Lake Bled - A Slovenian fairytale
We had an opportunity to visit Lake Bled in Slovenia in Mar, 2018.
The place is simply amazing. It is one of the most picturesque locations we have seen, so far. The church on the island in the middle of the lake truly gives it a fairy-tale like feel.
The walk around the lake takes around 1 hour, and is highly recommended. It is so relaxing to walk around the lake, and the experience of an early morning jog around the lake is not to be missed. There are hotels on all sides of the lake most of which have a nice view of the castle, e.g. the pics below show the views from Villa Istra, Grand Hotel Toplice and Vila Bled, respectively. Bled is like a 40 min drive form Ljubljana, so day trips to Lake Bled are also possible, however try to stay at least a day so you can truly appreciate the beauty of the place.
To reach Bled Island, you need take one of the beautifully decorated boats from the shore below. A ride to the island and back takes around 10 Euros per person.
The way it works is that they take you by boat to the island, where you can stay for 2-3 hours, and then take the boat back to the shore. Below is where the boats are docked at the island.
Finally, walking around the lake, you will reach a point which is the starting point to hike up to to Bled Castle. Half of the hike consists of unpaved paths, so be careful if you are doing it in winter. There is a restaurant at the top, souvenir shops, and you will be rewarded with some nice panoramic views of the castle.