Are you planning a trip to Slovenia? We have no doubt you’ll most likely be planning a trip to Lake Bled too. Lake Bled is definitely one of the major highlights of Slovenia and is a seriously beautiful tourist spot, it looks like something out of a fairy-tale.
We wanted to share with you the best things that we found to do there, to help you plan your own trip to the wonderful Lake Bled.
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1. Hire a rowing boat to Lake Bled Island
Whenever you imagine Lake Bled, you immediately see the beautiful picture-perfect image of the island in the middle of the lake. It is definitely the most well known part of Lake Bled. And you can actually pay the island a visit!
We hired a rowing boat which cost 20 euros for an hour, and there are several spots around the lake where you can hire these. This was enough time for us to get to the island, have a look around (it’s a very small island so there’s not lots to see) and get back. It took roughly around 15 minutes each way to row there and back, leaving roughly half an hour to explore the island.
On a sunny day this is the perfect thing to do at Lake Bled. On the island there is an historic church called the Church of the Mother of God on the lake which you can go inside, and there is a café.
You can also get to the island via a pletna boat, which is a larger boat which holds up to 20 people and somebody rows you over to the island.
But we found hiring a rowing boat and having our own little adventure to get to the island was more fun and was our favourite thing that we did at Lake Bled!
2. Take a hike
There are many hiking routes around Lake Bled, whether you’re looking to do a leisurely stroll around the lake or more of a fast paced and strenuous hike, there is something for everyone.
One thing is for certain, whichever route you choose you will have the most stunningly beautiful views of the lake.
The total distance of the lake is roughly 6km which should take around about a couple of hours, but if you’re anything like us, it will take much longer as you’ll constantly be stopping to take photos! It’s so hard not to, Lake Bled is simply too picturesque.
We use the All Trails app to find all of the best hiking routes wherever we go, and this is where we found the trail that we followed all around the lake.
3. Visit Bled Castle
Bled Castle is a medieval castle built 130 metres above Lake Bled, so the walk up to the castle is quite a steep one! It is the oldest Slovenian castle and is a major attraction at Lake Bled. The views over Lake Bled from the castle are beautiful with the surrounding mountains in the background.
You can pay to go into the castle which we didn’t do as we were with our dog, but even walking up to the castle grounds is worth it even if you don’t intend to pay to go all the way in.
From the ground over the other side of the lake, perched up high, the castle really does look like something from a fairy-tale.
If you’d like to learn more about Bled Castle, or book tickets, you can do so here – Bled Castle (blejski-grad.si)
4. Go Swimming
Lake Bled is a fantastic place to go for a swim! Swimming is not permitted in all parts of the lake but there are certain areas that it is. In the spring when we visited, the water was very cold!
We only dipped our feet in as we couldn’t resist, and we hardly saw any other people swimming at all, but we can imagine that in the summer this would be completely different, and a dip in the lake would be so nice and refreshing after a hike around the lake.
In the summer you will also find lots of people doing various different water sports, like kayaking and paddle boarding.
5. Stop at one of the cafes and restaurants – try Bled Cream Cake!
Also known as Blejska Kremna, Bled Cream Cake is a local speciality at Lake Bled, you’ll see it advertised in the cafes and can find it in the supermarket too! Having tried the cake, I can confirm it is absolutely delicious! Made of layers of puff pastry, custard and cream, it is a real treat.
You will have deserved it after a hike or a swim in the lake, and no trip to Lake Bled is complete without trying this local delicacy.
6. Watch the Olympic rowers training
Did you know that Lake Bled has it’s very own Olympic Rowing centre?! You are able to watch the rowing teams training on the lake which is a fun thing to do if you are there at the right time.
One thing is for sure, that whatever you do at Lake Bled, you will have the most wonderful time in this stunning part of Slovenia!
Other spots to visit near Lake Bled
- Lake Bohinj
- Vintgar Gorge
- Savica Waterfall
- Ljubljana (Slovenia’s capital city)
- Triglav National Park
- Soca River Valley
- Tolmin Gorge
- Pericnik Waterfall
- Vrsic Pass
- Lake Jasna
- Vogel Cable Car
- Skocjan Caves
- Postojna Caves
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I love everything about travel, from seeing new places, learning about new cultures and trying new foods! I believe that travel is one of the best forms of education you can get, I have learnt so much about myself and about the world from travelling all over. Travel is something I feel so passionately about, and I love the fact that we are now lucky enough to have this opportunity to do what we love as much as we can, it’s a dream come true.
Before we started travelling, I worked in local government in administration. I had been in this job for several years and had reached a complete brick wall where I was so fed up, but didn’t know what else to do. The only thing I knew that I wanted to do was to travel, and had wanted to do that for many years.
There were hundreds and hundreds of places on my wishlist that I wanted to go to, and I knew that going on a weeks holiday maybe twice a year if we were lucky wasn’t going to cut it.
After being in lockdown due to the Covid pandemic, and working from home staring at the same 4 walls every day, 2021 seemed like the perfect time for us to take the risk to finally do what we had dreamed of for so long.
It was a hard decision to completely change our lives, but so far it has been the best decision we have ever made!
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