Listed below are one of the best day journeys to take from Lake Bled. Extra lakes, gorges, cities, villages, and wine so that you can get pleasure from.
Lake Bled is definitely certainly one of Slovenia’s hottest locations. Likelihood is, in the event you’re planning a visit to Slovenia, you’re planning to go to Lake Bled.
Whereas in Lake Bled, you’ll want to have a style of the Bled cream cake. It’s scrumptious! Additionally, take a trip on a standard pletna boat to the island in the midst of the lake. Right here you may climb the 99 stone steps, ring the bell, and make a want on the Assumption of Mary Church. Spectacular views of the lake will be seen from the 12th-century Bled Citadel. And don’t neglect to remain in any of the picturesque inns in Lake Bled!
However we’re not right here to inform you what to do in Lake Bled. We need to assist spotlight a number of day journeys from Lake Bled you may take: only a quick drive, cycle, or bus trip away!
Skip Forward To My Recommendation Right here!
1. Lake Bohinj
There’s a lot to do in and round Slovenia’s largest everlasting lake. Lake Bohinj lies simply 15 miles (25 km) southwest of Lake Bled. You’ll be able to rapidly drive to Lake Bohinj in about 30 minutes; belief us; you’ll need to spend the entire day there! The blue-green, glacier-formed lake is 2.6 miles (4.2 km) lengthy and 0.62 miles (1 km) at its max width.
JUMP AHEAD & BOOK TOURS HERE FAST
A 7.4-mile (12 km) path goes across the parameter of Lake Bohinj. Strolling across the lake is a favourite exercise for many who need to benefit from the magnificence and tranquility of the encompassing space. In case you select to stroll your complete lake, enable anyplace from 3.5 to 5 hours. Most individuals stroll counterclockwise across the lake, beginning close to the Church of St John, close to the stone bridge on the lake’s southeast finish. 14th-century frescoes embellish this greater than the 700-year-old church. You’ll expertise rocky, forested, and meadowed terrain alongside the path round Lake Bohinj.
Actions on the lake embody swimming, canoeing, kayaking, and stand-up paddleboarding. Close by is Savica Waterfall, Slovenia’s hottest waterfall. The path to the falls is brief, about 20-30 minutes from the paid parking space. And whereas transient, it’s an uphill climb by a thick forest. There’s a small entry price (Three euro per individual) to entry the waterfall. One other exercise in Bohinj to think about, in the event you keep after the solar goes down, is stargazing! Because of the lack of metropolis lights, the darkish evening sky close to Bohinj is genuinely magical.
For spectacular views of the Bohinj area, you could have three thrilling choices. Your first choice is to trip the Vogel Cable Automotive near a mile (1,535 m) above the valley flooring. This feature is superb for these with mobility points, as strollers and wheelchairs are welcome. As soon as on the prime, you’ll have entry to many nice mountaineering and biking trails, or you may take within the views. For extra details about the Vogel cable automotive trip, together with present costs, hours of operation, and add-ons, click on right here.
Your second choice for prime views is to make the windy drive to Koprivnik Village. It ought to take you about 25-minutes from Bohinj. Park close to the 18th-century parish church and observe indicators to Vodnikov Razglednik (panoramic website). This steep however rewarding hike ought to solely take about 15 minutes. The views of Higher Bohinj Valley and Lake Bohinj from listed here are positively well worth the climb! In case you’re feeling further adventurous, your third choice for gorgeous views over the Bohinj Valley is to leap off a mountain… with a parachute, after all! Paragliding is a well-liked exercise on this area, and little doubt you’ll see a number of paragliders peacefully drifting by the skies throughout your time in Bohinj.
Getting from Lake Bled to Lake Bohinj:
- Drive: Roughly 15.5 mi/25 km | 25-30 minutes
- Bus: Operated by Alpetour – Potovalna Agencija, D.O.O. | Departs from Bled Station a number of instances all through the day | 37-minute trip | Value is only a few Euros |
- Bike: You’ll be able to bike between Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj, however be aware that there aren’t any designated biking paths, and you may be on the primary freeway with different vehicles and buses.
Manufacturers We Use And Belief
2. Vršič Move
An alternative choice for a day journey from Lake Bled is to drive the Vršič Move, Slovenia’s highest mountain go. The begin of the go closest to Lake Bled is within the city of Kranjska Gora, simply over a 30-minute drive away.
Vršič Move is a windy and scenic drive by Triglav Nationwide Park, Slovenia’s solely nationwide park. The park is roughly 340 sq. miles (880 sq. km), making up about 3% of the nation!
It’s vital to notice that the go is closed throughout the winter months attributable to heavy snowfall. The street is simply open for about a mean of seven months a 12 months, so if touring round winter, you’ll want to test if the street is open earlier than making today journey from Lake Bled.
The Vršič Move winds by the center of the Julian Alps, and sure, this street actually winds! With 50 hairpin turns, this drive just isn’t for the faint of coronary heart. The street is slim, with two-way visitors starting from bikes to motorhomes.
