This article is about the top 10 activities what to do in Bled, Slovenia, and nearby. It includes practical information, transports, and price updates for 2021.
Bled is probably one of the easiest visits you can do in whole Europa. The town itself is not very interesting but its lake is one of the most beautiful and picturesque all around the continent. Actually, people go on purpose to visit the lake and not the town.
Go directly to the lake, but walking
We arrived there in the afternoon from Villány by car, continuing our European road trip from Hungary to Spain. Indeed we decided to go to the shore directly even before to check-in at our accommodation. It was off-season but we could not find proper place to park so we decided to surrender and left the car near the small hotel we have booked.
Find a small cute traditional hotel
We expected high prices and low quality since Bled is bloody touristic. We were wrong, since there are many options to stay for the night and high concurrency. Therefore, we found a very nice and cute hotel for a reasonable price for one night and we could just park at the place.
The best to do in Bled: Enjoy the views!
We reached the lake once again and we took a short stroll until we found the perfect terrace with views to the lake. It’s really stunning. You may need and extra battery for your camera. The cliffs and pale green colour of the water evolving with the light is a delight, especially at sunset. There are more than posh one cafés, which offer awesome cakes, sophisticated coffees, teas and even cocktails.
Sail to “Our Lady of the Lake“
In the middle of the lake there is a very iconic island. Yes, you will take more than 50 pictures of it even if you try not to do it. On the island there is a church, This is commonly called Our Lady of the Lake, despite its official name which is Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Mary. It is possible to go by catching the Pletna boat for 15 Euros per person roundtrip, including 30 minutes of waiting while you visit the church. There is one more option in renting a boat from 20 to 30 Euros per hour, depending how big is the boat and row by yourself. The church was built in 12th Century and fully renovated in the 15th.
Visit the Castle of Bled
The castle of Bled is up on the cliffs and it is perfectly visible from the bottom of the lake. The castle dates from early 11th Century. To go up there you can walk just 20 minutes from town, take your car to the top and pay for the parking or catching the local bus at Grad bus stop. The visit costs 13 Euros per person. The views from the castle of the lake are spectacular.
Take a look to St. Martina Parish Church
Near the castle, you will find St. Martina Parish Church. This is a white traditional church from early 20th Century in Neo-gothic style which is worth to visit since it is very close to the castle and just if you have some time to spend after visiting the castle.
Take a round walk around Lake Bled
It takes one hour and 15 minutes to take a round around the lake. Nevertheless, it is worth. You can enjoy the entire path taking amazing pictures around. The views are amazing and the way is prepared for everyone no matters what kind of shoes you are wearing.
Enjoy a proper local dinner
On the shore, you will easily find some nice restaurants to have a proper local dinner. They are indeed very eager to receive tourists and probably they are not the cheapest in the country but the quality is good. There are of course more options; we could even find a Chinese restaurant in town. We were wondering who could go there as a tourist in such a place!
Vintgar Gorge
Vintgar Gorge is just 4 km north direction from Bled. This is a 1600 meters long and up to 250 meters deep gorge on the Eastern part of Triglav National Park. The visit costs 10 euros per adult, 5 Euros for kids and 5 more to park your car in the parking lot. The visit has two itineraries you can do and could take from 2 to 3 hours long walking.
Predjama Castle
The day after our visit to Bled we drove to Predjama Castle. You can arrive there in a bit more than an hour if you go via Ljubljana. It will take double any other way you take. It will depend what you are interested on. Predjama castle is simply amazing. It is very iconic so better expect a lot of tourists. Even though we could park at a reasonable price nearby. Predjama is a castle under the rocks, which it makes it special besides its beauty. Moreover, out of the castle they have created a full experience tour, which includes three caves and a vivarium. There are different packs of tickets you can buy depending on how many of those attractions you want to entry. Check them on our link. Anyhow, what was really lovely for us it was to get a bit away and order a coffee in a nice local bar terrace with view to the iconic mysterious shape of the castle. That way you can travel back in time to the medieval ages.
How to get there
- By Car: Bled is just 54 km from Ljubljana. Take E61 motorway north to Exit 3. It won’t take more than 45 minutes the whole trip.
- By Bus: Bled has a main bus station and almost all routes also stop at the central Union Bus Stop. There are numerous combinations from any Slovenian city. From the Slovenian capital we recommend arriva.si and from other destinations Flixbus.
- By Train: Bled has two train stations. The main one Lesce-Bled has a direct connection to Ljubljana in 1h hour. This station is 4.5 km from the center of Bled, so from there you have to take a local bus or a taxi. The secondary station Bled Jezero is closer to the center but there is no proper public transport.
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