In the city of Bled, in the Upper Carniolan region of northwestern Slovenia

 Visiting Slovenia is like stepping into a wonderland of ever-changing scenery, with the ethereal beauty of nature.

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(in the Upper Carniolan region of northwestern Slovenia) One of the most underrated European cities to visit is Bled, in Slovenia. The city of Bled, close to the border of Austria, is famous for its location at the foot of the Julian Alps -- and is home to many famous landmarks, including Lake Bled, Bled Castle, Bled Island, and the Triglav National Park.

+ Bled is located on the southern foot of the Karawanks mountain range , about 50 kilometers (31 mi.) northwest of the national capital of Ljubljana. South of Lake Bled are the densely forested Pokljuka and Jelovica plateaus and the easternmost parts of the Julian Alps, where the Sava Bohinjka river and the parallel Bohinj Railway lead to the Bohinj basin, Lake Bohinj, and the Triglav massif. (Bled is most notable as a popular tourist destination in the Upper Carniola region and in Slovenia as whole, attracting visitors from abroad as well.)

+ After the dissolution of Austria-Hungary in 1918, Bled and the rest of Carniola came under the rule of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and became a summer domicile of the ruling House of Karađorđević, a tradition that Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito continued when he built his residence here in 1947.

+ Today's town began to form in the mid-19th century from the villages of Grad, Mlino, Rečica, Zagorice, and Želeče, which encircled the lake. At that time, farmers started to sell the land along the eastern lakeshore to wealthy individuals for their villas, and the villages of Grad, Zagorice, and Želeče began to merge. (Bled was officially made a town in 1960.)

+ Perched on a rock overlooking the lake is the iconic Bled Castle. (The city is also known in Slovenia for its vanilla and cream pastry.)

+ Naturopath Arnold Rikli (1823–1906) from Switzerland contributed significantly to the development of Bled as a health resort in the second half of the 19th century. Due to its mild climate, Bled has been visited by aristocratic guests from all across the world. Today it is an important convention center and tourist resort, offering a wide range of sports activities It is a starting point for mountain treks and hikes, especially within nearby Triglav National Park.
The small island in the middle of the lake is home to the Assumption of Mary Pilgrimage Church; visitors frequently ring its bell, due to an old legend claiming it provides good luck.

+ Before the church was built, there was a temple consecrated to Živa, the Slavic goddess of love and fertility. One can get to the island on a traditional flat-bottomed wooden boat (Slovene: pletna), part of a fixed fleet of boats to protect the lake's cleanliness, run by a family-owned business since the 18th century. The island on Lake Bled has 99 steps. (A local tradition at weddings is for the husband to carry his new bride up these steps, during which the bride must remain silent.)