Cows, sheep, and different mountain animals have been recognized to walk into the street, so the driving force have to be further alert! Every flip is labeled with a quantity (1-50) and the elevation. Give your self loads of time to make stops alongside the route to soak up the jaw-dropping fantastic thing about Triglav Nationwide Park.
A number of advisable stops on the mountain go, together with the Russian Chapel (at flip 8), commemorates the 300 Russian prisoners of conflict who died in 1916. These prisoners have been pressured to assemble the street and met their premature demise once they have been buried in an avalanche whereas engaged on the street. Simply after flip 16 is a wonderful cease for beautiful views. It’s additionally a stunning setting to stroll round and luxuriate in a picnic lunch.
See in the event you can spot the outlet within the mountain, referred to as Entrance Window (Prednje okno), throughout your exploration. The legendary Pagan Lady (Ajdovska Deklicacan) rock formation will also be seen from right here, however you’ll get an opportunity to get quite a bit nearer on the peak of the go. At flip 17, you’ll see an enormous assortment of stacked rocks left behind by earlier vacationers. When you attain flip 24, you’ll know you’ve made it to the height at 5,285 ft (1,611 m)!
The majority of vacationers get out and stroll round on the peak. There are a number of trails you may take to stretch your legs. The hottest hike is a brief 15-minute stroll to the mountain hut of Poštarski dom na Vršiču. Alongside the trail, you’ll get a more in-depth have a look at the Pagan Lady rock formation, a legendary pagan goddess. See in the event you can find this distinctive formation within the rocks.
When you’re completed exploring on the peak, it’s all downhill from right here… actually! You’ve acquired 26 extra hairpin turns to go till you attain Trenta. And the turns get a bit of tighter from right here. The velocity restrict is surprisingly 90 km/h (55 mph), however most vacationers are a bit of extra cautious and go under the posted velocity restrict.
At flip 48, take a look at the bronze statue of Dr. Julius Kugy, an Italian botanist. He’s recognized within the Julian Alps as the daddy of contemporary alpinism. At flip 50 in Trenta, pat your self on the again… you simply survived driving up and over the Vršič Move! Take pleasure in views of the colourful turquoise waters of the Soča River. You’ll be able to flip round and return over the go to return to Lake Bled or proceed and discover extra of the attractive Triglav Nationwide Park.
Getting from Lake Bled to the Vršič Move:
- Drive: Roughly 25 mi/40 km | 40 minutes | This route has tolls | That is simply to get to Kranjska Gora, the beginning of the go | The go itself is roughly 15.5 mi/25 km every approach | How lengthy it takes you to drive the go will rely on how typically you cease to discover and hike
3. Radovljica
For one more straightforward day journey from Lake Bled, you’ll solely must drive about 10 minutes! The charming tiny city of Radovljica is certainly value a go to throughout your journey to Slovenia. Its declare to fame is that it accommodates Slovenia’s solely still-existing moat, which dates again to across the 12 months 1500.
On Tuesdays, the native vacationer info heart (positioned within the Previous City) provides a free strolling tour at 10 am. In any other case, you may cease into the vacationer workplace throughout enterprise hours to select up a map of the city to do your personal self-guided tour.
Among the city highlights embody The Sivic Home, a novel instance of a completely preserved 16th-century gothic-renaissance constructing. A lot of the Previous City heart has been preserved within the construction and design of a 14th/15th-century medieval city.
Seeing the black marble altar on the Church of St Peter is one other advisable cease in your go to to Radovljica, along with the Chapel of St Edith Stein, which is housed in an previous German WWII bunker behind the Church of Saint Peter. Edith was a German Jewish thinker turned nun who died within the Auschwitz gasoline chambers when the Nazis arrested all Catholic Jews in Holland (the place she had escaped).
The Previous City sq. has many desirable galleries, museums, historic buildings, and cafes. So, whereas the city could also be small, there’s loads of neat issues to take a look at. The surrounding space is beautiful as nicely, with views of the Julian Alps in each path you look. To the east lies the Dežela plain, and to the west is the Sava river valley.
Enjoyable Reality: Radovljica has extra sunny days than anyplace else within the Gorenjska area. With it being one of many closest day journeys from Lake Bled, why not go to the sunny city of Radovljica?
Getting from Lake Bled to Radovljica:
- Drive: Roughly 5 mi/Eight km | 10-15 minutes
- Bus: Operated by Alpetour – Potovalna Agencija, D.O.O. | Departs from Bled Station a number of instances all through the day | 14-minute trip | Value is only a few Euros
- Bike – Roughly 5 mi/Eight km | Small elevation change. Hire an e-bike right here.
4. Vintgar Gorge
A day journey to Vintgar Gorge from Lake Bled is a no brainer. The two are virtually proper subsequent to one another. Properly, it’s simply over a 10-minute drive (3.Three miles/5.Four km), about so far as the drive to Radovljica. In truth, you can most likely go to Vintgar Gorge and Radovljica on the identical day, in the event you’re quick on time for day journeys from Lake Bled.
