Last Updated on 14th April 2019 by Sarah and Justin
For years, we had longingly looked at pictures of Lake Bled, Slovenia for years, desperate to visit. It was one of the most picturesque little spots we’d ever seen. So it was a huge priority for us to visit Bled during our week in Ljubljana. On our travels, we met someone who had just spent a week there and he advised that we only go on the clearest of days. So we closely monitored the weather and on our second day in the city we took our day trip from Ljubljana to Lake Bled. It was easy and fun and absolutely stunning, and we highly recommend anyone spending enough time in Ljubljana do the same. To help you plan your day trip, here are our recommendations for going from Ljubljana to Lake Bled including things to do in Lake Bled and taking the Ljubljana to Bled bus.
Things to do in Lake Bled
There are a few main things to do in Bled. And, not surprisingly, they all involve the lake!
1. Walk (or bike) around Lake Bled
There is a well-made, 6km easy to follow path around the lake that you can walk or bike around. We walked. It took us about two hours, including some stops along the way to marvel at the mountains surrounding us or watch ducks do their thing.
2. Go for a hike in Bled
The whole area around Lake Bled is known for its hiking. We tried to do one of the easier, shorter hikes. Sarah even brought her oxygen so we could. But we misread the directions and ended up in someone’s backyard instead. Oops. Good thing any wrong turn in Bled will just lead you to another gorgeous lookout spot.
3. Take a boat to Bled Island
Bled Island sits in the center of Lake Bled and the Church of the Assumption sits on Bled Island. Many people make trips to Lake Bled just to visit the island and the church. It is quite beautiful, but we only viewed it from afar. Once you take a boat across, there are 99 stairs to climb to get up to the church and the biggest reason people do it is to ring a bell.
4. Visit Bled Castle
Bled Castle looks pretty cool, but it takes a big hike to get up to it. We were told that you can have lunch at the castle and if you make a reservation, you also get a free castle tour. We actually did this, but went on a different day than originally planned to take advantage of the weather, so it didn’t work out. The castle is still amazing to see from afar – and you can see it perched atop its craggy hill from pretty much anywhere in town.
Ljubljana to Bled bus
We took the public bus from Ljubljana to Lake Bled. The bus is easier, faster, and cheaper than taking the train (which drops you off significantly outside the town). There are bus schedules online. When we were visiting (in late April), the bus ran every hour, and the trip takes a little over an hour. In Ljubljana, you buy your tickets at the bus station, which is right outside the train station. If you’re a tourist and don’t speak Slovenian (like us) they’ll probably sell you a reserved seat, which costs a little more and is definitely not needed. It’s a popular route, though, so later in the trip, people do have to stand.
The scenery along the way is beautiful, and will keep you occupied staring out the window the whole time. There are a few stops actually in Bled, but its easiest to get off at the bus station (which is the last stop). From there you just walk down the hill to get to the lake and main part of town.
On your return trip from Lake Bled to Ljubljana, you can pick up the bus right where it dropped you off. And there’s a small station where you can buy your tickets.
Where to eat in Lake Bled
We had a great pizza lunch at Pizzeria Gallus. The pizza was huge and quite tasty. But the highlight was the view of Bled Castle and the mountains from the restaurant. We highly recommend it.
The culinary specialty of Bled is cream cake. Since this has turned out to be a post about what we didn’t do at Lake Bled, we’re sure you’ll be shocked to learn we did not in fact eat the cream cake. We were too full of pizza! Sarah regrets this. But it’s just another reason to return.
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I keep hearing good things about lake Bled, and your post just proves it! Would love to do some active holiday there.
This area in Slovenia is so beautiful. I’ve seen so many pictures but haven’t made it there yet 🙁
Lake Bled is one of my favorite places on the planet. We made a similar trip and did many of the activities you shared- it’s a terrific day trip! Great post!
Wow these pictures are great. So beautiful! How much did you pay for the public bus? Did you fins Slovenia to be a pretty affordable country overall?
Slovenia is definitely an affordable country, especially for Europe. The tickets to Lake Bled (which we bought at the Ljubljana bus station and were sold the reserved seats) cost 7.8 EUR per ticket. The tickets on the way back, which we bought directly on the bus, cost 6.3 EUR per ticket.
Beautiful photos. Lake Bled is very high on my list of places to visit. I love the look of the cycle ride around the lake. Would you recommend staying longer or was one day enough?
The day trip was enough for us, but if you’re a bigger hiker, you could spend a week in the area! We thought about doing an overnight, but it’s so weather-dependent, we didn’t want to be locked into a specific day. It was better to be able to watch the weather and play our day trip by ear. We went on the most spectacular day we were in Slovenia and it was perfect.
OMG It is such an amazing place!
What a gorgeous location. I’m not familiar with Slovenia or things to do there. This is very helpful and sounds like a wonderful day trip.
Stunning place, and those mountains are just gorgeous!
I have always wanted to visit Slovenia, It looks as beautiful as I thought it would in Spring. An interesting post with plenty of tips and stunning phtotos
What a helpful post! If I ever visit Slovenia, I would definitely want to see Lake Bled. It’s great to know that it’s so easy to get there from Ljubljana!
Slovenia looks so beautiful, see lots of pictures these days on IG! Not on our planning yet, but need to go ;). And if we go, will definitely go to Lake Bled as well.
Lake Bled! Photos of this place are forever cropping up on my Instagram feed! Really want to visit!
Lake Bled looks gorgeous! I cant wait to visit one day
I’d love to visit Slovenia one day – it looks so beautiful and serene! Definitely adding Lake Bled to the lis 🙂
Memories of the cream cake are coming back now! It’s beautiful in Slovenia isn’t it. Did you also check out lake bohinj? I have to say out of all the places I visited in Slovenia bled was actually my least favourite – I think because of the casinos and mass of tour buses. Your photos are beautiful though! Happy travels 🙂 Ellie
Would have loved to visit Bohinj as well, but were enjoying our time lazing around Ljubljana too much to do a 3rd day trip. Next time!
My old boss told me her favourite spot in Europe is Lake Bled and I completely see why!
Wow!! Lake Bled is absolutely gorgeous!! It reminds me a bit of my hometown of Seattle. I will definitely add this to my list!
OMG this place looks so beautiful, those mountains and blue waters… cannot wait to visit! Thank you for sharing this post with us!
What a lovely escape! The castle would be my #1 priority. 🙂
After reading your post and seeing your photos, Slovenia is high on my list of must visit destinations! It looks and sounds beautiful!
Would love to return to Slovenia some day and visit lake Bled. It looks so beautiful, especially with the little church on the island and the castle. Great pics!
How fabulous is Bled? I backpacked through there when I was 20!
It was on our list for so long and the scenery was just as wonderful as it looked in pictures. Would love to spend more time in that area and Slovenia as a whole outside Ljubljana.