The perfect romance in Bled

When you get to Bled, you will immediately feel why almost everyone who comes to Slovenia (and even those that just see the photo, e.g. Jennifer Gartner) wants to experience this image of paradise. The peaks of the Julian Alps and the Karawanks can be seen reflected in the blue-green lake, in the middle of which floats the only Slovenian island with a Gothic church.

It is best to experience the lake at the sunrise or sunset. After the walk, you must treat yourself to a Bled cream cake called kremšnita. This year you will enjoy Bled in autumn without the typical hustle and bustle, in a completely unique and intimate way. You can admire the iconic Slovenian image that has become world-famous on a bicycle, by boat or on foot. However, Bled is so much more than imago paradisi. Explore its surroundings using Bled Green Ways. Green Bled has been a member of the Alpine Pearls for the promotion of sustainable mobility since 2008. Bled holds a gold label under the Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism, and in 2019 it was selected as the second-best place in sustainable development in Europe within the Green Destinations international non-governmental project. Autumn is ideal to experience the Bled Local Selection, comprised of providers of excellent sustainable experiences and products, of which the people of Bled are especially proud. Relax your senses and breathe in the fresh air that blows beneath the mighty peaks of the Alps. Experience Bled like a local.

Magic Bled is always active

Everything in Bled is sustainable and active. The six-kilometre trail around the lake can fill more than half of your day with its many authentic experiences, views and sights along the way.

Enjoy coffee for an hour by the lake or make your way to Bled Castle, which offers beautiful views from a high rocky cliff. You can hear your thoughts when you take a smooth ride on a pletna boat operated by an oarsman to the small island in the middle of the lake. Bled's wooden vessels have an exceptional tradition, which has been passed down from generation to generation since as far back as 1590. It can only be experienced in Bled, where it is still the only organised and fully sustainable way of transport on the lake. On the 600th anniversary of the Habsburg Monarchy, Emperor Franz Joseph I himself took a ride on a pletna around Bled. The construction of these boats (pletnarstvo) among the Logar family, who were one of the first to have mastered this ancient craft and have improved it with modern techniques, has been passed down for three generations. You can also admire the Slovenian island from a carriage, with horse-drawn carriages (fijaker) that can take you on a romantic ride. You can also cycle around Bled and its surroundings. To get to know this idyllic place, which will always impress you with different shades of green and blue combined with hints of Alpine white, the town has set up Bled Green Ways, a system for automated traditional or electric bicycle rental. You will love the simple bike rental service, which will make it easier for you to experience Bled while getting a bit of daily exercise.

Bled salutes the tradition of alternative medicine

Do you know the Swiss healer who built the first natural health resort in Bled in mid-19th century? Arnold Rikli used fresh water, clean air and Alpine light for treatment and became a legend of Bled's health resort tourism. Tradition and the local story are revived in the sustainability-oriented Rikli Balance Hotel, where guests' health and well-being are ensured with natural materials that breathe together with visitors and local stories. The hotel rooms teach you about the tradition of breeding the Carniolan honey bee, the creation of embroidery in Gorenjska, the nostalgic craft of gingerbread baking, the life of spruce trees on the nearby Pokljuka plateau, and the story of Arnold Rikli.

The Bled legend was also the inspiration for a special line of Bled Local Selection products. According to Rikli's principles, Zakistar massage flip-flops are designed using natural materials. Put on this footwear, in which small river pebbles from the Sava River are interweaved to provide a therapeutic foot massage, and relax by wearing them on a walk outdoors—if it is too cold to take a refreshing dip in the lake.

Local, authentic, delicious with the Bled Local Selection brand

The beautiful landscape around the lake has been shaped by farms for thousands of years, with livestock grazing on pastures in the valleys and surrounding plateaus for part of the year. Quality cow's milk from twenty-two family farms is processed into the local culinary specialty Bled cheese. Did you know that cheese sprinkled with honey is a healthy dessert? You can make it yourself, as the sweet Bled honey is produced in a traditional and sustainable way by beekeepers from Bled and Gorje. Indigenous Carniolan bees are buzzing in meadows, orchards and forests, diligently producing their delightfully sweet honey. If not on cheese, you can taste it in every sip of tea made from a diverse mixture of flavours. Welcome to Mateja's Garden of Tastes, which will immediately embrace you with the feeling of green Zen with Mateja, the most famous Bled herbalist, gardener and author of excellent cookbooks. She gathers and dries the herbs she uses depending on the time of year. Her garden flower, a mixed herbal tea, is made from carefully handpicked and dried herbs, fragrant rose flowers and shrub leaves. Every sip of the tea embodies the taste of the Bled countryside. A must-try dessert is the Bled cream cake, a local specialty since 1953. It is made by hand, with carefully selected local ingredients and a legendary recipe that arouses your cravings with every bite. Treat yourself to it at the Park Café with a beautiful view of Lake Bled.

Idyllic nature with exciting experiences

On Saturdays in Bled you can enjoy the lively atmosphere of local farmers. Every second Saturday of the month, the Bled market and its home-made delicacies in the yard of the Bled cooperative Rečica fills you with positive energy and fresh vitamins. A guided tour of Bled with a local guide takes place every Monday. You can admire the most beautiful natural and cultural sights on a walk along the lake promenade and around the old village centre. Bled with the Julian Alps area offers a number of exciting experiences using the Julian Alps: Bled digital card. Every visitor staying at least two nights in Bled in an accommodation provided by a Tourism Bled partner receives this card free of charge. The digital card provides many opportunities and benefits for you to experience Bled and its surroundings. A range of activities and hospitality services will also be easily accessible with the digital card. As Bled is one of the greenest destinations in Slovenia, the card is only available in digital form, which you can download to your phone. Welcome to the colourful autumn of Bled!

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