Lake Bled has an island in the middle of it with a church on it, and the only way to reach the island is to be rowed. The pletna is a flat-bottomed boat with a canopy, propelled standing with two oars, and the right to operate one has been held by a limited number of families since 1740 and passes down through them.
There is no engine and no ferry. That is not a heritage performance, it is how the crossing works, and it takes about twenty-five minutes each way with time on the island between.
Bled, and the rest of a small country
Slovenia is about 20,000 square kilometres — smaller than Wales — and it goes from the Julian Alps to the Adriatic in under two hours' drive. That compactness is the argument for it: you can do mountains, a capital and a coast in four days without rushing.
Bled sits at 500 metres below the Alps, with the lake, the island, a castle on a cliff above it and a walking path all the way round.
Bohinj, twenty minutes further into the mountains, is the bigger, wilder lake inside Triglav National Park with a fraction of the visitors.
Ljubljana, an hour southeast, is a capital of about 290,000 with a car-free centre, a river with bridges by Jože Plečnik, and a castle on a hill. It is one of the most pleasant small capitals in Europe and it is genuinely under-visited.
The Karst and the coast are another hour on: the Postojna and Škocjan cave systems, and Piran, a Venetian town on a peninsula.
The seven below are grouped by that.
Bled
The lake, the island and the castle.
Grand Hotel Toplice occupies a lakefront position facing the island directly, operating since 1875, with a terrace over the water, a thermal indoor pool and the cream cake that the town is known for. Ask for a lake-facing room; the rear rooms face the road.
Grand Hotel Toplice
Bled lakefront · 5★ · $$$
A terrace facing the island directly, since 1875
Check availabilityVila Bled sits in a 1947 building that was Tito's summer residence, in a park on the quieter southern shore, with a private lakefront and interiors from the period. It is the most unusual place to stay in Slovenia.
Hotel Triglav occupies a lakeside site with a spa, a pool and rooms facing the water at a lower rate than the historic properties.
Hotel Triglav
Bled lakeside · 4★ · $$
Lake-facing rooms below the historic-property rates
Check availabilityBohinj and the mountains
Twenty minutes further, inside the national park.
Slovenia Eco Resort sits at the eastern end of Lake Bohinj with a spa, a pool and the mountains directly behind. It is the base for Triglav and it is much quieter than Bled.
Slovenia Eco Resort
Lake Bohinj · 4★ · $$
Spa and pool with Triglav directly behind
Check availabilityLjubljana
An hour southeast. The car-free capital.
InterContinental - Ljubljana by IHG occupies a tower on the edge of the old town with a rooftop bar and restaurant looking across the city to the castle and the Alps. It is the best hotel in the country's capital.
InterContinental - Ljubljana by IHG
Ljubljana old town edge · 5★ · $$$
Rooftop bar across the city to the castle and the Alps
Check availabilityVander Urbani Resort - a Member of Design Hotels sits in the middle of the old town in five linked medieval houses with a rooftop pool over the river, designed by a Slovenian architecture practice. It is the most design-led hotel here.
Vander Urbani Resort - a Member of Design Hotels
Ljubljana old town · 4★ · $$$
Five linked medieval houses with a rooftop pool
Check availabilityGrand Hotel Union Eurostars occupies a restored 1905 building on Prešeren Square with a spa and the most central position in the city.
Grand Hotel Union Eurostars
Prešeren Square · 4★ · $$
A restored 1905 building in the centre of the capital
Check availabilityWhat we have left off
The apartments and pensions around Bled are excluded, and around the lake they are the standard accommodation. They are apartments and guest houses rather than hotels.
What to do
Take a pletna to the island and ring the bell in the church, which is what you are supposed to do, and walk the 99 steps up from the jetty.
Walk round the lake, which takes about ninety minutes on a flat path, and climb to the Ojstrica or Mala Osojnica viewpoints on the western side for the view that appears on every photograph of Bled. It is a steep twenty minutes and it is worth it.
Go up to Bled Castle on the cliff for the museum and the printing press.
Drive or cycle to Bohinj and take the cable car up Vogel for the Triglav massif, or walk to the Savica waterfall.
In Ljubljana, walk the centre, take the funicular to the castle, and eat at the market and the restaurants along the river. Slovenian food has improved sharply and the country now holds several stars.
Practical notes
Ljubljana airport is 20 minutes from Bled and 25 from the capital, which is unusually convenient. Venice is two and a half hours by road, Vienna four.
May, June and September are ideal. July and August are busy at Bled. Winter has skiing at Vogel and Kranjska Gora and the lake sometimes freezes.
Slovenia is compact and the roads are good. A car makes everything easy.
Explore 4 & 5 Star Lake Bled and Slovenia Hotels
Questions people actually ask
Can you row yourself to the island?
You can hire a rowing boat, or take a pletna, which is the traditional crossing and operated by families who have held the right since 1740.
Bled or Bohinj?
Bled for the island and the castle, Bohinj for mountains, quiet and swimming. Twenty minutes apart.
Is Ljubljana worth two nights?
Yes. It is car-free in the centre, walkable in an afternoon and considerably better for food than its size suggests.
How many nights?
Four. Two at the lakes and two in the capital.