Lake Bled
Lake Bled is in Slovenia, near the capital of Ljubljana. Slovenia is known as the nation of caves and has natural beauty all around it. On this trip we were focusing on the stunning, fairytale-looking Lake Bled. The pictures of it are amazing and we just had to stop here on the way of our travels. This blue, tranquil haven is surrounded by the Julian Alps and overlooked by a cliff hanging, medieval castle. On the lake is a lonely island, occupied by a charming church.
There’s plenty of things to do whilst staying in Bled which we will discuss. We were travelling from Croatia to Slovenia through a bus which was really easy to organise. We booked through the website of Omio. Flixbus is another very easy website to sort out border crossing travel. It was our 2-night stop here before heading to Budapest. Check out our travel route here for nearby destinations and a check on the buses you can use.
Perfection – How long to stay
We’re pretty sure that this is the most perfect-looking lake in the world. It’s so beautiful that it doesn’t seem real and no photo will ever do it justice. A 2-day stay was enough to explore this tranquil setting but we’d have happily stayed here longer. We managed to see the things that we wanted but it would have been nice too have longer to appreciate them. Slovenia has so many other natural wonders to visit, that it would be wise to plan for that in an itinerary. Although it’s busy in summer, we had an absolute blast and it was lovely to have a dip in the lake. We came in August and got lucky that the weather was as nice as it is was, it can be prone to clouds and showers.
How to get there
We found no problem getting there from the country’s capital of Ljubljana. These routes were easiest to get to our accommodation so you may need a different route. If you’re near the train station in Ljubljana then you’re also near the bus station and these two methods are best to get there.
Getting here from train station:
From Ljubljana catch a train to Lesce-Bled station. From the train station you can catch a bus to Bohinj/Bohinj lake and get off at Bled-Mlino station Bled-Mlino station is located at the lake.
Getting here by bus:
Catch a bus to Bohinj/Bohinj lake and get off at Bled-Mlino station, 3rd stop after you get to Bled. Bled-Mlino station is located at the lake.
When to go
Fortunately, Lake Bled is a perfect visit all year round. We captured stunning views in August and the heat was around 30 degrees. We were lucky to have mostly blue skies as the mountains tend to bring cloud this way. We’ve noticed that the weather at Bled turns nice from April, but going when it is the winter months should not put you off. Easy access from busses means that it would be a tranquil escape even during the colder months. We think it would be magical to visit here when it snows. Winter has the benefit of fewer crowds, however we’re certain you will have an unforgettable experience on any visit.
Where to stay
If you’ve got lots of trips planned then you may be on a budget like we were. We’d planned two nights to stay here and found airbnb our best option,click here for a discounted trip. We stayed in a guest house, which was perfect for this type of trip. It cost us £70 each for 2 nights and we had a fantastic location close to the lake. The apartment was a gorgeous, wooden chalet and lots of the airbnb rentals are similar.
Things to do at Lake Bled
Hire a rowing boat
We recommend getting a rowing boat on the lake. Disclaimer* You need to be quite fit. I consider myself in reasonable condition and was exhausted by the end of it. It was definitely worth it though, to make it more intimate and allow you to appreciate the lake in your own space. We docked our boat at the church and had a walk around there before heading back. Check the video at the bottom to see more of the activity.
Visit Bled island
One of the things we wanted to do was visit the picturesque island, near the end of the lake. This can be achieved by hopping on board a Pletna Boat. The oarsman will take you to the island, offer you a chance for some exploration and then take you back. We decided to hire our own rowing boat as previously mentioned.
Once there, you will have the chance to explore the minute island and visit the charming church. One of the things you can do is ring the church bell, which is said to grant you any wish. Unfortunately for us, somebody was getting married but it was still great to witness something so magical and what a way to get married!
Hire a bike. Visit the Vintgar Gorge
Hiring a bike around Lake Bled was an amazing way to capture all its beauty and a quick way to get around. We used our bikes to trek to the Vintgar Gorge, which was a wonderful spectacle of nature. Make sure you check your bike tyres. I’ve never been so exhausted due to only realising when we got there that I had two flat tyres. The journey to Vintgar Gorge was around an hour with a flat tyre’d bike. When you pay the entrance fee it is around another 30 minutes of walking until you reach the main waterfall.
Although it’s a long walk to the final waterfall, it’s totally worth it. Your walk through the Vintgar Gorge will have you stunned at such a natural beauty. The intimidating canyon walls are up to 100 meters high and the stream has created many erosive features such as pools and rapids. It terminates in the picturesque 13 m Šum Falls (which means ‘noisy falls’), it’s the largest river waterfall in Slovenia.
Visit Bled Castle
On our way back from Vintgar Gorge we biked to Bled Castle. The combination of history (oldest castle in Slovenia) and beauty makes it a must visit and the views are absolutely breathtaking. It is a much shorter trek from Lake bled than from Vintgar Gorge. We just chose this route to fit in all 3 activities. We previously mentioned that there was a wedding at the church, the wedding reception was held at the castle. What a fantastic day they must have had! Check out the video at the bottom to see stunning scenery and the activities you can get up too.
Where to eat
We can’t recommend lots of places to eat due to only staying 2-nights. One of the nights we didn’t arrive until 11pm. We stayed in a lovely wooden apartment in Village Mlino, which is one of the oldest parts of Bled. One place we can recommend is, Sova, which sold traditional Slovenian food. We’d recommend the Sova grill platter.
Where else can you go to after Bled?
The capital of Slovenia is Ljubljana. It’s a colourful and compact city and has lovely streets to stroll and admire. It has easy access to Bled which makes it a perfect 1 day visit. Another trip we recommend is to Lake Bohinj. People visiting Bled often make this a day trip. It has less tourists but keeps the beautiful scenery and is definitely worth a visit. There are of course many lovely places to visit in Slovenia which you can find here. It’s neighbouring country Croatia also has so many beautiful places to visit. You can find where we have here.
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As I live in Slovenia I visited this place many times and it is great. It is getting a bit touristy but you wrote the main things one should know about this place
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Thank you, it’s such a lovely place and a must visit for Slovenia 🙂