Slovenia’s most popular resort town is nothing short of fairy-tale; a place that looks as if it was constructed from stage directions in a Disney romance, or lifted straight from the poetic musings of Lord Byron. Gothic church spires rise from clusters of fir and spruce and oak, all encompassed by a ring of azure blue water, watched over by a dramatic medieval castle high on the precipices of the Julian Alps, and insulated from the world outside by snow-tipped peaks and endless swathes of majestic Slovenian forestry.
Today, people from all over Europe flock here in the summer to stroll by the banks of the lake, watching as Bled’s iconic punting boats navigate clusters of gliding ducks on the water’s surface. There are then the cultural musts recommended by any Bled tour guide, the great Grad upon the hill, and the fascinating Church of the Assumption on Slovenia’s only island. A short distance away, the Triglav National Park transforms the scenery into magical countryside, replete with lakes, gorges and waterfalls. Come winter, and the town is host to some of Slovenia’s best skiing, complete with a chairlift direct from the town and night-time floodlights for after-dark piste riding.