Our trip took us from Munich, through Austria, through Slovenia to Croatia. With our fast-paced itinerary, we allotted only 24 hours in Slovenia and decided it would best be utilized around Lake Bled. We 1000% did not regret going to Lake Bled. However, once we got to Slovenia, we wished we could have had more time to see more!
Morning
Early morning was spent driving from Salzburg to Lake Bled
1. Paddle Boat
First on the list of items to do, was rent a paddle board. There were several paddle boat rental places along the lake and we just walked up to one and rented a boat with no problems
- Cost was about 20 Euros for an hour and the paddle boat seated 4 easily
- If you aren’t a fan of paddling yourself, there are traditional Pletna Boats for rent as well for around 12-15 Euros
2. Bled Island
You’ll notice the iconic Bled Island as soon as you see the lake. While you are out paddle boating, stop and visit the island!
- There is a parking space for paddle boats on the backside of the island
- the pletnas will dock at the other side, where you’ll climb the 99 stairs to the Assumption of Maria Church
- At the church you can pay to climb the stairs of the tower to ring the bell
- If you ring the bell, the tale says your wish will come true. But your wish will only come true at the cost of 6 Euros
Afternoon
3. Take a walk around the lake
You can walk completely around Lake Bled in 1.5-2 hours, depending on how much you stop to admire the lake. It is about 6km (3.73 miles) around the lake and is an easy stroll.
4. Hike to the Viewpoints
Once you get to the west side of the lake on your stroll around, take the hike up to the Ojstrica viewpoint and Mala Osojnica view point. The most iconic view of Lake Bled is probably located here
- the trailhead is located at the west end of the lake and has a bench marking the beginning of the trail
- the trail is rocky and rather steep, but isn’t long
- You will come to a path that splits to Ojstrica first. It is about 20 minutes from the bottom to this point. If you wish, you can continue about 20 minutes more to the Mala Osojnica viewpoint for higher views (our best pictures were at the Ojstrica viewpoint 🙂 )
- Expect about an hour and a half to 2 hours to complete the whole trail unless you plan to sit and take in the views at the overlook for a while!
Dinner
After you’ve done all that walking and hiking, have a nice dinner! We found a restaurant along the shores of the lake. We were told we had to have a piece of Lake Bled Cream cake (aka cremeschnitte aka kremna rezina aka kremsnita!!).
The cake can be found at nearly every restaurant around Lake Bled. Pick your favorite and get your slice of cake!
What to do with another Day
Nearly everywhere I go, I had wished I had more time to explore. This is definitely true with Slovenia! A couple of things we wanted to do that were close to Lake Bled:
- Do the hike along Vintgar Gorge
- Only 10 minutes from the north side of the lake near Bled Castle
- Short, easy walk along a beautiful gorge
- Triglav National Park
- about an hour from Lake Bled
- Home of the Vrsic Pass with beautiful views of the Julian Alps
If you have more than one 24 hours in Lake Bled, take the time to visit these locations! I hope to be back to do it and I’m already envious of you!
If you’re coming from Austria, follow this itinerary for 72 hours in east Austria! If you’re headed south, follow this travel guide to Croatia!