BLED SLOVENIA 

With immense natural beauty, Bled, together with its surroundings, ranks among the most beautiful alpine resorts, renowned for its mild, healing climate and thermal lake water. The beauty of the mountains reflected on the lake Bled, the sun, the serenity and the fresh air arouse pleasant feelings in visitors throughout the year, guaranteeing an ideal base or a relaxing break or an active holiday. Bled attracts businessmen, artists, athletes, explorers, sport enthusiasts, the old and the young, from all over the world, enchanting them to return again and again.

Bled: Altitude 501 m, Castle Hill 604 m, Mt. Straža 646 m. Bled: number of inhabitants 5476. Tourist capacity 4000 beds. Lake Bled: altitude 475 m, length 2120 m, width 1380 m, area 144 ha, maximum depth 30.6 m, maximum annual water temperature is 26°C.

Bled climate:
Bled is a mild, healthy sub-Alpine climate with the longest swimming season of any Alpine resort. The ridges of the Julian Alps and the Karavanke protect it from the chilly northern winds. During the summer months there is no fog. The average monthly temperature in July is 19°C and in January -1.7°C.

 

BLED SIGHTS

Bled castle
Perched on a steep cliff more than 100m above the lake, the castle Bled is how most people imagine medieval forts to be - with towers, ramparts, moats and a terrace offering magnificient views on a clear day. The Bled castle, which is built on two levels, dates back to the 11th century (although most of what stands here now is from the 16th century) and for 800 ayears was the seat of the Bishops of Brixen.
The baroque southern wing houses a museum collection that traces the history of the Lake Bled and its settlements from the Bronze Age to the mid-19th century. None of the furniture is original to the castle, but it helps give you an idea of how the leisured class lived in the Middle Ages. There is a large collection of armour and weapons (swords, halberds and firearmes from the 16th to 18th centuries), jewellery found at the early Slav burial pits at pristava, and a few interesting carvings, including a 16th-century one of the overworked St Florian, dousing yet another conflagration. The smallish 16th-century Gothic chapel, strewn with coins and notes left by favour-seekers, contains a painting of castle donor Henry II and his wife Kunigunda above the altar.
On the way to Bled castle you can visit the neo-GothicParish Church of St Martin, designed by Friedrich von Schmidt, who also did the city hall and Votive Church in Vienna, in 1905. Outside there is a small shrine designed by Jože Plečnik.

Bled island
The tiny, tear-shaped island, the onlytrue one in Slovenia, has been the site of a Christian church since the 9th century. But excavations have shown that the early Slavs worshipped at a pagan temple here at least a century before that.
Getiing to the island is half the fun. The easiest way is to climb aboard one of the hand-propelled gondolas (Pletna). You get about half and hour to explore the island and, in all, the trip takes about 1 1/2 hours. The boat sets you down on the island south side at a monumental South Staricase built in 1655. As you walk up you will pass the Chaplain House and the Provost house from the 17th and 18th centuries with the Brixen bishops coat of arms on the facade.
The baroque Church of the Assumption dating from the 17th century contains some fresco fragments from the 14th century, a large gold altar and, under the floor of the nave, part of the apse of the pre-Romanesque chapel, the only one in Slovenia. Out side is a 15th-century belfry with a "wishing bell" that visitors can ring if they want to ask a favour. Naturally everyone and their grandmother does it - again and again and again.

Vintgar Gorge
The River Radovna cut a 1.6 km gorge, called Vintgar, between Hom and Boršt. The Vintgar gorge is surrounded by steep slopes, densely forested with beech and embellished by the waterfalls, pools and rapids of the river.
Although the gorge is very close to Gorje and only 4 km northwest of Bled, it has been long unknown to the people. It was discovered by accident in 1891 by Jakob Žumer, the then mayor of Gorje and by Benedikt Lergetporer, a map maker and photographer from Bled at a time when the water level of the Radovna was very low.
On their journey through the previously impassable gorge they were so stunned by the beauty and the mystery of nature that they decided to make it permanently accessible to visitors. Construction was extremely hazardous due to the wild nature of the gorge. The official opening of the Vintgar gorge took place on August 26 1893.
Echoes of the swiftly flowing water fill the narrow gorge, which nowadays may be enjoyed by walking one of the paths, the numerous bridges and the Žumer galleries. Every visitor who walks to the end of the gorge is rewarded by the sight of the 16 m high Šum waterfall. The Vintgar gorge has been included in the list of most important Slovenian sights and attracts more and more visitors each year.
A visit to the gorge may be combined with an excursion to Sv. Katarina Hill with its historic church and an outstanding view.
Drinks are available at the entrance and at the Šum waterfall. Car and bus access is possible to the car park in front of the entrance. The gorge is closed in winter.