The Best Way To Explore Lake Bled, from Ljubljana

Bled is a small town located approximately 33 miles north west of Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana. It is also home to the ever so charming Lake Bled, that looks as though it has been plucked straight out of a fairy-tale.

One of the greatest things about Slovenia, is that it’s such a small nation. Meaning, it is very easy to explore other areas of the country, even if you base yourself in Ljubljana. It’s something that locals & tourists have the privilege of taking advantage of.

In this guide we are going to explain exactly how you can explore Slovenia’s most iconic landmark, even if you don’t have access to a car! So let’s get into it…

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Getting to Lake Bled from Ljubljana

If you do decide to rent a car, this would be the easiest way to reach Bled from Ljubljana. It would take you approximately 50 minutes to get there. You can compare car rentals here.

If you don’t have a car, then undoubtedly the best way to reach Lake Bled is via the train, which is what we did with our Interrail pass. You have two options with the train from Ljubljana:

Option 1 – Take the train from Ljubljana to Lesce Bled, which will take around 1 hour. From Lesce Bled you can then catch a bus from outside the train station, heading towards Bled. The bus should cost 1.30 Euros one way & will take roughly 10-15 minutes to reach Lake Bled. Note that with this option you will be around a 40 minute walk from the best swimming spots & viewpoints.

Option 2 – Take the train from Ljubljana to Jesenice, change trains at Jesenice & then catch another train to Bled Jezero, this will take roughly 1 hour 30 mins. Once you arrive in Bled Jezero, the lake is a 5 minute walk from the station. Note that you will be at the northern end of the lake. This is a slightly longer journey out of the two options, but avoids catching a bus.

We tried both of these options on different days & think that option 1 is still the most efficient, as the trains run more frequently to Lesce Bled.

*View from the train on the way to Lake Bled*

Top 5 things to do at Lake Bled

Now that you’ve arrived at Lake Bled, it’s time to get into the exploring. What you plan to do at Lake Bled will depend on the season you visit in. But here are a few ideas of the best things to do in the area.

Swim in Lake Bled – If you are visiting during the summer months, then undoubtedly you’ll want to have a swim in the crystal clear waters. Whilst there are plenty of spots to jump in from, our personal favourite was a corner on the south western corner. You can find the exact location here.
Hike to the viewpoints – There a couple of viewpoints dotted around the western end of the lake, that you should definitely check out. These are Ojstrica & Mala Osojnica, the views from up here are incredible & the hike is relatively short, but very steep! We personally think that Ojstrica is the best out of the two.
Take a boat ride to Bled Island – It is hard to miss the beautiful pear shaped island, sitting proudly in the centre of Lake Bled. Home to the stunning Church of Assumption, this is the classic scene you will likely already be familiar with. You can take a short boat ride out to the island, in one of the iconic wooden boats. The ride will cost 14 Euros per adult & 7 Euros per child. You can find out more information here.
Walk the circular route around the lake – You can easily walk the entire way around Lake Bled, thanks to the great pathway following the shoreline. The circular walk will take you roughly around 2 hours to complete, but probably longer with some stops along the way. If you don’t have time to do the full route, then you could easily go to just half way & then back again.
Visit Bled Castle – You will be able to spot the iconic Bled Castle from wherever you are on the lake. It sits high above Lake Bled & almost hangs over the cliff face. You can take a trip up here to admire the views & wander around the castle. Entry tickets are 15 Euros per adult & 6 Euros per child.

There are plenty of supermarkets, restaurants & cafes located in Bled, so on your visit don’t worry if you haven’t packed any lunch. You can always pick something up, whilst you are there.

Finally, if you take this journey from Ljubljana to Lake Bled, then we highly recommend that you also make a short stop at Skofja Loka. After reading a blog about Slovenia, we stumbled across this tiny village & thought it looked just so adorable. We couldn’t resist stopping by on our way through to Lake Bled.

You can reach Skofja Loka on the same train route heading towards Lesce Bled, it will take around 40 minutes from Ljubljana. Once arrived at the train station, you can jump on the bus from outside the station that will take you into the town centre for around 1 Euro per person. We decided to walk the way in to admire the scenery & get the bus on the way back.

There isn’t a whole lot to do in the village other than wander around the absolutely beautiful cobblestone streets, take in the views of the surrounding mountains & make sure you stop by the famous bridge for a photo. The entire visit will take you around an hour & then you can hop back on the train & be on your way to Bled.

We loved getting a feel of rural life in Slovenia here, a place where no one speaks English (but we still had conversations). It’s a wonderful sleepy town, with that old world charm.

Overall, we definitely think that choosing to visit Lake Bled from Ljubljana is a great option for those who want to spend time in the city, but also the country. Accomodation can be a little cheaper in Ljubljana & the city itself is actually really underrated. But we hope that armed with the knowledge in this guide, you will have the most magical time exploring Lake Bled from Ljubljana.