A day at Lake Bled

After a day discovering the Logarska Dolina valley and the villages of the Julian Alps, we arrived in Bled in the evening. It was the first time during our stay that we had seen so many people, cars and tour coaches. Bled is another of Slovenia’s faces, far better known and covered by the media, which explains the influx of people to this magnificent site. We didn’t regret going there though, the lake is so superb and so photogenic!

What to do in Bled

Going round the lake by bike (or on foot)

We got around Bled exclusively by bike, which made the ride around the lake very pleasant. There are cycle paths all along the route where you can ride without worrying about cars. The lake loop is 6 kilometres with many viewpoints over the castle and the island in the middle. The landscape is truly sublime: you could never tire of all those colours!

Swimming in the lake

Contrary to what you might think, the water in the lake isn’t that cold! We were able to swim in it and get in easily without shivering. All along the lake there are beaches, stretches of grass, where you can lay your towel. Our favourite spot isn’t listed on Google as a “beach”, but here is how to find it easily. It’s next to the start of the hiking trails, we had left our bikes there before setting off on the hike.

Seeing the lake from above

To admire the lake from the heights of Bled, we chose to follow the path that leads to Mala Osojnica. The climb is quite hard because the trail is slippery and the sun beats down fairly strongly in summer. But all our efforts were rewarded by the magnificent view over the lake!

You can carry on the hike to go even higher, towards Velika Osojnica if you have the courage! As for us, after spending a good half hour admiring the landscape, we started back down to reach the lake and go and have lunch at a restaurant.

Our accommodation in Bled

Where there’s a touristy spot, there are very high prices to stay. So we set our sights on a private room in a big house rented on Airbnb (300€ for the 3 nights). The room was very spacious and nicely decorated, with a balcony, only the bathroom was shared with the other three rooms in the house. The bonus of this place: the bikes lent by the owners which allowed us to leave the car for the day.

Our favourite spot in Bled

• Sova Restaurant: a very good restaurant in Bled which doesn’t charge overly high tourist prices (49€ for two). On top of that, the portions are very generous and the view from the terrace over the lake is stunning!

What we thought of Lake Bled

Obviously, as we had read everywhere in the guidebooks and on blogs, Lake Bled is one of Slovenia’s must-sees, if not the main one! There is no doubt about the beauty of the place and it’s one of the landscapes that struck us most during our trip. But it’s also where we came across the most people and tourists… unavoidable!
We can only tell you to go to Lake Bled, but perhaps off season, or to get up a bit earlier in the morning to enjoy the calm of the lake. Our last tip: rent bikes to get around more easily.

Planning a trip to Slovenia? Read all our articles about our road trip!