Dinkwads Abroad

Our trip to this point in Croatia and Slovenia had been primarily seaside towns and Slovenia’s capital of Ljubljana. And while we thoroughly enjoyed our time by the open water, staring out into the vastness of the Adriatic Sea, we’re mountain people at heart. The mountains called to us and we answered in the form of Bled, Slovenia.

You’ve likely seen pictures of Lake Bled before. Its famous church perched on a lush green island in the middle of a pristine blue lake, surrounded on all sides by mountains appears on many a computer screensaver or background. And let me tell you, it’s even more stunning in person. The lake was vibrant blue, even on an overcast, dreary day. And the mist that rolled over the mountains the day we rolled in left a dusting of snow on top for the next day, a perfect contrast against the bright green trees climbing their way up to the peaks. Despite the rainy start, Bled exceeded all expectations.

To see my perfect itinerary for a trip to Croatia and Slovenia, including Bled, along with all the details on how to do it so you can book it yourself, check out my detailed post here!

Where We Stayed

We usually try to do one splurge (and by splurge, I mean roughly around $250 per night) stay on our trips. For this trip, we decided Bled would be the best place for it! How can you pass up the famous view of the church on the island?! And add in a balcony and a sauna in our room, this place was 100% worth the cost.

Carman House

Cesta svobode 37, 4260 Bled, Slovenia
Check Availability Here

I’ll be honest, this was not the place we had originally planned to stay. And when we found our original place was booked the dates we needed to be there, it felt a little bit like settling. Sure, we were going to get the great view, but was it going to be the same?

And I’m here to tell you that Carman House was anything BUT settling!

It’s situated right by the lake, and the room’s patio looked right out towards the island, with doors that open wide into the living room and kitchenette, allowing you the perfect spot to sit in the morning and enjoy your cup of coffee, enjoying the scenery from above. And the bedroom is situated at the back of the apartment, away from the noise of the street (not that there’s much noise). The drawback of the great view of the island is that you’re further away from the town itself. But when you’re in such a beautiful setting, I think it’s worth the extra 10 minute walk!

But maybe one of the best parts? The in-room sauna. In the corner of the bathroom is your own personal sauna, perfect for warming you up if, like us, you get a particularly chilly or rainy day, or easing your muscles after you’ve rowed out to the island via one of the rentable row boats. Speaking of which, Carman House offers guests 2 free hours with a row boat, which is enough time to row to the island, see the church and clocktower, and row back.

The bed was also extremely comfortable, and it gave me the best nights of sleep I got the entire trip! They also have a restaurant onsite that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So while you may not be right in the heart of Bled town, you have options to eat if you don’t want to go far.

Cost: $$

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Verdict: Easily 5 stars and I definitely would visit again! The sauna and the view were the highlights. However, if you prefer to have more food/drink/shops around without a 10 minute walk, this may not be the best option for you. But if you’re okay with a 10 minute walk by the lake into town, I can’t recommend this enough!

Where We Ate

Bled may be a smaller town with only 5,200 people, but with as a popular tourist destination, it still has plenty of restaurant options to try! Here are all the places we ate in our two days there.

Wine Bar and Restaurant Carman

Cesta svobode 37, 4260 Bled, Slovenia
Restaurant Website

This was the bar and restaurant attached to our accommodations. While we only had lunch and a piece of the famous Bled Cream Cake there, I would highly recommend visiting! They had an inventive menu, and we really enjoyed the beef sirloin and liver pâté bruschetta along with the saffron risotto, all while looking out over the picturesque lake. And the Bled Cream Cake was our favorite we had there, with a nice addition of a berry compote.

Price: $$

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Verdict: This may be out of the way if you’re staying in the middle of the town. But if you’re staying at Carman House or want to stop while you walk around the lake, I highly recommend it!

Logistics: They took credit card, and I’m sure they take cash. They serve breakfast to guests, but you have to let them know the day before if you’d like breakfast. While we did not need a reservation for lunch, you may want to consider one if you’re planning on going there for dinner.

The Oldest Cellar

Zagoriška cesta 12, 4260 Bled, Slovenia
Restaurant Website

With its charming wood terrace and cozy interior, The Oldest Cellar was a great place to wait out a thunderstorm. We slowly sipped on a glass of Slovenian wine while we perused their menu while it poured outside. And with a mix of traditional and contemporary Slovenian dishes, it was hard to decide what to eat! But we ended up going with their trout and the seafood pasta, along with a Cabernet, a local white, and the famous Slovenian orange wine. The total for us was about $75 for two entrees and four total glasses of wine.

Price: $$

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Verdict: While the food was good, it was nothing that particularly stands out to me as I write this now. The ambiance of this place is definitely worth a visit though. While I recommend trying the food there, you could also just sit and enjoy the woodwork with a nice glass of wine and an appetizer!

