The Carniolan countryside has no greater beauty, as gastronomy is all, this image of paradise!

I don’t suppose there would be any objections from the Slovenian poet France Prešeren (1800-1849) about my borrowing and slightly adapting his famous thought about Bled, one of seven characteristic and special features of the modern tourist attractions of Slovenia, for the preface to this useful guide.

Of course, this ‘image of paradise’ is not only made up of natural features, cultural attractions, forms of hospitality and diverse possibilities for our guests’ accommodation and wellbeing, but also of varied forms of ordinary days and holidays which are reflected in dishes and beverages in inns, restaurants, patisseries, pubs and cafés, on tourist farms, in wine bars and brewpubs. I could say in an allegorical way that all of this is the ‘stomach of Bled’ and its surrounding area. It’s comprised of preserved and developing evidence of gastronomic heritage of this Gorenjskan part of Slovenia, as well as of search and innovation in the directions of new gastronomic discoveries. Therefore you will discover a palette of diversity in the culinary guidebook in front of you, which is the first of its kind in all Bled’s tourism history – from local and regional specialities, to flirtation with international culinary achievements. Individual houses are showcased, which do not just strive to offer guests food and beverages on plates and in glasses, but also tales of healthy ingredients for their preparation, of characteristics that set them apart from other parts of Europe and the world, or of the role and importance of individual dishes and drinks in the fields of economic, social and spiritual activities of the inhabitants of Bled and its surroundings. Cuisine, or in other words, the culinary and gastronomic offer, is today one of the leading motifs of tourist activities. The modern tourist has realised that it not only enables him to have a more or less full stomach, but that it is above all a way to discover and get to know the characteristics of local cultures and lifestyles. Likewise in Bled.


prof. dr. Janez Bogataj
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts

Brochure Bled's culinary offer "Taste Bled" (5MB)