Lake Bled in Slovenia is one of those beautiful postcard-perfect places that it’s amazing just to visit – but what do you do when you’re there? Read on to find out five awesome things I loved doing in Lake Bled!
Row Lake Bled
Joe speeding us across the lake
The town of Bled is nestled in the north-eastern shore of the famous lake, and from there you can be powered across to visit the famous island by brawny guys paddling the brightly-coloured pletna boats. However, if you’re feeling brawny and/or energetic yourself, you can hire a row-boat to cruise over at your own pace. It’s a bit cheaper and means you can take all the time (and photos!) you desire. If you’d like to try for yourself, follow the path toward the north side of the lake from the main tourist office – you’ll soon see the row-boat docks beside the water park. Just be aware you might have to wait on a busy sunny afternoon!
The beautiful Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Maria
However you get there, make sure you’ve kept a bit of time to wander around the island and marvel at the gorgeous views of the lake and surrounding mountains. We didn’t spend much time looking in the church – we were too captivated by the scenery!
Just a few steps to the top – rest assured there is a much gentler path up as well!
Pretty pletna all in a row
I promise I did some of the rowing too!
Walk around Lake Bled
Feeling like something a tad less energetic that still gives those awesome views? I’ve got good news – you can walk all the way around Lake Bled in an hour, admiring that stunning scenery every step of the way. There’s various cafes and benches to relax at, and a separate path so you never have to worry about tangling with the traffic that can sometimes choke the main road. It’s a gentle path, with a few rolling hills but fairly well paved all the way around.
Bled Castle and the Church of St Martin
Climb for a view
It’s a bit more energetic than the above options, but I can’t recommend the short hikes at the south end of Lake Bled enough for these stunning views. If you head to Camping Bled, you’ll find the trail up just to the right. It’s not particularly well sign-posted, but with a bit of trial and error we quickly found the path. The hike is steep but short enough that you’ll be at the top of the first rock, Ojstrica, with great views, within 10-15 minutes. And, like us, you’ll probably be sharing that small rock with 30 other people, all trying to soak in the views (or get the best selfie). Pop back down to the base of the rock and follow the signposts for another 10 minutes to Osojnica for an even higher viewpoint, which you’ll likely have nearly to yourself! Check out this guide for some more tips.
Eat great food
With all that exercise, you’ve definitely earned some good eats! I wasn’t sure what to expect from Slovenian food, but I was delighted by the meals we had, many of which featured the region’s fusion between Italian and Central European styles. We had a fantastic meal with friends at Restaurant Sova Bled (top right), where the food was amazing and the waiters’ sense of humour even better! The pizzas at Rustika were humongous and tasty, while the fish I had at Vrtnarija Garden Village was fresh and light. Probably the biggest surprise of the trip for me was the amazing vegan food at Public Bar & Vegan Kitchen, where we not only had great burgers (top left) but I also got to try a version of the region’s famous cream cake, which otherwise would have been off-limits as a lactose-intolerant. Happiness!
Explore this gorgeous region
Snow in April
While Lake Bled is absolutely beautiful, we knew that we wanted to see a bit more of the region. We tossed up spending the time in Ljubljana, but decided instead to maximise our outdoors time – and I’m so glad we did! We drove about 15 minutes up to Krnica to briefly play in the snow and then contemplate nature at this beautiful little waterfall.
Our other adventure was to Lake Bohinj. This was a longer drive (about 35 minutes from our hotel) but totally worth it to breathe the beautiful fresh air whipping across the lake from the mountains and wander its surprisingly sandy shores.
Finally, I have to shout-out to our incredible accomodation at Hotel Triglav. Not sponsored, we just loved this beautiful spot! It was a complete splurge for us, but totally worth it for these views across the lake, including from the indoor pool. I’m also really glad we didn’t stay right in the heart of Bled town – every time we did visit it was bustling, so we were very happy to escape to our calm oasis on the other side of the lake!
Have you visited Lake Bled? What was your favourite activity?
Linking up with #Wanderful Wednesday!