Logistics: They accept credit card. They’re a little outside of the main area of town, so they may require a taxi if you can’t walk far or it’s pouring rain like when we were there. And while we were able to get in without a reservation, I would recommend making one during peak season.

Art Cafe

Cesta svobode 7a, 4260 Bled, Slovenia
Restaurant Website

We hunkered down in this restaurant for almost two hours while waiting for the morning’s rain to recede. And it was a nice little spot with modern style to just sit and enjoy for a few hours! While they don’t have a ton of seating inside, they were able to accommodate us. Our blueberry muffin and avocado toast made the perfect light breakfast before we ventured out for the day. We also enjoyed a vanilla latte and an orzo white coffee, which was a unique type of drink made from grains rather than coffee beans.

Price: $

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Verdict: They have so many options here, from toasts to omelets to yogurt bowls to sandwiches. And that’s just for breakfast! They also do pizzas, snacks, burgers, salads, full entrees, and more. I’d definitely go back and try more of their food, and absolutely would get their coffee again if nothing else!

Logistics: They took credit card, and I’m sure they take cash. You can get coffee and pastries to go, but I’d recommend sitting down and trying some of their prepared food instead. We were able to get in without a reservation, but as it’s such a small place, I’d recommend one if you want to guarantee a spot.

Old Bled Cellar (Lake View)

Cesta svobode 12, 4260 Bled, Slovenia
Restaurant Website

Old Bled Cellar (not to be confused with OLDEST Bled Cellar, mentioned earlier) is a great stop for the most perfect views of the hilltop Bled Castle while you dine. We were lucky enough to have arrived without a reservation and were sat right next to the window facing the lake, so we had prime views of the castle as the sun set!

We were served an amuse-bouche and bread, and enjoyed local teran and malvazija wines. For our entrees, we had the seafood in a white wine sauce and duck breast filet. The seafood was perfectly cooked, and the white wine sauce was so good you could almost drink it. The duck breast was a little more lackluster, unfortunately. Not bad, but not great either.

Dessert, however, made up for the duck breast. We had gibanica, which is a regional dessert that’s similar to a bread pudding mixed with apple pie and cake. However you would describe it, it was the perfect ending to the meal. You should give a try when you need a break from the famous cream cake in Bled!

Price: $$$

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Verdict: I would go again, especially to get a window seat at sunset. But I’d maybe stick with seafood rather than meat.

Logistics: They took credit card, but I’m not sure about cash. I would highly recommend making a reservation ahead of time so you can secure a seat by the window to get to enjoy the views!

Other Places To Eat

While we didn’t get to eat at these restaurants and therefore can’t vouch for them ourselves, they were on our list of options based on other peoples’ suggestions!

Pr’ Mirku Grill – Ljubljanska cesta 4, 4260 Bled, Slovenia.
Highly rated for their cevapi (grilled meats) and views of the castle!

Restavracija Union – Ljubljanska cesta 9, 4260 Bled, Slovenia.
Balkan specialties at a reasonable price.

Where We Drank

Bled was unique in that we didn’t really drink anything outside of where we ate. We had wine with dinner and our coffee with breakfast, all mentioned above!

The one exception was as we were walking to dinner one night, we heard singing nearby. Naturally, we had to see where it was coming from. We stumbled upon a group of young men singing a cappella right along the lake. After listening for a bit, they offered everyone who had gathered to listen a drink of their liquor to join in celebrating the upcoming wedding of one of the young men! We swayed to the smooth melodies, drinking our gifted liquor, as our gaze drifted over the lake, painted pink and yellow by the setting sun.

While I doubt this is a regular occurrence in Bled and something you can expect to find, I say it as a reminder to let the unexpected happen! We were late to dinner, but it was worth it for a truly special experience that I won’t soon forget! And that’s more often than not how it goes. You hear or see something and think, “I wonder what’s going on there?”, stray off your planned path, and have one of the best moments of your trip!

Other Places To Drink

These are other places we had saved to try, but didn’t make it to!

Vinoteka Zdravljica – Cesta svobode 7, 4260 Bled, Slovenia.
We had saved this place for the great wine list and stunning views of Castle Bled!

Conclusion

Lake Bled is about as picture perfect as it can get. Whether it’s in the mist, bright sun, dark clouds, or pouring rain, it offers stunning views of the castle on top of the cliff or the island church in the middle of the lake.

And despite the small town, it offers a variety of restaurants to try while there, whether you’re craving seafood, meat, pasta, or the cream cake that Bled is famous for!

Stay tuned for part 2, where I talk about what we did with our time in Bled!