Best Way to Spend a Day at Lake Bled

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Lake Bled is definitely having its moment in the travel spotlight. You’ve probably seen its iconic church in the middle of a lake photo multiple times if you enjoy reading travel sites. It looks like something you would see as an illustration in a fairy tale. Happily, it’s real and it’s easy to visit from Ljubljana if you only have time for a day trip.

With the growing popularity of the Lake Bled area, I highly suggest a visit in the spring or autumn. I was there in the autumn and there were still busloads of tourists at Lake Bled. It wasn’t crowded in most areas though so it was a lot more tranquil than the summertime.

How to Visit Lake Bled, Slovenia

I recommend staying overnight in Bled as even though you can see it on a day trip from Ljubljana there are a lot of adventure activities that leave from Lake Bled to explore the rivers and mountains of Slovenia. Before visiting the Lake Bled area, I did a road trip through the Vrsic Pass and explored Triglav near Kobarid.

When to Visit Lake Bled

May, June, September, and October. Ski season can start in late November.

How to Get To Lake Bled

From Ljubljana, it is about an hour’s drive. You can also arrive after taking a trip through the Julian Alps (which I highly recommend!). There are trains and buses that leave from Ljubljana quite frequently.

If you aren’t renting a car, there are tours like this one that include Lake Bled and Vintgar Gorge.

Where to Stay near Lake Bled

I stayed at Apartment Roberta just outside of Bled. I loved the location and how peaceful it was. The apartment was huge, clean, and the owner was so nice and accommodating.

Adora Luxury Hotel is right on the lake and offers up views of the lake and spacious rooms. It’s only a 10-minute walk to town from here and has free parking.

Where to Eat in Bled

Try the Bled Cream Cake at the Castle Coffee Shop, open from April to October.

If you’re feeling fancy, try the Bled Castle Restaurant. Make a reservation and your entrance to the castle is free. The food here is moderately priced and serves up Slovenian-style food.

How to Spend a Day at Lake Bled

I have to admit, my first impression of the lake itself was pretty poor. I think that with so many magical photos of Lake Bled floating around it had influenced my expectations. After seeing an abundance of teal coloured water in Slovenia, I had expected it for Lake Bled too. When I was there though, the lake was just a regular coloured lake, nothing magical to it.

Ultimately, Lake Bled is worth a visit and I loved the castle that sits above the lake. It was also a great destination to visit for its proximity to Vintgar Gorge, which is stunning. I know that it’s a well-known destination in Slovenia but it is getting a bit hyped up so keep your expectations in check. With that said, here’s how to spend a day in Bled.

Walk Around Lake Bled

I was happy with just walking around the lake and taking in the sights. Try to arrive early for parking and to get the place to yourself.  If you would like, you can get a boat out to the island. For whatever reason, I just did not feel compelled to do this, likely because I was excited about going to Vintgar Gorge and prioritized that over the island.

Hike Up to Bled Castle

I found Bled Castle to be the most charming part of Bled. I did the hike up, which is quite the little hike as it sites 100m over the lake. The castle is cute and charming from the outside. If you want the best photos and viewpoint of Lake Bled and the island, you have to pay to go inside the castle. From the castle, there are great viewpoints of the town and surrounding mountains. I enjoyed touring the castle and reading a bit about the history of Bled and its development as a tourist destination. They have a gift shop here with cute gifts as well as a little café where you can try some Bled Cream Cake.

Tip: If you can’t make the hike up, there is parking at the castle and you can drive up there easily.
Cost: 11 euros for adults, 7 for children. Free with a reservation to the Bled Castle Restaurant.

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Try Bled’s Queen of Cakes: Cream Cake

This was high on my list of things to do in Bled. A must-try cake that is a town’s specialty? Count me in. The cake itself was developed by Ištvan Lukačevič in the Hotel Park bakery that is located on the shore of the lake. Known by locals as Kremna Rezina. Basically, the cake is a butter pastry with thick vanilla cream layered over it, some whipping cream, and then another layer of pastry on top.

There are quite a few places in Bled where you can try this. I wish I had just tried it at Bled Castle for convenience and a great view. Instead, I made a special trip to a place and was rewarded with the poorest service I had on my entire vacation.

Armchair Tourists or Nostalgic Travelers: You can take a stab at making your own Bled Cream Cake, check out The Adventure Bite’s recipe.

Hike Vintgar Gorge

This is easily the highlight of Bled for me. It’s located a short drive from the town and was a bit difficult to follow some of the signs but we did get there. If you are visiting Lake Bled without a car, you can walk to Vintgar Gorge as it is 6km away or rent an e-bike.

The walk on the boardwalk through the gorge takes you over rapids and through stunning scenery. It can get crowded but the views were definitely worth it.

Near the end of the walk, there is a stone bridge that looks like it’s out of a Harry Potter novel. If you’re looking for a fairy-tale landscape, this is it. I spent a lot of time here taking it all in and looking at the trout in some of the calmer parts of the gorge.

I cannot recommend Vintgar Gorge enough. This is worth the day trip alone.

While I drove to the gorge, you can walk by following signs to Cesta Vintgar, which is about 4 km. During the summer there is also a tourist bus that goes between Bled and Vintgar. Check out this website for schedules: Vintgar Gorge.

How to Spend More than One Day at Lake Bled

For a single-day trip, you only have time to do Lake Bled and Vintgar Gorge. If you are staying in the area longer, I highly recommend exploring Triglav National Park. Check out my blog post on an itinerary for Slovenia and Croatia to see how to fit Triglav and Bled into your schedule.

Basing yourself out of Bled, there are some really great options within reach. It’s also a great destination for adventure lovers as there are tours that can take you underground kayaking, white-water rafting, or canyoning.

Lake Bohinj is another popular lake in the area with some people preferring it over Lake Bled.
Radovljica is a town nearby that has a beekeeping museum as well as a gingerbread museum. It’s a very cute town and easy to stop in off of the highway.
Savica Waterfall is found about 4 km from Lake Bohinj and could make for a good quick stop.
Mostnica Gorge is a 2-hour hike to see the Mostnica Waterfalls.

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