To Lake Bled: Slovenia’s fairytale lake

Lake Bled is without a doubt the most popular place for tourists to go in Slovenia. Search for the country on google, and you’ll see pictures of the lake before Ljubljana and even the country’s UNESCO sights. Naturally, my mum and I wanted to see the lake too to see what the fuss is all about. Needless to say, the lake was just what we’d imagined and more.

Lake Bled is located in the Julian Alps and is thus surrounded by mountains and vast forests, making it a very picturesque destination.

We left for the lake early in the morning of March 2nd. It was cloudy and snowing lightly, but thankfully there was next to no wind, meaning we could expect to see reflections on the lake!

We caught a bus from the main bus station in Ljubljana that took us to the lake in just 1 hour and 20 minutes. We were dropped off a few meters from the lake and right next to the castle, so we decided to go there first and then make our way around the lake.

The medieval Bled Castle is located on top of a precipice above the village of Bled and right next to the lake. According to some written sources, Bled Castle is the oldest castle in Slovenia, first mentioned in 1011 AD. At that time, the building consisted of a Romanesque tower protected by outer walls. The tower still stands today, but during the Middle Ages more towers were added, and later more buildings were constructed in Renaissance style, making it a much larger complex today.

To get up to the castle we had to climb a lot of steep steps. It was a tough start to the day, but it was well worth it with the views it offered. We decided not to go in though, as the entrance price was too steep.

We followed a path along the back side of the castle and came to a forest that was full of thick snow with only a few footprints to lead us back on track to the lake. But we soon found the right path and continued to walk the six kilometer stretch along the beautiful lake, which had the most perfect reflections in the calm weather.

The lake and the surrounding hills and villages looked gorgeous in the thick snow. I know that I’ve been calling a lot of places a “true winter wonderland” on this blog recently, but Bled is another place to add to that list – because there simply is no better way to explain it than that.

Lake Bled is probably mostly famous for the tiny island in the middle, which has a picturesque 17th century pilgrimage church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary.

While walking around the lake, we had great views of the beautiful island from all angles. We thought about taking a boat out there, but since we also wanted to see Lake Bohinj that same day, we didn’t feel like we had time – plus I’m sure it would’ve been an expensive experience as well.

Two hours after we had started our walk up to the castle and around the lake, we got back to the tiny village of Bled. From the bus station, we caught a bus to another lake destination even further into the mountains and with even crazier reflections, but more about that in the next post!

Bled had been an absolutely spectacular destination and we both agreed that it deserves every bit of popularity it has gained in the last few years. Bled is without a doubt a place that should be included on every tourists itinerary in Slovenia – even in the winter months.

How to get to Lake Bled from Ljubljana

• Catch a bus from Avtobusna postaja Ljubljana, leaving from platform 7. The ticket costs about 8 euros per person. It leaves several times per day.
• The bus to Bled takes 1 hour and 20 minutes. The bus station in Bled is a few hundred meters from the lake.
• Walk up the castle for great views, and around the lake to see the island from all angles! The views from the Ojstrica and Osojnica viewpoints also look great (that’ll be next time for me!).
• It’s possible to catch a boat out to the island, but we didn’t do that, so I’m unsure about the cost and timetable.
• To get home, reverse the above itinerary.