Bled Castle perches on a sheer 130-metre cliff above the northern shore of the lake, dating in its earliest stones to 1011 when Holy Roman Emperor Henry II granted the territory to the Bishops of Brixen. The castle was extended and rebuilt repeatedly across nine centuries, ending up as a romantic compound of towers, courtyards and ramparts arranged around a Gothic chapel.
Inside is a small museum tracing local history from prehistoric times through the medieval bishopric to the lakeside resort years. The real reason to climb up is the view — straight down to the emerald lake, across to the Julian Alps, and on a clear day all the way to Triglav. The castle restaurant terrace is one of the most spectacularly sited dining rooms in the country.