Bled.pdf

Hotels Restaurants Cafés Nightlife Sightseeing events Maps

bled

“In Your Pocket: A cheeky, well-

written series of guidebooks .”

The New York Times

Summer - Autumn 2011

Including

bOHINJ & RAdOvlJICA

bled Castle turns 1000

Slovenia’s most famous castle

celebrates its first millennium in

style

Enjoy your

COMPLIMENTARY COPY

of Bled In Your Pocket

Radovljica

This medieval hilltop town is as

quaint as they come and makes a

great getaway

N°5 - 6Lt

www.inyourpocket.com

N°5 - € 2.90

www.inyourpocket.com

Pablo Picasso

Impressionists

In memory of a friend

EXHIBITION

The years on French riviera

6th JULY - 27th NOVEMBER 2011

DEVA PURI GALLERY, PRISTAVA, BLED

www.deva.si, tel: 00 386 51 336 834

EXHIBITION

3rd August - 27th November 2011

Deva Puri gallery, Pristava, Bled

www.deva.si, tel: 00 386 51 336 834

Contents

ESSENTIAL CITY GUIDES

Contents

Arriving

By plane, train, bus and car

Basics

Statistics, climate and exchange rates

History

From the Stone Age to the 20th century

Culture & Events 10

A packed summer schedule on and around the

lake

Where to stay

Options for every taste and budget

Restaurants

Good food, great views

Nightlife

Wet your whistle in style

One of the best ways to see Bled is hanging from a balloon

filled with hot air hundreds of metres up in the sky, photo

courtesy of Propilot (p 27)

What to see

The island, the castle and much more

Sport

Both in and out of the water

Bohinj 28

Where to stay 28

Where to eat 32

What to see 33

Sport 34

Radovljica

This hilltop medieval town is honestly sweet

Maps & Index

Bled map

This monument to Jospina Hočevar is one of the many

things to see on Linhartov Trg, the main square in

Radovljica (p 36)

Country map

Index

bled.inyourpocket.com

Summer - Autumn 2011

6 Foreword

arriving

As a permanent fixture on pretty much every Top

Ten list that has anything to do with lakes, churches,

castles or mountain towns, it’s no surprise that Bled is

Slovenia’s most popular tourist attraction for locals as

well as foreign visitors. During the balmy summertime

months the town and lake are at their most lively, with

a full slate of events to keep everyone entertained (p

10), such as the Bled Music Festival, Night Marathon,

World Rowing Championships and the highlight of the

summer, Bled Days. While the island-bound church and

clifftop castle (p 24) are undoubtedly the two biggest

contributors to the town’s fame, they are far from all

that it has to offer. With over 1,000 years of history

under its belt, Bled is a bustling alpine town with a wide

selection of hotels (p 14), restaurants (p 18), enough

nightlife to keep you occupied (p22) and even one of

Europe’s most prestigious business schools (p 24). In

this issue we’ve also included Bled’s pristine big sister

Bohinj (p 28), which is home to an even more stunning

(albeit island-less) lake and is one of Slovenia’s most

undeservedly overlooked places, as well as nearby

Radovljica (p 36), a quaint medieval hilltop town that

offers either a pleasant day trip from Bled or more

peaceful base for exploring the wider region. As always

we welcome any and all feedback, be it on Facebook,

Foursquare, Twitter or even old-fashioned email.

Europe In Your Pocket

As little as an hour away from the capital tucked up close

to the Austrian border, getting to Bled by train, bus or car

is a relatively painless experience.

Word from the Mayor

Northern

Ireland

Estonia

Dear old and new friends of Bled,

Latvia

Russia

Arriving by Plain

Jože Pučnik Airport is located approximately half way

between Ljubljana and Bled, and you can expect to pay

around €45 for a taxi into town. Buses are considerably

cheaper (€5.40, with up to 19 connections on weekdays,

but virtually none on weekends) although you have to

transfer in Kranj. There are also up to six direct shuttles

per day (€13). You can see the full schedules on the

airport’s website.

