Slovenia

🇸🇮 Slovenia

Bled

Bled (Slovenian pronunciation: [blɛːd] — population 8,000 in the municipality, 1,800 in the town itself) is the most photographed lake in Europe and the postcard image of Slovenia: the glacial lake (Lake Bled: 2.12 km² surface area, 30.6m maximum depth, fed by underground springs with an average temperature of 12°C year-round) surrounded by the Julian Alps (the most dramatic alpine backdrop in central Europe), with the island church (Blejski Otok — the only natural island in Slovenia: the Gothic-Baroque Church of the Assumption of Mary with its 99 steps and the wishing bell that grants one wish to the visitor who rings it), the medieval castle on the sheer cliff (Blejski Grad — the most dramatically positioned castle in Slovenia, perched 130m above the lake on a sheer vertical limestone cliff: the oldest castle in Slovenia (first documented in 1004 CE)), and the cream cake (the "kremšnita" or "kremna rezina" — the most important cake in Slovenia: the layer of custard cream and whipped cream between two layers of crisp puff pastry, invented at the Park Hotel Bled in 1953 and eaten in the lake view café with the specific view of the castle reflected in the lake). Bled is 55km from Ljubljana (1 hour by bus or car) and 55km from the Triglav National Park (the most important national park in Slovenia, encompassing Mount Triglav — the highest peak in Slovenia (2,864m) and the national symbol of the country).

🇸🇮 Slovenia

Ljubljana

Ljubljana (population 295,000 city; 540,000 metropolitan area) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia — a compact, walkable city on the Ljubljanica River at the foot of the Julian Alps, 60km from the Italian border and 100km from the Austrian border. Ljubljana is frequently described as one of the most livable small cities in Europe: the Plečnik-designed pedestrianised riverfront (the architect Jože Plečnik (1872–1957) redesigned central Ljubljana in the 1920s–1950s, creating a series of arcaded riverside markets, fountains, bridges, and urban furniture that give the city its uniquely humane scale — 'Ljubljana is Plečnik' is the local saying), the Ljubljana Castle on the hill overlooking the old town, the outdoor café culture along the Ljubljanica in summer, and the proximity to Lake Bled (55km, the iconic postcard lake with the island church and the Bled Castle), Lake Bohinj, and the Triglav National Park make Ljubljana one of the finest bases for exploring the Alpine landscape in Central Europe. The city became the European Green Capital in 2016 (the first time the award was given to a city under 200,000 population), having eliminated all vehicle traffic from the city centre and created 470km of cycling infrastructure. Best months: April–October.