The Best Things to do in Lake Bled
Lake Bled is probably Slovenia’s most iconic location, and it has become very popular for visitors from all over. A lot of people do day trips to Bled from Ljubljana, which means it gets very crowded during the day, so I recommend making the most of the mornings when you go. I spent a week in Bled and filled every day with activities - there is so much to do in the town and its surrounding areas. Here is a guide to all the best things to do in Lake Bled, including hiking, day trips, adventure activities, and more, plus my best advice for making your trip as good as it can be.
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This blog post includes a gifted experience, but all opinions are my own!
What is Bled like?
Bled is a well-connected town in Slovenia, with buses going direct to and from the airport in Ljubljana as well as other big towns like Bohinj. This makes it a really great place to base yourself during your trip to Slovenia.
The town of Bled is small - you can walk everywhere. It sits on one side of the lake and gets very busy during the day because of day trippers from Ljubljana. The best time to be at the lake is in the morning, and you can easily walk around the lake following the 6km path that takes you around.
Bled is a popular tourist destination, and it is therefore set up for tourists in that there are countless companies around the town which help you book activities, day trips, transport, and more.
Another note to add is that a lot of things in Bled (and Slovenia in general) are closed on Sundays. This includes all supermarkets, rental car companies, some restaurants, and a lot of other shops. Make sure you plan ahead.
When is the best time to visit Lake Bled?
The best time to visit Lake Bled is in the summer, from June to September. This is the busiest time of year, but for good reason - the weather is better, activities are running, and there is more public transport. A lot of things close over the winter, starting mid-end of September, so be prepared for that if you decide to go at another time of the year.
How long should you stay in Lake Bled?
You can see Bled itself in a day, and indeed many tour groups from Ljubljana do so, but you would miss out on experiencing Bled in the morning and evenings, without all the crowds, as well as some of the best parts of the area which lie just outside the town. To make the most of Lake Bled, you are better off using it as a base from which to do activities, visit some closer places, and do day trips and hikes. I would recommend having three to four full days in Bled so that you have enough time to do all the things you want to do.
Do you need a car for Lake Bled?
Bled is a well connected town, so a car is not essential, especially if you are visiting in the summer months. If you are visiting out of peak season, you will likely need one to access more remote locations like hikes, as buses go irregularly, if at all. I unfortunately had to skip some hikes that were on my list because the bus only went once a day. However, most top sights and activities are all doable without a car, either by taking the bus or doing a tour.
If you want to explore more of Slovenia by using Bled as a base, I would recommend a car. There are countless rental car companies in the town (they are closed on Sundays, and most of Saturday too, so plan ahead), so you will have no problem finding a vehicle. The airport is also a 30 minute bus ride away, and you will have much more choice there.
Parking in Bled is expensive, and free overnight parking gets full very fast. If you can find accommodation which has free parking, this would be a huge plus!
Summary: Things to do in Lake Bled
Hike to Bled's viewpoints
White water rafting
Canyoning
Swim
Valley of the Seven Lakes Hike
Day trip to Bohinj
Vintgar Gorge
Soča Valley and Triglav National Park day trip
Bled Castle
Hikes and Viewpoints in Lake Bled
There are three main viewpoints you can hike to in Lake Bled: Ojstrica, Mala Osojnica, and Velika Osojnica. Each of these are absolutely stunning, and I recommend combining them in one loop. I followed this All Trails route and it was perfect. Ojstrica is the lowest down and so is also the busiest. It takes around 15 minutes to hike up to the viewpoint from the trailhead at the lakefront. From Ojstrica, you can then head up to Mala Osojnica viewpoint, which was my favourite. It was another approximately 10-15 minutes hiking up through the forest to Mala Osojnica. The view from up here is incredible. Head from Mala Osojnica to Velika Osojnica, which takes another 10-15 minutes. This is the smallest of the viewpoints and also the quietest, but the view is amazing, so don’t skip it!
Walking around Lake Bled also gives you fantastic views of the castle, island, church, and mountains surrounding it. The best views of the island are from the left side of the lake (looking from Bled town). The entire Bled Lake trail is about 6km long, but is pretty much all flat and paved.
For a full guide to the best viewpoints in Lake Bled, see my post here.