So many of you, whose

hearts have already

been won, return to Bled

again and again - and

for that we can never

thank you enough. For

th os e o f you, c omi n g to

Bled for the first time,

I sincerely hope that

you too will be forever

c h arm e d by ou r roman -

tic lake with the island

chapel of St Mary’s

and medieval castle

atop a 130 metre high

rock, both so magi-

cally reflected in the

emerald water. While

these main sights, as

stunning they are, help make Bled the most recognized

image of Slovenia, they are only a small part of what we

have to offer. So please allow me to recommend you Bled

In Your Pocket to help make your stay here even more

interesting and enjoyable.

Lithuania

Belarus

Netherlands

Poland

Germany

Ukraine

Czech

Republic

Arriving by bus

Buses leave every hour on the hour from the main bus

station in Ljubljana and take about 80 minutes to make

the journey. Close to the town centre at the northeastern

tip of the lake, Bled’s dinky little bus station (avtobusno

postajališče) doesn’t offer much in the way of excitement

beyond a kiosk outside selling chocolate, soft drinks and

cigarettes. Inside there’s a ticket office and free toilets. To

get the city centre, walk south along Svobode until you hit

the water.

Austria

Switzerland

Slovenia

Romania

Croatia

Bosnia

Serbia

Bulgaria

Montenegro

Kosovo

FYR Macedonia

Albania

Greece

Arriving by train

Bled has two train stations, but unfortunately neither is

located in the centre of town. Over 20 trains a day from

Ljubljana call at Lesce-Bled station which is on the main

line but is several kilometres away, meaning you will

either have a lengthy hike or short bus ride into town. The

other station is Bled-Jezero a couple kilometres to the

east, which sees up to five trains a day from the capital,

however you have to transfer at Jesenice which can lead to

a total journey time of almost 3 hours. Check out Slovenia

Railways’ incredibly user-friendly website for a complete

schedule and prices.

Cover story

In Your Pocket has broken much new ground of

late, publishing new guides in the Netherlands

( Tilburg , with Amsterdam to follow very soon), in

Austria ( Vienna ), in Croatia ( Šibenik ), in Swit-

zerland ( Zurich ) and in Belarus ( Minsk ). This

year will also see th e first n on -European Pockets

rolled out in South Africa and Mozambique .

We also continue to roll out iPhone apps to all

our cities. We will be launching even more In Your

Pocket guides as apps throughout this year: to

find out which cities we will be covering, and to

keep up to date with all In Your Po cket news, like

In Your Pocket on Facebook (facebook.com/

inyourpocket) or follow us on Twitter (t wi t ter.

com/inyourpocket).

Representing the people of Bled, I am very happy to be

able to appear in this excellent little guide, to wish you all,

our old and new friends, a most warm welcome!

Bled’s incomparable castle cel-

ebrates its 1000th anniversary

in 2011, with a series of events

throughout the year. In addition

to its fairy tale like appearance

atop the lakeside cliff, the castle

contai ns a h ost o f si gh ts, a c ti vi ti es

and even a restaurant, making it

a must see stop for all visitors. This photo, from a

somewhat unique perspective, comes courtesy of

the aerial photographers at Propilot (p 27), whose

ser vices include panoramic fli gh ts, sk y di vin g, para-

gliding, hot air balloon rides and pretty much every

other air-based activity imaginable.

Janez Fajfar

Mayor of Bled

Car rental

Avis Rent a car Grajska 4, tel. (+386) 4576 87 00, fax

(+386) 4576 87 01, www.avis.si. Q Open 08:00 - 16:00,

Fri 08:00 - 18:00, Sat, Sun 08:00 - 12:00.

Budget Bled Ljubljanska 4, tel. (+386) 4578 03

20. Q Open 08:00 - 12:00, 17:00-20:00, Sat, Sun 08:00

- 12:00.

