Day Trip from Ljubljana - Lake Bled
Updated: Apr 15, 2022
Two easy day trips from quaint Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia are to Lake Bled & the Postonja Caves. While you could take a guided tour to both, here’s some tips to help you get there solo.
What’s in this post?
How to get to Bled & back
Lake Bled has been on my bucket list for years and when I found myself with a couple of free days in Ljubljana, I knew I had to make the trip. Bled is about 55 kms from Ljubljana and the bus take around an hour and a half.
The bus company Arriva runs buses between Ljubljana and Bled throughout the day. Tickets cost 6.3 Euro for a one way trip (12.6 return). You can either buy them at the Ljubljana bus station or head to the Arriva website to book them online.
Use ‘Ljubljana AP’ (Avtobusna Postaja) as your starting point & ‘Bled’ as your destination.
The buses are comfortable, clean & air conditioned. However, since a lot of the locals use them as well, if you’re travelling during peak season, try and book your tickets in advance. If you book your ticket online, you’ll still need to head to the ticket office at the bus station and get a paper ticket. The bus station is directly in front of the train station.
Keep a track of where you get off the bus at Bled, because you’ll need to head back here for the return trip.
If you bought the ticket at the Bus Station, you were probably offered a deal with a boat ride to Bled Island. Tickets cost around 12 Euro for a return trip. You can use these tickets at any time throughout the day - just find the boat and the captain will tell you what time the boat heads to the island as well as what time he’ll be back to pick you up. (Get more info on timings here)
When to visit
I think the best time time to visit Lake Bled is as early as possible. The crowds usually start arriving by 10am. I took the bus at around 7.30am and got there by 9. Also, the earlier you go the cooler the temperature will be and you won’t have the sun beating down on you as take a stroll around the lake.
Take A Hike
To get the famous instagrammable shot of Lake Bled from above, you’re gonna need to walk a bit so make sure you’ve got comfortable shoes on. There are three viewing points you can hike to, each more strenuous than the other.
Viewpoint 1: Ojstrica
Viewpoint 2: Velika Osojnica
Viewpoint 3: Mala Osojnica
I of course picked the first one as it seemed the easiest. It was still quite an ordeal if you’re not in the best of shape. For starters, you need to walk from one end of the lake to the other to get to beginning of the hike. This is an extremely pleasant walk and should take around 45 minutes.
Then it’s a steep uphill climb with little or no signage. I had to take a few stops along the way to catch my breath even as I saw groups of kids and parents with babies making their way up effortlessly. I followed the crowd till we got to a really steep incline which thankfully had a metal bar to hold on to. Keep in mind if you’re travelling in wet weather, this area will be extremely slippery.
Eventually though, you will reach the top (of the Ojstrica view point at least) and be rewarded with this magnificent view. Take a moment to chill out, catch your breath, take a few pics, and enjoy the view before heading back. The journey down was equally stressful because the ground was damp and slippery. Watch your step! If you're feeling adventurous, you could head up higher to one of the other points.
Visit Bled Island
Once you’re back on solid ground, walk back around the other side of the lake to head back to the main town. There’s a bunch of hotels, restaurants, bars, and also the pickup and drop-off point for the boats to Bled Island.
The island is small with a church with it’s famous ‘wishing bell’, a bell tower, a little souvenir shop and café.
Do try the Potica - a Slovenian festive pastry made from rolled dough, spread with various fillings and rolled in a round pot model that is also called “Potičnica"
There’s a lot more you can do at Bled, including a visit to Bled Castle and a toboggan ride that the kids would enjoy. It’s a perfect day trip from Ljubljana. However, I’d have preferred to stay here for 2 or 3 days, just to relax and enjoy the atmosphere.
All photos are were shot on the iPhone 11 Pro Max & Insta360 OneX2
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