We took a family trip to Slovenia this past December — making the most of that “between Christmas and New Year" break — and we were so glad we seized the moment!
Ljubljana was our home base (see my Ljubljana guide here), and we took a day trip to Lake Bled, which friends and family have been insisting we visit, so we were excited to finally get there ourselves. And by the way, Lake Bled had tons of things to do to keep our littles busy (and us happy, too). Here's how we enjoyed our time there:
1. We started the day by taking a walk to the boat dock, then hopped on a wooden ferry that took us to Bled Island. You can buy the tickets in advance, or get them right at the boat (just bring cash if you go this route). We bought ours online; if you do, be sure to print your receipt.
2. Next we climbed the famous South Staircase steps (99 in total -- our kids loved this, of course) that brought us to the top of the island. There we bought a ticket to see all the sites, including the church, bell tower (again more climbing for our kiddos), and a mini museum. You can also buy the famous potica pastry at the cafe, and choose from all sorts of tasty fillings. In the church, your kids can pull a long chord that rings the church bell. Our littles loved doing that!
3. We had a little lunch on the island before taking a ferry back to shore. From there we walked along the path, and found one of the trails up to Bled Castle. It was a hike, but our daughter did the walk all by herself.
4. We capped off the day by exploring the castle (and enjoying the views), buying postcards for the kids (they really wanted one), and eating some delish Bled cream cake (Blejska kremšnita). We ordered the cake at the castle restaurant (which was surprisingly upscale), but there are tons of places where you can get Bled cream cake elsewhere in bled.
How we got there: We went from Ljubljana to Lake Bled by bus (it was about an hour and a half, and the tourist information office in Ljubljana told us it was the easiest way). The bus was nice and empty on the way there, though a bit crowded with tourists (like us!) on the way back. If you are going by car, then of course drive there. Just skip the train, which stops quite far from the actual lake.
Where we stayed: We stayed in Ljubljana at a "bed and breakfast" style hotel located just outside the city center (near Tivoli park). While we loved our hotel and the host was so welcoming, I would recommend staying right in the center of town to make your stay even more walkable. We ended up booking our trip last-minute, so there weren't so many options (oops!). That said, Tivoli Park is a beautiful place to let your kids get all their wiggles out, so I recommend heading there at some point on your Lake Bled/Ljubljana trip.
Have you been to Lake Bled? Or is it on your list? Let me know! (I highly recommend it, if it’s not.)
And check out my reel below to see our Lake Bled day in real life.
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