IdealRent (+386) 31 565 170, fax (+386) 4 2323 776,

info@idealrent.si, www.idealrent.si. A wide range of new

cars, cheap weekly and monthly rates, and free pick-up and

drop-off at many locations in Slovenia (including Ljubljana

centre, Brnik airport, Bled, Krajska Gora and Maribor among

other places), as well as arranging delivery at airports in

neighbouring countries (Trieste, Venice, Klagenfurt, Zagreb

and even Vienna) make IdealRent one of our first choices

when it comes to hiring a car. Cars from €38 per day or €188

per week all-inclusive.

National Ljubljanska 7, tel. (+386) 41 40 09 80,

national@avantcar.si, www.nationalcar-slovenia.com.

Q Open 08:00 - 19:00.

TRI TE D.O.O. - Hertz Rent a car Cankarjeva 2, tel.

(+386) 4574 55 88/(+386) 4080 1980, fax (+386)

4574 55 89, bled@hertz.si, www.hertz.si. Q Open 09:00

- 17:00, Sat 09:00 - 12:00. Closed Sun.

Arriving by car

Take the A2 highway northwest out of the city and follow

the signs for Kranj. Bled is well signposted once you’re out

in the countryside. Journey time is around 40 minuntes

and it may get very crowded on Sundays in season at the

end of highway.

Editorial

Editor Yuri Barron

Writers Yuri Barron, Will Dunn,

Francisco Alvarez, Craig Turp

Research Irena Jamnikar

Layout & Design Vaida Gudynaitė

Consulting Craig Turp

Photos Zavod za Kulturo Bled, TIC

Bled, Branka Jovanović, Yuri Barron

Cover photo Propilot

Text and photos copyright IQBATOR d.o.o.

Maps copyright cartographer. All rights

reserved. No part of this publication

may be reproduced in any form, except

brief extracts for the purpose of review,

without written permission from the

publisher and copyright owner. The

brand name In Your Pocket is used under

license from UAB In Your Pocket (Vokiečių

10-15, Vilnius, Lithuania tel. (+370) 5

212 29 76).

Editor’s note

The editorial content of In Your Pocket

guides is independent from paid-for

advertising. Sponsored listings are

clearly marked as such. We welcome all

readers‘ comments and suggestions.

We have made every effort to ensure

the accuracy of the information at the

time of going to press and assume no

responsibility for changes and errors.

Vinjeta - A Ticket to Drive

ESSENTIAL CITY GUIDES

Vinjeta www.dars.si. Slo-

venia requires all motor ve-

hicles travelling on Slovenian

highways to have a vinjeta

(veen-yeh-tah) sticker. This

system exists in lieu of tolls,

and the vinjeta can be easily

obtai n e d at n earl y all gas s ta -

tions and kiosks.

Yearly/monthly/weekly stick-

ers are €95/30/15 for cars

and yearly/half-yearly/weekly

ones are €47.50/25/7.50 for motorcycles. Also be aware

that border police will likely not remind you to purchase

a vinjeta when entering the country, but are highly likely

to issue you a steep fine when leaving if you’ve failed to

do so. For more info check www.dars.si.

Bled In Your Pocket

Drenikova 33, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Tel. +386 30 316 602

bled@inyourpocket.com

www.inyourpocket.com

ISSN 1855-6132

©IQBATOR d.o.o.

Sales & Circulation

Sales & Operations Management

Irena Jamnikar, Karmen Hribar,

Biljana Maletič

Director Niko Slavnic M.Sc.

niko.slavnic@inyourpocket.com

Printed PlanPrint

Maps Monolit d.o.o.

Taxis

Bled Tours Valvazorjeva 3, tel. (+386) 31 205 611,

info@bledtours.si, www.bledtours.si. Available 24hrs,

they also offer train station, airport and other long distance

transfers. Q Open 00:00 - 24:00.

