Lake Bled in Slovenia: practical tips

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Lake Bled is certainly Slovenia’s best-known landmark. It has to be said that this church, set on a confetti island in the heart of a lake surrounded by lush green mountains, is extremely charming. Incidentally, it’s the only island in Slovenia.

There are many ways to visit the lake. You can walk or cycle around it (approx. 6km), hire a canoe, pedalo or boat, or hop on a Pletna, a typical Bled boat that takes you to the island in the middle of the lake. In season, you can also swim in the lake, even if the water is cold!

Practical information

• If you’re thinking of touring Lake Bled by car, forget it right away: it’s impossible to park your car on the roadside, even for a photo stop. You’ll have to use one of the paid parking lots around the lake and enjoy the charm of the area on foot, by bike or by boat.
  We used the parking lot at the western end of the lake, next to the campsite and opposite a small beach. The advantage is that it’s perfectly placed for accessing viewpoints and photographing the island of Bled.

• A 10-minute drive from Lake Bled is the Vintgar Gorge, a great outing.

1 | Lake Bled

2 | Bled Castle

The other emblematic monument is Bled Castle, perched on a sheer cliff more than 100 m above the lake. It houses a museum, admission to which is not free (€10). Don’t go up there just for the view. You have to be inside the castle to enjoy it.

3 | Viewpoints on the lake: Mala Osojnica and Velika Osojnica

You’ve probably already seen this photo of the lake on Instagram, taken from above with the Julian Alps in the background. Wondering how you can do the same? With a little physical effort, you’ll be rewarded. To do so, you need to get to the start of path no. 6 (not far from the campsite parking lot), from where a short hike starts. This hike leads to two magnificent viewpoints: Mala Osojnica and Velika Osojnica.

We took the forest path up to the first viewpoint, Mala Osojnica (685 m), which is a little steep but not particularly difficult. Some sections are quite steep and you need to use ropes, but the 45-minute climb is well worth it. You have to follow the red circle markings surrounded by white. At the top, the view is breathtaking, with the island in the middle of the lake, the mountains that frame it, all under a big blue sky. Magnificent!

For the second viewpoint (which we didn’t do), Velika Osojnica (756 m), you have to keep climbing for another 20 minutes. The path is not marked on the trees as for the first, but it seems to be easy to find by following the path.

Thanks for reading!

Mylène