White Water Rafting in Lake Bled
If you’re looking for an adventure in Lake Bled, one of the best things to do is white water rafting. White water rafting in Bled takes place on the beautiful Sava River where rapids range from class 2 to class 4. The class tends to be higher earlier in the summer when the rivers are fuller from the spring snow melt!
I went white water rafting with Adventure Rafting Bled, and had an incredible experience. If you’re staying in Bled, you can either opt for a free pickup or drive yourself to the base where you’ll meet your fellow rafters and guide. Adventure Rafting Bled provides wetsuits, lifejackets, and helmets, so we started off getting all kitted up before heading into the river.
Over the next 1.5 hours, we went down the river and its rapids, all while looking at gorgeous scenery and learning so much about the region and Slovenia in general from our guide. We even got to get into the river for a little swim! It was honestly such a fun experience, and I would highly recommend Adventure Rafting Bled to anyone.
You can book your white water rafting on their website here, where you can choose from lots of options, including combo tours, which is what I did!
Canyoning in Lake Bled
My favourite experience in Lake Bled was canyoning. It was very high on my bucket list when I was planning my trip to Slovenia, and it did not disappoint. There are two canyons near Lake Bled where you could be taken depending on water levels. I did my canyoning experience as part of the combo tour with Adventure Rafting Bled, which made it an incredible day of adventure!
We got driven to the canyoning base where we again got all of our wetsuits, helmets, harnesses, and boots, and then had a little walk up to the top of the canyon. To get down the canyon, we did a combination of jumps into plunge pools, slides, abseiling, and zip lining, which was all so much fun! The Adventure Rafting Bled team was extremely professional, so I felt very safe the whole time.
The canyon itself was also beautiful with all of the carved rocks and bits of sky you can see as you make your way down. You feel like you are in another world, and I cannot recommend the experience more. Don’t skip canyoning when you’re in Lake Bled - it’s one of the best things to do! Book with Adventure Rafting Bled here.
Swim in Lake Bled
Another iconic thing to do in Lake Bled is swim in the lake! There are a few areas where there is a public ‘beach’ where swimming is allowed, so please respect these areas. At the far end of the lake, near the island, is the biggest free beach, and there is lots of space to sit on the grass. It’s such an idyllic spot, and the views are incredible!
Valley of the Seven Lakes Hike: Near Lake Bled
The Valley of the Seven Lakes Hike in Triglav National Park is one of the best hikes I’ve ever done. I planned my whole Slovenia trip around it, and it was so worth it! The scenery was absolutely incredible, so if you’re in Lake Bled, this hike is one of the best things to do.
The Valley of the Seven Lakes hike is a trail that takes you through Triglav National Park and passes by seven beautiful lakes with crystal clear water. It’s a 25km-long trail with approximately 1450m of elevation gain, so it is no walk in the park, but it is worth every step.
The best time to do the Valley of the Seven Lakes hike is in the summer. In the summer months (June-August), the huts are open, shuttle buses run to the trailhead, and you have a higher chance of hiking in good weather. September is also a great month to do the Valley of the Seven Lakes hike, but make sure you have access to a car if you do this.
I’ve written a complete guide to the Valley of the Seven Lakes hike, and you can read it here. It includes information on how to get to the trailhead, what to expect on the hike, answers to common questions, and all my best advice for doing it.
Day trip from Bled to Bohinj
Taking a day trip from Bled to Bohinj is one of the best things to do while staying in Lake Bled. Lake Bohinj is bigger, wilder, and quieter than Lake Bled, and it is absolutely beautiful. There are direct buses from Bled to Bohinj, and you will see the timetable posted at the Bled central bus station. It varies by day and by season, but they go relatively regularly, more regularly in the mornings. It’s about a 30-40 minute bus ride, and costs about €4 each way, payable by cash or card when you get on the bus.
For a fantastic view of lake Bohinj from above, I recommend either hiking up to Vogar viewpoint or Vogel summit. If the cable car is running to Vogel, this is a very accessible option. However, both are reachable by hiking. I did Vogar viewpoint, which was about 6km with 481m of elevation gain. The hike was steep but it wasn’t overly long, which made it very doable. There is a restaurant near the viewpoint which is a great place for lunch or a drink, and you will have a great view of paragliders from Vogar. Paragliding is a very popular activity in Bohinj, and it’s a great place to do it!