Bled In Your Pocket

bled.inyourpocket.com

Summer - Autumn 2011

8 BasiCs

history

Basic data

Climate

Population

Slovenia 2,053,355 (2009)

Bled 10,899 (2002)

Area

20,273 square kilometres

Ethnic composition

Slovenian 83%, Former Yugoslav minorities 5.3%,

Hungarian, Albanian, Roma, Italian and others 11.7%

Official languages

Slovenian, Italian, Hungarian

Local time

Central European (GMT + 1hr)

Longest river

Sava (221km in Slovenia)

Highest mountain

Triglav 2,864m.

Borders

Austria 318km, Italy 280km, Hungary 102km,

Croatia 670km

Temperature, °C

Rainfall, mm

170

140

110

-10

-20

F M A M J J A

M A M J J A

Politics

The Republic of Slovenia is a parliamentary democracy. The

president, Dr DaniloTürk, was elected in 2007. Borut Pahor has

been the prime minister since 2008. The next parliamentary

el e c ti ons will b e i n S epte m b er 2 01 2. Th e govern m en t c onsists o f

the PM and 15 ministers, of which two are without portfolio.

Religion

Although Slovenians are traditionally Roman Catholic, the

most recent Eurobarometer Poll in 2005 found that only 37%

of the population believe in a god, with 16% atheists and the

rest of them believing in ‘something’.

Bled Castle celebrates its 1000th anniversary in 2011, photo courtesy of Propilot

Th e fer tile land and th e protective sh el ter o f th e castle hill and

the island, have always invited settlement around the Bled

area. The first, and rare traces of humans in Bled, date back

to the Stone Age. In the Iron Age, when the mining of iron had

begun in the Alpine regions, settlement increased.

Castle, to Bishop Albuin o f Brixen - a photocopy o f the original

title deed can be found in the collection at the castle. This

action was a major turning point in the history of Bled. The

keepers of the castle were bonded knights, who upheld feudal

authority in the name of the bishops.

As a result, great changes occurred in the forming of estates

and the settlement of the region. In the middle of the 14th

century the Bishops of Brixen gave up direct administra-

tion of their properties in Bled and leased them to the chief

administrators at the time, the von Kreigh family. Because

of encroachment on their rights and brutal treatment and

oppression, in 1515 the peasants joined the fight for the “old

justice” in a pan-Slovene revolt.

Smoking

Cigarettes can’t be sold to people under 18. Slovenia recently

banned smoking from public indoor spaces except in special

smoking areas in offices, hotels and bars.

Be n eath th e layer o f a n al rea d y dis c overe d Slavi c n e c rop oli s at

Pristava pod Gradom, archeologists discovered 80 gravesites

from the late Iron Age (800 to 600 BC) - Celtic and Roman finds

however, are more modest. Bled was later well populated by

the Slavs, who arrived in two waves. The Slavic settlements

were most probably located at exactly the same spots where

the lakeside villages of Mlino, Želeče, Zagorice, Grad and

Rečica formed in the late Middle Ages.

Tipping

It’s not traditional to tip in Slovenia, though a reward of

about 10% for good service in a restaurant or bar is always

appreciated.

Do feed the swans, they’re expecting it

Exchange rates

Drinking

Alcohol is only sold to people over 18, and sadly after 21:00

it cannot be bought in stores.

In 1558 a new holder, the Protestant protector Herbert VII of

Auersperg, took over the castle. Until the middle of the 18th

century the lessors were exclusively aristocratic; later these

also included townsmen, but they rarely lived in the castle. In

1803, after 800 years of Brixen rule, Bled passed into state

ownership by a decree of the Court Commission in Vienna.

