Best things to do in Bled, Slovenia: 8 amazing attractions
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Welcome dear travel lover! If you are looking for travel inspiration and how to plan a trip to Slovenia, you arrived at the right article. On this travel guide to Bled, I will be sharing the best things to do and see and also other amazing tips. If you want to discover the location of one of the best view points in Bled, then read this article till the end (or skip directly to the end, it’s your choice, of course).
Slovenia is one of those countries which will surprise and fascinate you at the same time. I think it’s one of the most underrated countries in Europe. I didn’t know a lot about it myself, until we planned a two week road trip in Croatia. We decided to include two locations from Slovenia on our itinerary because they were very close to our initial route. We ended up including Bled and Bohinj on our travel plan and it was the best decision ever!
While road-tripping through Slovenia I immediately noted how green this country is. Every landscape we saw from the highway was wonderful and eye–catching. I quickly got super excited to get to our two destinations. Slovenia is by far one of Europe’s hidden gems, and even if I promote it in this article, I find that the lack of popularity saves this country from all the touristic disadvantages that come from lots of crowds visiting a place. And it also makes the experience for some of us, those who hunt for travel gems, even more exciting and memorable.
At that moment, I vaguely knew about Bled, because I only saw a few pictures of the famous lake.
Because Bled and Bohinj were very close together, we decided to get accommodation in Bohinj, because there we found this place with an astonishing view. But more on that in another article, dedicated to Bohinj.
In Bled we could only plan one day of visiting but we tried to enjoy as much as possible.
Here is a great list with all the things you can do and visit in Bled, Slovenia:
Visit Bled Lake and take photos on the pontoon
This guide with best things to do in Bled has to start with visiting the top attraction.
Maybe this one sounds very basic, but hear me out. When I say, “visit Bled Lake” I mean, park your car, take your time, sit on a bench, relax and breathe the fresh air. The view from the pontoon is amazing and there are some great photo angles too.
We visited Bled on a rainy day, and even if you think this can be bummer, you couldn’t be more wrong. Yeah, the weather wasn’t ideal, especially for photos, because it wasn’t sunny, but we made the best of it. Chances are on a rainy day, the place will be free from other tourists.
I find that rain and nature are the best combination to have a relaxing and a soothing day. I love how the water drops sound in nature, and how the trees and the grass look during and after. And maybe it’s just me, because I’m a weirdo sometimes (okok, not just sometimes), but I ADORE the smell of rain. Whenever I get the chance, I give my nose some time to take in all the scents that rain lives behind. It feels so refreshing. So if you ever see me awkwardly smelling the raindrops, don’t judge me until you try.
Back to our trip in Bled. The pontoon was free and we took the opportunity to take a couple of great photos. The view was wonderful and we could enjoy it as much as we wanted, while listening to the water drops hitting the lake’s surface
Fun hint: if you are visiting with a romantic partner, dress in cute clothes and take lovely photos as a couple for your home album.
Rent a boat and row Bled Lake
If you want to add more to your Bled experience, I suggest you rent a boat and row the lake. After the rain stopped, we decided to spend more time in Bled and went to rent a small boat. While the boys were giving their best to row the boat around the small island, us girls spent our time taking selfies and enjoying the view. It was one of the most relaxing days.
Enjoy lunch near the lake
Who doesn’t like to have lunch with a beautiful view ahead?! I highly recommend you plan to have one of your meals in Bled, at a restaurant close to the lake. The prices may be higher, but the view is totally worth it. Because the rain got so bad at some point, we took the opportunity to enjoy our lunch near the lake.
Hike to the epic view point
This is for sure one of the best things to do in Bled and you will see why. There are several viewpoints of Bled Lake and we went to see just one of them, called the Ojstrica viewpoint. The scenic overlook from that spot was wonderful and it offered great photo angles. Another good thing is that the point is not that high, giving you a more detailed view of Bled. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t always enjoy those very high view points, because from them the world appears too small.
In order to get to this awesome spot, park your car in the camping parking lot (you can search for it on Google Maps) and while facing the lake, go right and walk for a couple of minutes along the road, until you see a sign with the Ojstrica viewpoint. Follow the direction of the sign and prepare for an easy hike, for approx. 15 minutes until you get to the top. Keep in mind that proper shoes are required, even if the hike is short and easy. The rocks are slippery and it can ruin your good shoes.
When you get to the top, spend some time there and admire the amazing landscape. There is also a cute bench, where you can enjoy a snack or your lunch (remember to clean up after yourself).
Visit Vintgar Gorge
Vintgar Gorge is not located in Bled, but is very close, approx 4 km drive away near Gorje. The whole walk through the Vintgar Gorge is splendid. The gorge is approx 1,6 km long and it is carved amid vertical walls of rocks. After entering the gorge, you will follow a wooden bridge that goes along waterfalls and blue waters.
There are two ways to start the trail, basically there isn’t an entrance or exit, because you can enter from both parts.
We had a really funny and kinda sad story related to our attempt to find a way to enter the gorge. Someone pointed us into the direction of some hills that would take us straight to the gorge. We were excited to include a hike on our itinerary that day and we started with a lot of enthusiasm that lasted for about 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, we figured that we were lost on the hills and our biggest problem was that the trail wasn’t marked. Well, you can trust us to make a wild guess and completely go rogue. Long story short, we left the “official” trail, because it didn’t feel fine to us (haha, we sounded like experts, but we were arguing a lot and nobody knew the correct path). The trail we chose wasn’t a trail at all, there was no living soul along the way and I even fell on my butt in mud a couple of times (at least 3 times). At some point we got worried, because we could have gotten lost for real and the bad part was that our phones didn’t have any signal. Don’t worry, no one was hurt, if you exclude my poor butt. After a bit more guessing (because this is the smart thing to do..), we got to civilization and we even found the entrance to the gorge. It was pure luck, let me assure you of that. So, here is a free and precious piece of advice: don’t go on hikes if the trails aren’t marked, or you don’t know the area.
Also, I want to point out that there is another entrance that doesn’t require a hike or anything dangerous (check their official website for directions).
Vintgar Gorge was worth it though! The trail was so beautiful that we stopped several times and got great shots. The landscape is so inviting and eye-catching, it’s like nature is welcoming us humans to walk among its masterpieces. At some point along the trail you will see a beautiful stone bridge somewhere up high and you can wait for the train, if you want. This bridge and Sum Waterfall were my favorite spots from the whole place.
If you visit or plan to visit Bled, I highly recommend you include Vintgar Gorge on your itinerary. If you want to learn more about the place, like schedule and prices, visit their official website.
Other things you can do in Bled:
- Hike around the lake
- Enjoy the sunset near the lake (We couldn’t do this one, because we chose to stay in another place)
- If you visit during summer, you can swim in the lake
- Visit the small island in the middle of the lake and the Church of the Mother of God
If you want to learn more about Bled and all the activities you can enjoy here, check out their official website.
I hope you find this travel guide with best things to do in Bled, useful and I convinced you to include Bled on your travel bucket list.