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Travel guide
Lake Bled
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to June, and September to October
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Welcome
Lake Bled, in a few days
A glacial lake 2 km long at 475 metres, with a church-topped island in the middle and a castle perched 130 metres above the water. You walk round it in two hours, row out to the island, and the Julian Alps close off the horizon.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 3 things
- D2 Day 2 3 things
- D3 Day 3 1 thing
- D4 Day 4 1 thing
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Bled Island and its bell tower · about 1 hSlovenia's only natural island, home to a shrine to the Virgin since the 11th century; the present Church of the Assumption is 17th century.
- Afternoon · Mala Osojnica viewpoint free · about 1 h 30The postcard view of lake, island, castle and Triglav, about 45 minutes up a steep path from Zaka, with ladders near the top.
- Late afternoon · The walk around the lake free · about 2 hSix kilometres of flat path, about two hours, past the grand hotels, through woods on the south shore and by bathing jetties.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Ribno Alpine Hotel ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€130 a night
D2
Day 2
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Bled Castle · about 1 h 30Set on a 130-metre cliff above the north shore, first mentioned in 1011 and held by the Bishops of Brixen for nearly eight centuries.
- Afternoon · Kremšnita cream cake at the Park Café · about 30 minThe Bled cream slice created in 1953 by Ištvan Lukačević for the Park Hotel: vanilla custard and whipped cream between layers of pastry.
- Late afternoon · Vintgar Gorge · about 1 h 30A 1,600-metre gorge cut by the Radovna four kilometres north of the lake, followed on wooden walkways fixed to the rock since 1893.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Ribno Alpine Hotel ↗€130 a night
D3
Day 3
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Pokljuka Plateau free · half a dayA karst plateau of spruce forest and peat bogs half an hour above Bled, Slovenia's cross-country skiing centre and a World Cup biathlon venue.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Ribno Alpine Hotel ↗€130 a night
D4
Day 4
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Lake Bohinj free · half a dayThirty kilometres south-west and wholly inside Triglav National Park: wooded shores, no castle, and the frescoed church of St John the Baptist at Ribčev Laz.
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Štruklji: rolled dumplings with a filling, savoury or sweet, often cottage cheese.
- Potica: a rolled cake with a walnut filling, baked for holidays.
- Kranjska klobasa: the smoked Carniolan pork sausage, served with mustard and horseradish.
- Jota: a hearty soup of beans, sauerkraut and potato, from the Karst and the coast.
- Adriatic fish in Piran: grilled sea bass or squid, with Swiss chard and potato on the side.
- Local wine, and žganje, the fruit brandy poured as a welcome.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Never drive on a motorway without the e-vignette: fines are heavy, and it takes two minutes to buy online.
- Book the Postojna cave and your Bled accommodation early in summer.
- Old centres are pedestrian, Piran above all: park on the edge of town and walk in.
- Alpine weather turns quickly: check the forecast before any hike.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Slovene
| English | Slovene |
|---|---|
| Hello | Dober dan |
| Thank you | Hvala |
| Please | Prosim |
| Yes | Da |
| No | Ne |
| Excuse me | Oprostite |
| Goodbye | Nasvidenje |
| Do you speak English? | Govorite angleško? |
| I don't understand | Ne razumem |
| How much is it? | Koliko stane? |
| Where are the toilets? | Kje je stranišče? |
| The bill, please | Račun, prosim |
| Help! | Na pomoč! |
| Cheers! | Na zdravje! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €110 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to June, and September to October
PlugC/F · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingAppreciated, around 10%
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo vaccination required. Make sure tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date. Ticks in the forests can carry tick-borne encephalitis: consider the vaccine if you plan long walks.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/lake-bled
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.