing is interesting: 7 euros for the whole day, 6 for after noon and 4 euros after 5pm. Something for everyone there.
I did hear that at the far side of the lake, opposite the city, is another popular swimming area - a public beach called Velika Zaka. The beach is a small stretch of sand accompanied by a grassy area with chairs and umbrellas, but the view of the julian alps must be amazing from that end of the lake.
evening stroll along the lake
tHIS LAKE DESERVES MULTIPLE WALKS ALONG ITS BANKS. aFTER DINNER WE WENT FOR AN EVENING STROLL, SAW NEW SLIVER OF LITTLE MOON RISE, WATCHING TINY FISH SWIM, SAT IN A TRADITIONAL WOODEN ROW BOAT AND CHATTED FOR A WHILE.
good night, good bye lake bled
We spent the night at The traveler’s haven hostel. It was clean, affordable, we made friends in the dorm for a lovely bed time chat. It also offered parking which was important for my friends who had rented a car, though their parking was full when my friends arrived.
the only time we spent there was sleeping so I can’t say much, but I would recommend it anyways.
