Slovenia.

This was part of a larger European Road Trip - click here for the full itinerary

HOTELS

Hotel Triglav Bled
I am not sure how I even found this hotel, but we were not looking for anything fancy due to the fact that we were only staying two nights. My criteria was a family room that had enough space and beds for us in a good location on the lake. We were so pleasantly surprised, shocked even, at the amazing lake views from our family room balcony! The hotel has a sort of old fashioned charm without feeling crusty. Our room was spacious and the balcony overlooking the lake was perfect. There was a nice breakfast and restaurant on-site, a bit of an older indoor pool and spa in the basement, and parking that was very tight and tricky, but convenient. I honestly wasn’t expecting to like this hotel so much, but I would stay there again.

RESTAURANTS

Old Cellar Bled
We arrived from our long drive from the Dolomites right around dinner time, and I had made a reservation for this restaurant based on reviews, and the fact that it looked like a really cool, original and authentic Slovenian restaurant with warm wood in a stone cellar, perfect for my husband. We had the most amazing dinner on their beautiful outdoor terrace, and the owners really look a liking to us and the kids. They toured us through the original “cellar” part of the restaurant which was really cool. Just lovely people. We sampled the famous Bled cream cake that is famous for the area, and it is a must try! Puff pastry on top, a thick layer of vanilla custard in the middle, more puff pastry on the bottom and finished with powdered sugar. Perfection! It was such a memorable family dinner. Sadly, i just saw on their website that they moved from this location to a newer, larger spot right on the lake. While I am sure it is great still, the old house/cellar charm of this place was really wonderful.

LAKE BLED

You could probably recognize Lake Bled in a photo, with its small island centerpiece with a charming church, Bled Castle perched dramatically on a cliff, and Julian Alp back-drop. It is as whimsical in person, and really took us by surprise. There is a 6km walking path around the lake, perfect for walking or biking or running. My husband woke before us all and walked/ran the loop alone and fell in love with the lake. We really only had one full day here, and we wanted to spend it relaxing on and around the lake, so we did not go to the castle and tour its museum, but our day was fabulous nonetheless.

We went straight to the lake promenade and hired an authentic wooden Pletna boat rowboat to take us over to Bled Island. It was a beautiful, smooth ride. We walked the stone steps to the top of the island where the church was, the kids counting the steps the entire way. We had a coffee and gelato at the top as a reward. We explored more around the lake once back, and had some lunch at a spot we found.

GRAJSKO KOPALISCE (“CASTLE BATHING AREA”)

After lunch we were determined to get in the lake! On the opposite side of the lake, my husband saw a beach club with waterslides, rafts, playgrounds etc right on the lake. The only complicated thing is that this lovely bathing area is right below Bled Castle - we had to drive up the cliff and park in the busy parking area for the castle, and then walk all the way down the cliff via paved paths and stairs (this was steep, be warned!). It was crazy, and a bit unexpected. Once down you pay a fee to get in, but then all of the enjoyment of the lake was at our disposal. We spent the rest of the day here playing on the lake and the kids loved it. Save some energy for that trek back up to the parking haha. Actually, my husband did the trek alone back up to the car, and the kids and I walked along the lake to an area where he was able to pick us up.