After a night in Ljubljana, we headed to Lake Bled which is an easy, hour-long bus journey. Buses run hourly all day long and it’s a popular route for tourists and locals, which makes getting to Lake Bled cheap and a breeze. Lake Bled is one of the most famous natural sights to see in the whole of Slovenia and after spending time here, I can totally see why. It is also a great place to start some adventure sport trips from, in fact we took our (White Water Rafting and Canyoning trip) from Lake Bled.
 

 

Walk around the lake

The beautiful Lake Bled is 475 m above sea level and is located in the Julian Alps in the north-western part of Slovenia. What makes it particularly special is that it contains Slovenia’s only island. On this island there is the Church of the Mother of God, which makes the island and the whole lake incredibly picturesque. Lots of people take a boat trip over to the lake, but local people told us that it’s not really worth the trip and the island is much better when looked at from the shores of the lake itself.
 

 

Enjoy the Nature and Wildlife

We were recommended instead to take a walk around the lake. It’s a very flat and easy stroll, which at about 6.5km, takes around a couple hours, if you’re taking photos and soaking up the incredible views.

Being in the gorgeous Julian Alps, Lake Bled is surrounded by the most fantastic, natural landscapes. There is an abundance of wildlife in the mountains as well as down by the lakes. As you walk around the lake, you must keep your eyes peeled for fish swimming in the water, birds around the shore and all manner of other creatures.

 

Go For a Swim

I love swimming in the wild and swimming in Slovakian mountain lakes, Vietnamese jungle and in the beautiful Adriatic sea have often been the highlights our our travels. So, there was no way I was coming to a gorgeous place like this without taking a dip or two in the famous lake itself. There are several beaches, but you are also able to walk around and swim from lots of parts of the shore – some being quieter than others.

 

Trek uphill for the best view

Although the locals we spoke to didn’t think a trip to the island itself was worth while, they did say that a walk up the hill to the best view point was definitely a ‘must do’.

On the far side of the lake from Bled town, there is a steep track that takes you through a forest to a brilliant view point where you can get those postcard photos!

The walk is pretty steep and nowhere near as easy a stroll as the walk around the lake itself. It’s still quite achievable for most people and if you’re used to walking in the mountains, then you’ll be able to power up the path in no time.

Once at the top there are several slightly different view points, therefore, I recommend exploring so that you don’t miss anything.

 

Stay and watch the sunset

Obviously the best times of day to make the trip up to the top are sunrise and sunset, but just make sure to leave yourself plenty of time to get up there, so you can enjoy seeing the sky and lake change colours as the sun rises or falls.

After the sun has set, I’d recommend walking back down from the view point and finishing your walk around the lake. The views of the island and church at dusk are quite stunning and if you’re into photography then you can get some really stunning photographs.

Lake Bled is truly a gorgeous place and if you want to see it from it’s best angle, you must walk to the far side of the lake from the town and enjoy the vista at sunset.

 

Enjoy some local dishes

When you visit Lake Bled, you have to try the Bled Cream Cake, Kremna rezina, or also called Kremsnita! It’s the area’s famous, eponymous cake and is a delicious, light dessert. It’s a pretty simple cake and is basically a thin layer of pastry with a layer of custard above it and a huge layer of light cream on top of this. You’ll see it all around Lake Bled and it’s the perfect snack before you take your walk around the gorgeous surroundings.