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Adventures in Lake Bled: A Magical Weekend Getaway

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When my husband and I moved to Croatia in August 2022, we knew we wanted to spend some time venturing to other European countries to experience an array of other cultures and scenes. So, once we got settled into our new place in Split, we were excited to embark upon our first excursion outside of Croatia.

We decided on Slovenia for a few reasons. First, it is in fairly close-proximity to Split, Croatia (about 5 ½ hours via car), so it was easy for us to rent a car (we used Sixt) and go there for just the weekend. Plus, we enjoy a good road trip! Secondly, after having been in a desert-like, seaside climate in Croatia, this Michigan girl needed some greenery in her life. Lastly, Otto, our adventurous German Shepherd, was craving some off-leash time.

Although he is adjusting to life in Croatia very well, he does not have nearly the freedom or space to run and play that he did in the United States. We figured there would be plenty of opportunity for off-leash romping in the mountains of Slovenia. We also had heard that Slovenia was still fairly “undiscovered” by tourists, which is hard to find nowadays, so it was exciting to us to visit somewhere before it gets overrun by the tourism industry. So, Slovenia was officially chosen and the planning began! If you had asked me before we moved to Europe where Slovenia was on a map, I would have replied with “I don’t know, I’ve never heard of it.” But, let me tell you, we made a great decision in traveling there, because not only did it tick off all of our travel-wish list boxes, but it is in my top five prettiest places I have ever seen on this earth (so far). So, without further ado, let me tell you all about it and our experience there.

Slovenia is a small central-European country that sits directly north of Croatia, east of Italy, south of Austria, and also touches Hungary’s western border. It is known for its stunning mountains, alpine lakes, medieval castles, and endless forests. It has a population of 2.1 million people and the capital city is Ljubljana (pronounced LOO-BEE-AH-NUH). Aside from Ljubljana, other notable places to visit are Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj, and Triglav (TREE-GLAV) National Park. One thing I want to mention, is that if you plan on driving through any part of Slovenia, you will need a vignette, which is a special digital pass that is required to drive on their highways. You can get one at any gas station in Slovenia or you can purchase them online. They are about €15 and the fine if you are caught driving without one is very high (anywhere from €300 – €800).  So, make sure you don’t forget to do that!

Family photo on the shores of Lake Bled.

Since we only had time for a weekend getaway, we opted for the popular Lake Bled. Situated about 1 hour outside of the capital city and on the edge of the Triglav National Park, Lake Bled is an area that is perfectly balanced between nature and the amenities of a city. The town of Bled borders the eastern side of the lake and boasts lots of restaurants, cafes, and shops. There is a mostly-flat walking path that goes around the entire lake, which allows you to see it’s natural beauty from all sorts of angles.

If you are walking at a leisurely pace, the walk will probably take several hours, so make sure you are wearing comfortable shoes. If walking isn’t your thing, or you are looking for something a little more special, opt for a horse-drawn carriage ride around the lake. It costs €50 and you can hire the carriage in the town of Bled. One thing will remain constant during your walk (or ride) around the lake – the island in the middle, which is home to the Assumption of Maria Church. The church is so old that it dates back to the 12th century! You’ll hear the church’s bell ring quite frequently during the summer months, since tourists can make a wish and then ring the bell to make their wish come true.

Andy & Emily take SUPs to the island in the middle of Lake Bled. Photo taken on GoPro Hero 9, which is waterproof!

There are several ways to get to the island. We opted to rent SUPs from a beach area on the north side of the lake for €20 each (for 1 ½ hours) and paddle to the island. If you’re a rookie at stand-up-paddleboards like I was, it’s okay. There are no motors allowed on the lake, so the water remains fairly calm, which makes for a smooth paddle. And, if you’re there when the weather is warm, it can actually be quite refreshing if you do fall into the crystal clear, blue, FRESH water. I can assure you of that, because I definitely fell. Not my most graceful moment, but it was refreshing we laughed about it a lot. Another way to get to the island is to rent a row boat or hire a traditional wooden boat, also known as a pletna, to take you there.

Bled Castle as a hot air balloon passes by. Photo taken by Emily, owner of Through MI Lens Photography.

Aside from the church on the island, there is another famous landmark that simply cannot be ignored. Bled Castle sits perched on a cliffside 426 feet (130 meters) above the lake. Bled Castle is a medieval castle that is over 1,000 years old and dates back to the year 1004. Today it houses a museum, several restaurants & cafes, a paper printing shop, a souvenir shop, and one of the most gorgeous views of the lake below. There are several ways to reach the castle. We opted for the hike. The trail begins from the lake’s walking trail and is just over half a mile long (1km) and has an elevation gain of 328 feet (100 meters). It is definitely not easy, but is well worth it once you reach the top. If you decide to drive to the castle, there is a large parking lot at the top or you can opt to take a taxi from the town of Bled. The entry fee to get into Bled Castle is €13 per person for adults and €8.50 per child (as of when we visited in September 2022).