1 EUR € = 1.43 US$ = 0.61 UK£ =

1.22 CHF = 1.33 AU$ = 115 ¥ = 9.26 CNY

(27 May, 2011)

A number of gravesites are well known: Žale - the site of a

m o d ern day c e m eter y (arc h e ol ogi call y excavate d i n 1 894), th e

park at the current Vila Bled (1929), the necropolis in Želeče

(1937), the large necropolis at Pristava pod Gradom (1948 to

1951), the gravesites next to the current parking area below

the entrance to the castle (1960, 1968) and the necropolis

on Bled island (1962 to 1966).

Money

Slovenia adopted the euro in January 2007. Euro coins come in

denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, 1 and 2 euros,

while banknotes come in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500

eu ros. Th e Sl ovenia n si d e o f th e eu ro c oi ns are d e c orate d wi th

among other things storks, Mount Triglav, Lippizaner horses,

a man sowing stars and a Jože Plečnik design.

Market values

From 1809 to 1813, it was included in Napoleon’s Empire as

part of the Illyrian provinces, and then it came once again into

the hands of the Austrian Emperor who returned Bled to the

bishops of Brixen for the last time in 1838. With the abolish-

ment of the feudal system ten years later, the estate lost its

character of a feudal economic and social unit. In the second

half of the 19th century, Bled changed considerably. The

characteristic villages of Gorenjska, which had been autono-

mous units ever since the Middle Ages, were united. Income

decreased, and in 1858 Brixen sold the Bled estate to Viktor

Ruard, th e own er o f th e J es eni c e I ronworks. H e kept th e cas tl e,

the lake and the usable land around it, and sold the rest to the

Kranj Industrial Company. In 1882 Ruard sold the estate to a

Viennese wholesale merchant named Adolf Muhr, and in 1919

Bled hotelier Ivan Kenda bought the castle with the lake - for the

first time the proper ty passed into Slovenian hands. In 1937 it

was taken over by the Associated Commercial Bank and finally

bought by the Drava Province. During World War II, Bled was

used to house the German military and civil headquarters, and

in 1960 it acquired the status of a town.

Compared to the rest of Western and Central Europe,

pri c es i n Sl ovenia are s till fai rl y c omp eti ti ve d espi te n oti c e -

able increases since the introduction of the Euro in 2007.

Here are some typical everyday products and prices:

Product

Slavic settlement

The first wave of settlement of the Bled area occurred in the

7th century, the next reached the Bled basin during the 9th and

10th centuries. Discoveries from the first settlements illustrate

the culture of the Old Slavic state of King Samo (632 - 658)

and the late antiquity traditions in these lands. The discover-

ies from the second wave of settlement, such as ornaments

found in gravesites include enamelled and engraved earrings

in the shape of half-moons, circlets, round brooches and iron

knives. These artefacts indicate the historical development of

Bled up to the 10th century and some of these can be seen on

exhibition at the Castle museum.

Price

Photography and souvenirs

McDonald’s Big Mac

€2.40

Slice of pizza

€ 1.80

Slice of burek

€ 2.00

Sitra Shopping Center Bled, tel. (+386) 4574 13

25, foto@sitra.si, www.sitra.si. In a prime location,

Sitra offers all the photography supplies tourists could

ever need - and many that professionals would be after.

35mm film and digital memory cards are some of the

best sellers in this small shop, situated within the main

shopping centre by the lake. Q Open 08:00 - 19:00.

Closed Sun.

Bottle of name brand vodka

€ 12.50

Decent bottle of local wine

€ 3.50

Bottle of local beer in a shop

€ 0.90

Pint of beer in a pub

€ 2.40

The bishops of Brixen

After the fall of the Old Slavic state, Bled with its surrounding

area fell under Frankisch (Charlemagne 782) and later under

German rule. In 1004 the emperor Henrik II divided the lands

between the two Sava Rivers, and in 1011 awarded Bled

Pack of cigarettes

€ 2.50

Single bus ride

€ 1.00

Postcard

€ 0.30

Litre of petrol

€ 1.28

Bled In Your Pocket

bled.inyourpocket.com

Summer - Autumn 2011

Cup of coffee

€ 1.10

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