Another great walk in Bohinj is the Bohinj lake trail. It is 11km long but is mostly flat, and it is so beautiful. There are countless places along the trail to stop and have a swim, and if you want to kayak, paddle board, or canoe, you will be spoiled for choice! It was such a peaceful walk, I highly recommend it.
There are also two waterfalls in Bohinj which are really popular to visit: Mostnice and Savica. The trailhead for Mostnice is the same as for Vogar viewpoint, and there is parking there. Savica Waterfall’s trailhead is at the far end of the lake (when looking from the town of Bohinj). For both, you need to pay €4 in cash to enter.
If you can stay in Bohinj for a night or two, I would recommend it! I wish I had had more time there.
Visit Vintgar Gorge from Lake Bled
Visiting Vintgar Gorge is one of the most popular things to do in Lake Bled. The gorge is a 1.6km trail along boardwalks where you will see crystal clear blue water and many waterfalls along the way.
You need to buy tickets for Vintgar Gorge online in advance, and these currently cost €15 for an adult, which includes the shuttle bus there and a helmet that you have to wear while in the gorge. When you book, you will need to choose a 20 minute timeslot to visit, and they are really strict on this - your ticket won’t let you in outside the timeslot. When you choose your timeslot, you will see which ones are busiest. Normally, the first slots of the day, between 9am and 10am are the busiest, so I went around 1pm and had the whole gorge pretty much to myself! I also recommend going around 11-1pm to get the sun overhead so the sun lights up the water in the gorge.
You can either walk, cycle, drive, or take the free shuttle bus to Vintgar Gorge from Bled, as it’s not far away.
Soča Valley and Triglav National Park Day Trip from Lake Bled
When you’re staying in Bled, one of the best things to do is take a day trip to Soča Valley and Triglav National Park. You can either self-drive this or do it as part of a tour - there are so many to choose from! It's about a 2 hour drive to Soča Valley from Lake Bled, but you can break it up by stopping at some incredible places along the way, and tours do the same.
The first stop I recommend is Slap Peričnik (Peričnik Waterfall), which is best to visit in the morning when the sun is on it. If you are driving, you will want to navigate to Mojstrana, where you can park and get the free shuttle to the bottom of the waterfall from outside the Slovenian Alpine Museum. You will see the sign for the shuttle in the parking lot. In the summer, there are multiple shuttle options, including a free electric van which does the route every 20 minutes or so. There are no cars allowed up the route to park next to the waterfall.
Once you arrive, it’s about a 5-10 minute hike up to the bottom of the waterfall. It’s steep and rocky, but not long. You will get a fantastic view of the waterfall from the end of the trail, and then you can walk behind it, which is awesome. You will get a little wet doing this as water does drip from the rocks.
From Slap Peričnik, you will then go up a long winding road and over the Vršič Pass. This is one of the most beautiful roads I have ever driven. You get sweeping views of the mountains, and there are a few parking spots along the side of the road where you can stop, get out of your vehicle, and take pictures. The photos will never do it justice though! Please note that the pass can shut in the winter months.
On the other side of the pass is Soča Valley. This region is a much larger area than you think. Be prepared to stop next to some beautiful river spots as you drive. I navigated to the Soča Gorge, which has most of the famous pictures of the area. You can park there, relax on the rocks, and even swim if you want to brave the freezing water. If you head higher up the valley there are many more gorgeous river spots where you can swim and it’s less busy than the gorge. There’s no entrance fee to the gorge, you’ll just have to pay for parking if you are driving yourself.
On your way back to Bled, take a little detour and stop at Zelenci Nature Reserve. This is a tiny lake spring which has crystal clear water and beautiful views of the mountains surrounding it. It is beautiful. It really is very small, but it’s so peaceful and such a nice place to spend a little time.
Visit Bled Castle
Visiting Bled Castle is a popular thing to do in Lake Bled. However, most people do it for the view rather than for the museum and castle itself!
If you want to get a free view of the lake, head down the path that goes round the back of the castle, starting in the parking lot. It takes you into the forest where you’ll see lots of unmarked trails. If you peek through the trees, you’ll get a nice view of the island framed by branches. You can use this Google Maps pin to find your way.
I hope this helps you plan your trip to Lake Bled. It is home to some of the best scenery I’ve seen, and so many fun activities. As always, please respect the places you visit, and remember to only leave your footprints behind :)
All key pieces of information are correct from my own experience at the time of publication - always check details before you travel.
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