And just like that, our road trip was coming to an end.
Here’s a quick refresher on our route:
And here are all the other road trip posts:
- Epic Europe Road Trip Day One: Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, & Switzerland
- Epic Europe Road Trip Day Two (Zurich): Lindt Chocolate Factory + Walking Tour
- Epic Europe Road Trip Day Three: Switzerland, Italy, France, & Monaco
- Epic Europe Road Trip Day Four: Monaco
- Epic Europe Road Trip Days Five & Six: Venice, Italy
On the way back to Munich, it didn’t add much drive time to swing through Slovenia, and we couldn’t resist adding yet another country our list. When we left Venice, we initially set our sights on Ljubljana, the capital. But somewhere along the drive (and after some hurried Googling from me in the passenger seat), the idea of navigating another city—and figuring out parking!!—felt like too much effort.
So I searched “Most famous thing to see in Slovenia” and Lake Bled popped up.
Navigating to this area added two minutes to our route, so it was an easy decision.
We’re all so thankful we pivoted. I had never even heard of Lake Bled until an hour before we arrived, but it ended up being one of the most beautiful stops of the entire trip. This area is often ranked among the most beautiful lakes in Europe. As soon as we saw it, that claim made a lot of sense!!
It’s a glacial lake with a tiny island complete with a church in the middle (you can only get there by traditional wooden rowboats). For good measure, there’s a medieval castle perched dramatically on a cliff off in the distance. Basically, the scene looks like something straight out of a Disney movie.
We were short on time, so we set our sights on the classic “postcard view,” which meant hiking up to Ojstrica. It’s a short trail, but steep and rocky in parts.
And now’s the time to confess to a rather large parenting fail.
Before we left Venice, Belle had asked what shoes to wear. Since I thought we’d just be hopping out briefly in Ljubljana, I suggested her Birkenstocks for comfort and we packed her sneakers deep inside a suitcase and headed off.
When we arrived at Lake Bled and realized we’d be hiking, we debated digging out more practical shoes. I hadn’t done much research and while I knew the trail could be steep, it also sounded relatively easy. Learn from my mistake: sandals are not suitable for this climb. We took it slow and made it work, but I’d say sneakers at minimum, hiking shoes if you have them.
The pictures are gorgeous and even still they do not come anywhere close to doing this scene proper justice.
If we’d had more time, I would have loved to explore more of the area (there are trails that snake around the perimeter of the whole lake), take a boat out to the island, and go to Bled Castle. Despite it being early April, there were already people swimming, and the lake was crystal clear. You can swim out to the island but wandering around in a bathing suit/barefoot is prohibited, so apparently people swim out with a dry bag!
Another must-try in the area is Bled cake. A pastry chef at a local hotel developed it in the 1950’s and it’s become iconic. To me, it was somewhere between custard and a cream pie. It’s traditionally cut into perfect 7x7x7 cm squares. It wasn’t cheap, but definitely one of those “you have to try it here” experiences. We grabbed a couple slices to share.
Before heading out, we stopped at a market right beside the lake and picked up fruit, drinks, and sandwiches so we could have an easy car picnic on the way back to Munich.
More long tunnels (the one in the picture was just under 8 km!)! More snowy Alps!
And, alas, more money spent to access public bathrooms.
But the drive was uneventful.
And just like that, the photo trail ends.
We made it to our airport hotel, returned the rental car (such a relief!), and officially wrapped up our road trip.
Epic.
Your turn:
- What local food delicacy has been your favourite to try as part of your travels?
- Most beautiful lake you’ve ever seen?
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Oh my, this is stunning! I do plan to get to Lake Bled at some stage. My parents went a number of years ago and have similar photos.
You would love, it Melissa. We didn’t get a chance to check out too much of the surrounding area but Slovenia is general is known to be an excellent hiking destination!
That lake! It’ll probably be one of the most memorable places you’ll have seen on this trip. I did love the freshly squeezed orange juice in Portugal, where the machine squeezes it while you wait. And my introduction to escargot in France in the 80s – still love them, mainly for the garlic and butter:) Happy trails!
Jan, you would love hiking this area. So picturesque!
This is just crazy beautiful. What is the church on the island used for? Do they have regular services?
Hmm, the most beautiful lake. Actually the lake in Zurich comes to mind, because of the mountains. i originally couldn’t think of an answer to your first question, but then Jan’s response above reminded me of a time we were hiking in Maui. We found a place that was serving freshly squeezed… SUGAR CANE. Gah, so good!!! I’m not sure it counts as a local delicacy, but it was something unique that I’ve only had there.
I know you can go inside and I feel like I read something about being able to get married there? Maybe that was just in the past.
