Lake Bled for Christmas

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1 Lake Bled for Christmas Departures & Prices Airport Departing Time Returning Time Cost Availability Heathrow 21 Dec 16 08:30 27 Dec 16 14: spaces left What's Included Return scheduled flights Six nights accommodation in a four-star hotel, including all breakfasts, evening meals and two lunches Porterage Personal audio guiding system Hosted drinks reception on arrival and departure Drink included with all meals Full use of the hotel s wellness area Legend of the sunken bell ceremony, followed by a festive Slovene Christmas dinner Festive celebration dinner in the hotel Coffee and cake on Christmas Day Slovenian wine tasting Farewell dinner and folklore evening Executive coach throughout Exclusive services of a One Traveller Tour Manager Excursions as follows: Ljubljana, with guided tour and lunch Austrian Carinthia, via two mountain passes Postojna caves with train ride Bled island, with horse and carriage ride and boat ride Triglav National Park with cable car ride Not Included Holiday Insurance

2 You need to arrange your own but we can help. For more information, please see our suggested insurance services. Itinerary Key: Breakfast Lunch Dinner Drink Afternoon Tea Longer walks and steps may be involved on this day 1 Travel to Slovenia Meet your One Traveller representative and fellow travellers at Heathrow Airport before boarding the flight to Zagreb (Croatia). On arrival your coach will take you to the hotel for a six-night stay. After a chance to settle in and relax there will be a hosted welcome drinks reception and dinner. 2 Ljubljana Morning: one of Europe s smallest capital cities and a former capital of the historic region of Carniola, Ljubljana is known as the City of Palaces, with its ornate art nouveau architecture. A guided tour is included, as well as lunch. Afternoon: enjoy Ljubljana and take the funicular to the castle (at own cost) for spectacular views over the city before returning to Bled. Evening: dinner with a drink in the hotel. 3 Carinthian Austria Morning: Austria and Slovenia are separated by the Karavanke Mountains. A short scenic drive via the Ljubelj mountain pass leads to the Carinthian capital of Klagenfurt, where there will be time to explore and have lunch. The province has over 200 lakes and is known as the Austrian Riviera. You will return to Bled over the Wurzen Pass, with stunning views of the Julian Alps. Afternoon: return to the hotel in the mid-afternoon to enjoy its

3 facilities. Evening: dinner and a drink in the hotel. 4 Christmas Eve Postojna Caves Morning: a visit to the easily accessible network of caves with a thrilling train ride. Marvel at the great halls and huge underground formations developed over millions of years by tiny drops of water. You will also see the fascinating cave mammals in the Proteus Cave- Vivararium. It was once believed some were the offspring of dragons. Evening: festive Slovene dinner and a drink with live zither music. 5 Christmas Day - Bled and Island Morning: a relaxed half day with a horse and carriage ride around the lake, followed by a traditional wooden Pletna boat ride across to the island church for included coffee and cake. Afterwards you can ring the famous bell to make your Christmas wishes come true! Evening: experience the illuminated Legend of the Sunken Bell played live on the lake before a festive celebration dinner and a drink in the hotel. 6 Boxing Day - Triglav National Park Morning: a relaxing short drive through the unspoilt Triglav National Park and the serene beauty of Lake Bohinj where you will enjoy an included lunch. Today we also include a cable car ride to see the stunning scenery before returning in the mid-afternoon to relax in the hotel. Evening: Slovene wine tasting in a village wine cellar, followed by a farewell dinner and folklore show in a local restaurant. 7 Fly home One final visit to the breakfast buffet and a last look at beautiful Bled before the drive to the airport and flight back to the UK.

