Bled Castle, Bled

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Walk around the lake-6km, about 1 1/2 hour-its so tranquil its great.

Bled castle - 1450SIT to go in, but worth it for the views from up there. its a steep ish 10minute walk to the castle from bled town.

The church on the island - get a rowed boat from one of the many jeetys around the lake edges. it cost 2400SIT(£7)-you get about half hour on the island so allow 1 1/2 hour for the whole trip. on the island is a church with a wishing bell which u can pull to make the bell ring and make a wish. there was no one else on the island when we went in november.

Drink beer-a few bars in town are good.

Lake Bohinj-just 25km up the road is Bohinj, more dramatic as the mountains rise up from the lake but not as pretty as Bled. But worth the visit.

at the end of Bohinj is a waterfall - SlapSavice, which in winter was not worth the walk up hill for 20mins to it, it was just a trickle!

Vintgar gorge, hire bikes from the hostel and ride to the town nearby then walk to the gorge in about 25mins, its about a 1500m walk along wooden steps through the gorge which is quite spectacular although a little boring after a while.

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A visit to the castle, of course! Blejski Grad offers just about everything you could expect to find in a castle: a fierce uphill climb to start with (unless you come by car or bus), spectacular views, courtyard, towers, ramparts, a museum, re-enactments ...

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1st.....Let me tell you a little bit of Castle history.

BLED CASTLE, only in terms of written documents, is thought to be the oldest castle in Slovenia, first mentioned in a 1011.

AN UNSOLVED MYSTERY AT THE CASTLE!
Around 1500 AD, the administrator of the Bled Castle was Hartman Kreigh, not a nice man, but a brutal, horrible person who was not well liked. He disappeared from Bled Castle, and to this very day, his body has never been found, nor do they how he died, or who did it! I guess the answer to that, lies with the dead!

And now, to what we did.....................

So, we arrived at Bled by Car, easily seeing the Castle sitting atop a rocky outcrop overlooking Lake Bled.
We decided to go and see it first, so following the sign-post's, we made our way to the Castle car-park. There was plenty of room for Car's and Buses.
Locking the car, we made our way up the hill to the Castle. The walk wasn't that bad, [no steps], making it easier for people with problem knees and other disabilities.

At the top, we paid our admission, and then headed to the Romanesque walls to have a look at the view. Well, the view was fabulous! We could see the Island in the middle of the Lake quite easily, we could view Bled, the country side and the Julien Alps.

At the top, there were two courtyards surrounded by buildings, and joined together by a bridge. They are Upper & Lower courtyards, so we needed to climb a few steps to see the upper courtyard.

THE CASTLE IS OPEN.....
January - March...............8-6PM
April - October ................8-10PM
November - December......8-6PM

ADMISSION FOR 2011 & 2012 ......
Adults 8 euros
Children 14 & Under.......3.50 euros

Located in the upper courtyard, was the Castle Forge. When you see the Dragon in my photo, you will know you are there. It was because of rich Ore deposit's, why people began forging and making artifacts out of iron. The blacksmith here, is the 4th generation of a Blacksmithing family!

There is a hands on experience, which we didn't do, and that is making a souvenir coin from an anvil.

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The Bled Castle Chapel has many frescoes inside, so, in we went for a look. One is of King Henry II and his wife Kunigunde, they were German. The frescoes in the Chapel are in surprisingly good condition for their age, and there are many of them!

The Chapel is Gothic, and is dedicated to the bishops St Albuin and St Ingenuin. In 1690, after another major earthquake, the Chapel was made higher, and baroque vaults were added. It was after this, the frescoes were painted.

The Chapel is built into the Castle Wall, and sits there overlooking the Tree's and the valley!

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The Bled Castle Museum houses a permanent exhibition by the Slovenian National Museum. We could follow the history from the oldest to the newest times.
The Museum had a varied display, including old tools, a skeleton, paintings, house wares and information on the area from early age's.
Mannequin's were dressed as they would have been all those years ago when living in Bled and working in the fields or the Castle.
From the windows, there were good views that couldn't be seen from elsewhere!

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A picturesque white and red castle enclosed by a Romanesque wall with parapets, ramparts, and towers. The current incarnation of the castle dates from the 17th century and was restored in the 1950s. The upper courtyard includes a 16th century chapel decorated with frescoes from 1700 and includes a painting of Henry II conferring Bled to Bishop Albuin. There is a small museum with an exhibition on the castle's history and the usual array of medieval pomp, pageantry and weaponry. The castle terrace offers great views of the lake and island below.

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That interesting-looking castle up on the cliff you can see from the lake is definitely worth getting a closer look at. A 20-minute hike gets you up there, where you can stroll around the grounds, take in the museum, view a few diversions (including the occasional beer-swilling parrot) and enjoy the breathtaking scenery. There's plenty of time for everything, but for the best views, make your way to the mezzanine level closest to the lake. The views from the top level are also very nice.

Admission to the grounds costs EUR 7 for adults, EUR 5.50 for students, and EUR 3.50 for children age 14 and younger. The castle is open daily from 0800 - 1800, except April through October, when it stays open until 2000.

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First thing, to get to Bled Castle is an activity in itself, perched up on high. Anyway you can take your car up and park for free, yippee. There is even one disabled car parking spot but to be honest this is redundant. If its a struggle getting from one side of the car park to another, then the steep climb up to the castle entrance over cobbled flooring would be a nightmare.

The castle itself will take about half an hour or so to look around, there is a so so museum and a mildly interesting video presentation in many languages to seek out. However, worth the entrance fee alone are the views that are just spectacular. Bee Ted explained, "The charge is a bit much for a small castle but to come here and miss out on this view would be criminal."

Dramatically perched on the 130 meter rocky cliffs of Bled Lake stands one of the oldest medieval fortresses in Slovenia. It dates back to 1011. It was rebuilt several times over the centuries, once after an earthquake 1690 and then after WW11 and more recently in the 1961.

You can catch a bus from town and take a visit or you can walk...but its uphill !!The view from the top alone makes it worth it.
Entrance 5E.