Sugar cane. I have never had fresh sugar cane. I feel like this needs to be part of my next Never Have I Ever list.
Beautiful detour!
It was stunning! Best detour I’ve ever made 😉
Ah Slovenia! In my top countries in the world list. I’ve spent 10 days road-tripping around it. The lakes, rivers, mountains, caves! Absolutely stunning, so laid back and reasonably priced. Lake Bled was stunning, a wonderful place to swim (we just changed into swimming stuff on the side of the lake, no one cared). And nearby Lake Bohinj is also stunning, and much quieter. Ljubljana is so charming. Highly recommend Slovenia as a travel destination.
I would LOVE to go back. It looks like an outdoor wonderland (and not as expensive as many of the neighbouring countries).
Wow, what a beautiful unexpected stop for your family! Those pictures remind me of the weekend I spent in Annecy, France when I did a 2 week program in Lyon. We did a day trip to the WTO in Geneva and decided to go to Annecy from there rather than going back to Lyon. Annecy is kind of known as the Venice of France because of all the canals in the city. The views were gorgeous and I’d love to go back there!
It was SO beautiful, maybe even more since it wasn’t planned in advance. I was mostly looking to just check off another country and I know this view will end up being one of the trip highlights!
This area of Europe is so naturally beautiful!! France, Croatia, Italy, Slovenia… they’re stunning.
Wow, just wow. Nice job, hiking in Birks, Belle (from someone who only hikes in Crocs)!
Was there any indication that this is Melania Trump’s native country?
Interesting that the sign for Bled cake is in English.
When visiting North Carolina, I tried sweet tea. Holy guacamole, do all southerners have mouths full of cavities? Diabetes?
Yes, Birks were NOT ideal hiking attire.
We didn’t go into any main hub of Slovenia but where we were, there’s zero indication Melania is from the region. In general, Europe is not aligned with the current administration so I don’t think this connection is something Slovenia would want to draw attention to!
An epic road trip! Bled cake reminds me of Nanaimo bars in concept. As soon as I heard the name I knew that I needed to have one.
Poor Belle! It’s tough to have the wrong shoes.
This is very silly, but do you have a running tally of bathroom costs? It’s irrelevant because there is nothing you can do about it and obviously it’s worth it, but it would be humorous to see the number.
I had the same silly thought!
Yes! Nanaimo bars are so delicious, and you’ve had one in Nanaimo!! (We had them as part of a dessert buffet at our wedding reception.)
I haven’t been tallying it and a lot of the time it’s cash only. I’d say we’ve probably only spent about €30 so far? Maybe less. But it pains me every single time.
As always, I am in catching up mode and I am going backwards… but let’s just say, what an incredible lucky detour you took to Lake Bled. It’s absolutely stunning. 🙂 Sometimes the things that were not planned in advance turn out to be the most fun experiences on roadtrips!
I’ve seen a few beautiful lakes, Lake Tahoe is one of them. Also, Lake Starnberg (near Munich – not sure if you went there, but will probably find out if I make it all the way back through your blog posts LOL)
Paying for using the bathroom in Europe drives me nuts, but hey at least the toilets are clean.
We didn’t make it to Lake Starnberg; so much to see, so little time.
That’s what bugs me, San! I find lots of bathrooms AREN’T very clean even when I pay.
STUNNING photos! Isn’t it so much fun when one of those “eh, why not?” stops ends up being something such a magical moment of the trip?! I’m glad you got to have such an experience!
I am NOT a foodie and rather picky, so I don’t know if there’s any local delicacy I’ve *had* to try. Wait, I’m lying! When I was in Canada, I wanted to try poutine! The one I got wasn’t great, but many Canadians told me I didn’t get the authentic experience. Live and learn!
It was SO beautiful, Stephany and felt extra awe-inspiring since I’d never heard of Lake Bled until like an hour before we were there.
Today we were talking to someone from Finland about our road trip and mentioned we’d stopped in Slovenia. Did you go to Lake Bled, he asked?? I was SO excited to get to say, yes, we did!!!
Poutine is definitely not all created equal. I’m not a huge poutine fan, but I have to admit… really good poutine, IS delicious. (The best I’ve ever had is in the international lounge in Montreal, FYI).
Ohhhh this is gorgeous!! And what a spectacular spontaneous find.
We have a rule on road trips that if someone sees a sign for something that looks interesting that we have to go exploring and find it. So basically I’m a planner’s worst nightmare for road trips haha.
I might lose my mind if we got off the road for every interesting thing. I like some spontaneity, but I mostly want to get to the final destination. John is even more this way but, ironically, he also loves spontaneity. So we stop spontaneously… but in a controlled way, if that makes any sense at all???