In my quest to see the world I make it a point to try and visit several new countries a year. While I have seen quite a bit of Western Europe, my exploration of Eastern European has not been as vast. To begin to remedy this imbalance I decided to make a weekend trip to Slovenia, specifically to visit the capital Ljubljana and to see the majestic fairy-tale beauty of Lake Bled.
I love being pleasantly surprised by places I visit, and Ljubljana was definitely one of those well worth it surprises. The city is quite small and very easy to navigate on foot. Ljubljana like many other European cities, offers visitors a free walking tour. I have been on several of these free city walking tours and always find this is the best way to get an overview of the city and make decisions on what exactly you want to explore more in depth afterwards. The tour given in Ljubljana was comprehensive, insightful and educational. This tour is a definite don’t miss in my opinion if you’re visiting the city. Ljubljana’s main city centre is found along the Ljubljanica river. The amount of beautifully landscaped photo opportunities along this river is countless. You can see the castle situated on the hill above the old town; the colourful architecture and the tree lined walks on either side of the river, and the numerous outdoor terraces to sit and enjoy the ambiance of your surroundings.
I love being pleasantly surprised by places I visit, and Ljubljana was definitely one of those well worth it surprises. The city is quite small and very easy to navigate on foot. Ljubljana like many other European cities, offers visitors a free walking tour. I have been on several of these free city walking tours and always find this is the best way to get an overview of the city and make decisions on what exactly you want to explore more in depth afterwards. The tour given in Ljubljana was comprehensive, insightful and educational. This tour is a definite don’t miss in my opinion if you’re visiting the city. Ljubljana’s main city centre is found along the Ljubljanica river. The amount of beautifully landscaped photo opportunities along this river is countless. You can see the castle situated on the hill above the old town; the colourful architecture and the tree lined walks on either side of the river, and the numerous outdoor terraces to sit and enjoy the ambiance of your surroundings.
“The views from the castle are stunning. The view of Bled Island and the Church of the Assumption that completely occupies this island all surrounded the luscious green landscape and the mountains are simply breath taking. “
One of my favourite views was of the Dragon Bridge with a view of the Castle on the hill in the background. As a traveller who tries to see as much as possible of the city I’m visiting I felt that I was able to see everything I set out to see in one day. That included the 2 ½ hour free walking tour, the funicular ride to the top of the castle hill, a tour of the castle, a walk through Metelkova (an “autonomous” alternative culture zone with graffiti decorated buildings, alternative modern sculptures, music clubs, you name it all situated in former military barracks), and an fairly extensive walk through the main part of the city. While I thoroughly enjoyed my exploration of Ljubljana I felt that one full day was more than time enough to get my fill of the city.
I was thankful that I had booked a half day tour the next morning to go to Lake Bled to see Bled Castle and the famous Bled Island. Of course I researched this tour and all the sights I was going to visit, but even pictures couldn’t do the beauty of this place justice. Bled is about a 45 minute drive outside of Ljubljana, situated in the Julian Alps in Northwest Slovenia. My first stop on this tour was the visit to the medieval Bled Castle, which is situated high up on a precipice overlooking the city and the lake. The views from the castle are stunning. The view of Bled Island and the Church of the Assumption that completely occupies this island all surrounded the luscious green landscape and the mountains are simply breath taking. When I arrived there was a slight haze, but before we left the castle the haze had lifted and the sun came out only to make the view even more exquisite.
I was thankful that I had booked a half day tour the next morning to go to Lake Bled to see Bled Castle and the famous Bled Island. Of course I researched this tour and all the sights I was going to visit, but even pictures couldn’t do the beauty of this place justice. Bled is about a 45 minute drive outside of Ljubljana, situated in the Julian Alps in Northwest Slovenia. My first stop on this tour was the visit to the medieval Bled Castle, which is situated high up on a precipice overlooking the city and the lake. The views from the castle are stunning. The view of Bled Island and the Church of the Assumption that completely occupies this island all surrounded the luscious green landscape and the mountains are simply breath taking. When I arrived there was a slight haze, but before we left the castle the haze had lifted and the sun came out only to make the view even more exquisite.
The actual visit to the castle was not that awe inspiring but the visit here for the views are all you should be concerned about. The tour then drove us down from the castle to the lakeside where we took a small boat to the Island. The opposite view here of the castle situated upon the high outcropping with the snow-capped Alps in the background was equally as majestic. I must have taken 30 pictures in hopes that one came out perfectly capturing the view. We were able to visit the church on the island for a small entrance fee, but I chose just to enjoy the beauty and views that were all around me walk around the small island. Our tour ended with about 45 minutes to explore the small town of Bled. I chose to sit out and enjoy the famous Bled Cream Cake and a coffee at an outdoor terrace with the Castle on the hill behind me and the lake and island in front of me. If you do visit Bled- try this cream cake it was super yummy!! I arrived back in Ljubljana with about three hours to occupy, which can be harder to do when all stores are closed on Sunday, you have literally walked the entire city and see all that you wanted and you’ve already checked out of your hotel.
My Slovenian holiday was truly well worth it and I found that the country was truly beautiful. It definitely sparked my curiosity to see more of the Slavic countries. I think Croatia and Montenegro will be on the list for 2015!!
For anyone debating on whether or not to visit this Slovenia – DO IT!!
My Slovenian holiday was truly well worth it and I found that the country was truly beautiful. It definitely sparked my curiosity to see more of the Slavic countries. I think Croatia and Montenegro will be on the list for 2015!!
For anyone debating on whether or not to visit this Slovenia – DO IT!!