Once we were inside this fairytale castle, we ate lunch and shared a bottle of rose at the main restaurant. Our table was right on the edge of the castle with an unobstructed view of the entire lake, the surrounding mountains, and the town below. After lunch we wandered through the museum and the printing shop before beginning our trek back down the mountainside to reality below.

As I mentioned earlier, although Slovenia isn’t completely known to the world yet as a travel destination, there are still a lot of tourists there in the summertime. Our final morning of staying in Bled, Andy, Otto, and I got up early to avoid the crowds and hike a trail that I had previously heard about. This is where Otto was excited to be a “free puppy” off-leash as well. The trail was called Mala Osojnic. According to the All Trails app, it is a 1.1 mile out-and-back trail with an elevation climb of 580 feet. All Trails also describes the trail as moderately difficult, but with a beautiful look-out at the top.

So, the three of us set out one beautiful Sunday morning in September towards the trailhead. Within about 5 minutes, we knew the trail would be more difficult than we had originally thought, but we kept moving forward. Otto’s off-leash dreams came to an end once we neared the end/top of the trail, because of how narrow the trail became and how steep the edge of the trail was. At one time, Andy put Otto in between his legs to keep Otto safer as they continued to walk. We couldn’t go any further with Otto when we reached a ladder on a cliffside.

Although he knows lots of tricks, climbing a ladder up the side of a mountain is not one of them and now was not the time to learn. So, Andy and I took turns going up the ladder solo to see the scenic overlook at the top. The view was well-worth the difficult hike. Below was the stunning blue lake and across the lake on the other side was the Bled Castle with a vibrant hot air balloon gracefully gliding over it. Those things coupled with the early morning light made for one hell of a peaceful moment. Then came the trek back down the mountain. Eventually we came upon an open grassy field, where Otto was once again let off-leash and chased his favorite red ball.

Extremely steep hiking on the Mala Osojnic trail. Andy is the best dog dad and helped guide Otto safely down the mountain.

After our hike, we headed back to our Airbnb and packed up our things. We knew we would be making a few pit-stops along the drive home, but weren’t quite sure where yet. I should mention that on the drive to Slovenia, we had seen some beautiful churches perched up in the mountains that we thought would be cool to visit with our drone. So, we began our drive back towards Croatia. We were barely 30 minutes into the drive when a white church caught my eye way in the distance. We decided to get off the highway to try to find it. Not knowing what the church was called, I used good ‘ole Google Maps and searched “churches near me.”

Being in Europe, of course a ton showed up on the map, but I picked the one that looked the furthest into the mountains, and before we knew it Google Maps was rerouting us to it. The drive up to the church was magical. We went through lush forests, a town called Kropa, and then up several steep switchbacks before we arrived at St. Primus and Felician Church. We parked down the street (no cars are allowed to drive the lane up to the church) and began our walk. Otto was curious about the goats with bells grazing in the distance, but luckily left them relatively undisturbed.

St. Primus and Felician Church located in Kranj, Slovenia.

The walk to the church was down a two-track dirt lane with steep grassy hills on either side. The scenery was stunning and we pinched ourselves to ensure that we weren’t dreaming. The church itself is white, which beautifully contrasts with the mountain range behind it. It was built sometime around 1501, which is cool to think about! After taking some photos with our drone and Nikon Z6 camera, we walked back to the car and continued on our way back to Croatia. Of course, there were various other stops throughout the day, but that concluded our time in Slovenia. I’m sure it won’t be long until we go back and explore another beautiful part of this stunning country! For more from the Meandering Michiganders, check out our YouTube vlog about this trip and subscribe to @MeanderingMichiganders on YouTube!

Notable places we ate and drank:

Bled Castle – We chose this place more for the stunning views than the food, but the food ended up being great as well, although it was a little more expensive because of the atmosphere.

Arroi Restaurant and Lounge – This place had great Thai food and friendly service!

Old Cellar Bled – We tried Slovenian orange wine, a traditional Slovenian meat and cheese platter, and had the BEST roasted chicken. For dessert we had the lava cake that came with various fruit sauces and gelato on the side as well.

Market by the Lake – A trip to Lake Bled would not be complete without eating Bled Cream Cake and, although you can get cream cake at a lot of places in Bled, this place definitely does it right! We ordered this locally famous dessert and paired it with iced coffees!

Where we stayed:

Airbnb – CasaBLED Big 135m2 in center – a very lovely, clean, and spacious two-bedroom apartment. The balcony was also amazing. We had views of the mountains from the balcony and there was a table, chairs, and umbrella to use as well.

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