Like Lake Bled, Vintgar Gorge is certainly one of Slovenia’s hottest sights, and it could actually get very crowded, particularly in the summertime months. If you wish to beat the crowds, get there early or go a lot later within the day! By 10 am, the buses have arrived, and hordes of tourists will clog the walkway.
Right here’s a suggestion: stand up earlier than daybreak to look at the dawn at Lake Bled, and as soon as the solar is up, head on over to the gorge. You’ll be among the many first ones there. You might even have the place to your self for a short time.
There’s a small entry price (only a few Euros) to enter Vintgar Gorge. Completely value it!
A 1-mile (1600m) path runs by the gorge and over the Radovna River. The path begins as a picket walkway and ultimately turns into a clean pebbled path with a number of stairs. It’s a snug, family-friendly hike for individuals of all ages. Alongside the path, you’ll come to a single-arch stone bridge constructed in 1906 as a part of the Bohinj Railway. Right here, a human-made dam routes water from the river to the small hydroelectric energy plant beneath Šum waterfall, Slovenia’s highest river waterfall (43 ft/13 m). Šum waterfall interprets to ‘noisy falls. ‘Many individuals use the falls as a turn-around spot and head again to the parking zone.
In any other case, you would want to have organized transportation pick-up on the different finish of the path. Strolling again towards the doorway to the gorge provides one other perspective, and also you’ll have the chance to understand the great thing about the gorge as soon as extra.
Getting from Lake Bled to Vintgar Gorge:
- Drive: Roughly 3.7 mi/6 km | 12-15 minutes
- Bus – Operated by Alpetour: Potovalna Agencija, D.O.O. | Departs from Bled Station a number of instances all through the day (summer season months solely) | 9-minute trip | Value is only a few Euros
- Bike: Roughly 3.7 mi/6 km | Please be aware, there are a number of hills alongside this route. Hire an e-bike right here.
5. Brda
Do you’re keen on wine? If that’s the case, it’s best to positively plan a go to to the wine area of Brda as certainly one of your day journeys from Lake Bled. (Please be aware, that is the Municipality of Brda (Goriška Brda), to not be confused with the village of Brda close to Radovljica.)
The drive to Goriška Brda from Bled will take a bit of over 2 hours. Relying on which approach you arrive, you could even dip into Italy for a couple of minutes, because the area skirts the Slovenia-Italy border.
In case you occur to go Paradiso dei Golosi throughout your quick drive by Italy, you’ll want to cease in for some scrumptious gelato! Even in the event you don’t fancy wine, Goriška Brda is a beautiful area to find with scenic rolling hills and medieval cities. Brda interprets to ‘the land of hills’ and has been appropriately nicknamed ‘The Tuscany of Slovenia.’
Rebula is the area’s hottest and unique wine, because the grapes used to create this wine are solely grown inside a 40 km radius of the Brda area. Rebula is a refreshing white wine with lemon and inexperienced apple notes. Different widespread wine varieties are Cabernet-Merlot blends, Sauvignonasse, a Jakot wine (which is constituted of the identical grapes because the Sauvignonasse), and Merlot, to call a number of.
Dobrovo Citadel homes the biggest co-op cellar in Slovenia and is a superb place to do some wine tasting. Most wine tastings in Brda happen in individuals’s homes with the home-owner’s personal wine assortment.
Be aware: It’s essential to name forward to see in the event that they settle for visitors, so a bit of pre-planning wants to enter your wine tasting expertise in Brda.
As talked about, there are a number of medieval cities positioned inside in Brda municipality. Sadly, a big portion of the area’s villages was destroyed in an earthquake in 1976. Nevertheless, remnants of medieval structure can nonetheless be seen all through the area.
A number of castles and church buildings, together with the charming city of Smartno, date again to the Center Ages. From its outstanding location on a panoramic hill, Smartno will be seen from just about anyplace in Brda.
The church in Smartno, St Martin, is the biggest in Brda and accommodates a bell tower that was as soon as a fortification tower. Kozano is one other small village value exploring. Its church, St Hieronymus, has a bell tower that stands totally separate from the church.
Vipolze and Medana are different charming villages to go to in your day journey to the wine area of Brda.
Getting from Lake Bled to Brda:
- Drive: Roughly 105 mi/170 km | 2 hours | This really is your finest guess, as you’ll need a automotive to get between the villages within the area
There isn’t a direct bus route between Lake Bled and the wine area of Brda. With transfers, a bus trip will take simply over 6 hours – not too possible for a day journey, so not advisable.
Whereas many guests to Slovenia take a day journey to Lake Bled, we wished to spotlight the various choices for day journeys from Lake Bled.
Why not base your self for a number of days on this stunning area of the nation?
Surrounded by views of the towering Julian Alps with so many nice locations close by to find, Lake Bled is the proper house base to your go to to Slovenia.