4 Included excursions Ljubljana (with included lunch) Ljubljana, one of Europe s smallest capital cities, sits on three bridges and is known as the City of Palaces. Its art nouveau architecture is truly ornate. The Mestni Trg (Town Square) is just a short stroll from the three bridges where you'll find Ljubljana's Town Hall and the fountain of the three Carniolan Rivers. The colourful Trgnica (open air market) is where the small Christmas Market is held. A short guided tour is included, then after lunch enjoy the town at your own pace or ride the funicular up to the castle to enjoy a view of the city. Postojna caves Postojna is an easily accessible network of caves with a thrilling train ride. Marvel at the great halls and huge underground formations developed over millions of years by tiny drops of water. At this time of the year there are also some special Christmas grottoes. Bled island A half day that commences with a horse and carriage that collects you from the hotel for a ride around the lake followed by a gentle float across on traditional Pletna boats to the island with its idyllic 15th Century church. Here we include coffee/tea and cake. Triglav National Park and Lake Bohinj (with included lunch) An unhurried excursion to one of Europe s most unspoilt areas; stunning Lake Bohinj, the Voje Valley and the Triglav National Park. We include a cable car ride to the base of the ski slopes with astounding views and lunch in a local restaurant. Carinthian Austria A scenic drive over two mountain passes crossing the border into neighbouring Austria and the province of Carinthia where you will stop in the city of Klagenfurt on Lake Woerther to have lunch and perhaps take in a little shopping before the scenic drive back to lake Bled. Legend of the sunken bell ceremony, followed by a festive Slovene Christmas dinner

5 Watch a ceremony live on the lake depicting a local legend when once upon a time there lived a young widow in the castle of Bled. Her husband was killed by robbers and his body was thrown into the lake. She was so inconsolable that she gathered all her gold and silver and cast a bell for the chapel on the island, in memory to her husband. The bell sank during a terrible storm. The desperate widow sold all her property after this accident. She offered the proceeds for the construction of a new church on the island. She left Bled and lived the rest of her life in Rome as a nun. After her death the Pope had heard of her misfortune and of her good deeds during her life as a nun, so in memory to her he decide to make a new bell. He said that anyone that rings the bell three times and believes in God, his or her wish would come true. Even today sometimes, on a dark night you can hear the sunken bell ringing from the depths of the lake. Slovenian wine tasting Sitting at the crossroads of many an empire and country that has come and gone, Slovenia has been quietly making high-class wines for over two millenia with many of the current wineries founded as far back as the 1500's. In the private wine cellar of your farewell restaurant enjoy sampling some of this with local music accompaniment and Slovenian style snacks. Farewell dinner and folklore evening Your farewell dinner will be in a family-run restaurant in a small village just 20 minutes drive from Bled with a cosy atmosphere and locally sourced produce and a traditional Slovenian menu. After dinner the family and friend put on a display of local music and dances with a great sense of fun. Hotels Hotel Golf The hotel has a comfortable bar and lobby. Also a lobby gift shop where stamps and international newspapers can be purchased. The restaurant overlooks the lake and has an extensive buffet. The comfortable bar area has armchairs and sofas in which to relax and enjoy live music on some evenings. There is complimentary WiFi throughout the hotel. Nearby are several shops, cafés, a bank, post office and the promenade. The hotels situation elevated from the lake also requires either steps (the equivalent of three to four flights) or the easier way on the main road which slopes gently down to the lake yards) The Hotel Golf's facilities include a sauna, steam room and indoor and outdoor thermal swimming pools with Jacuzzis. Changing rooms are available. There is use of the gym at the nearby sister property (Park Hotel 150 yards away). The onsite hairdresser and beauty salon offer reasonably priced treatments. A bath-robe and slippers will be provided in your room. Your hotel room: you will have a double room for single occupancy. All rooms have air conditioning, balconies and come with fridge/minibar and safe. Tea and coffee making facilities are not

6 provided as standard so you may wish to bring your own. There is complimentary WiFi throughout the hotel. Hotel bathrooms: all the hotel bathrooms have a bath tub with shower over the bath. There are no rooms with walk in showers. Your bathroom will be equipped with a hairdryer, bathrobe and slippers, soap, shampoo, shower gel and ample towels for both bathroom and the hotel pool will be provided. All One Traveller guest rooms in the Hotel Golf have the same facilities and are the same size offering village and mountain views and all rooms have balconies. If you wish to secure a lake view room a limited number are available for a supplement of 150. Please contact us should you wish to add this option to your booking. If you have already booked this it will be shown on your invoice.