How to Optimize 24 Hours in Lake Bled!
How to MAXIMIZE your time with only 24 hours in Lake Bled! In all honesty, Lake Bled was added as a sort of pit-stop on one of our European road-trips from Munich to Croatia.
With our fast-paced itinerary, we only allotted only 24 hours in Lake Bled. However, once we got to Slovenia, we wished we could have had more time to explore more of the country!
Slovenia is an incredibly beautiful country and has incredible mountains that are underrated in Europe.
Nevertheless, if you, like us, plan to only be in Lake Bled for about a day, here is how to spend your perfect day!
- Lake Bled itinerary Summary
- Morning: Paddle Boat & Bled Island
- Afternoon: Walk the Lake & Hike to Viewpoints
- Other Things to Plan a Great Trip to Lake Bled
- 24 Hours in Lake Bled Recap
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Lake Bled itinerary Summary
Lake Bled is one of those “instagram worthy” destinations. The water is incredibly clear and turqouise, the island in the middle of the lake is home to the cutest church, and, on top of all of that, it sits in the Julian Alps which gives it an incredible backdrop.
If you only have 24 hours in Lake Bled, spend them seeing the lake from every angle possible! Paddle the lake, visit the island, walk around the lake and hike to see the lake from above!
Morning: Paddle Boat & Bled Island
As someone who loved the area and would like to return to see more of Slovenia, I recommend staying longer. However, if your itinerary only allows 24 hours in Lake Bled (I get it!), you better make the most of them!
Paddle Boat
Once you arrive in Lake Bled, I recommend starting with a paddle boat rental. As corny as a paddle boat ride may seem, you WANT to get on the water!
There are loads of summertime water activities to do. However, you can paddle boat year-round, which makes it a great option in every season.
There are several paddle boat rental places along the lake and most of the time you can just pop in and rent a boat (summer time you may want to see if you can pre-book.)
The cost is about 20 Euros for an hour and the paddle boat easily seats four people.
The paddling is fairly easy and is about a 20 minute paddle to the island. However, we were also in a group of four, so if you are traveling solo it may be a bit of an exercise for you!
If you aren’t a fan of paddling yourself, there are traditional Pletna Boats as well that will take you to the island and back for around 12-15 Euros.
Explore Bled Island
Bled Island is iconic to Lake Bled; you have to go explore it!
The island is quite small and easy to explore; you can likely see the whole thing in about 30 minutes, but spend as long as you like because the views are beautiful!
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
You can enter the church for free. However, if you want to climb the stairs of the tower and ring the bell you have to pay.
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: Walk the Lake & Hike to Viewpoints
Paddling and exploring Lake Bled will likely take up most of the morning. A great way to save some time in your day is to pack a lunch for a picnic.
Take a walk around the lake
After you finish paddle boating and checking out Bled Island, 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 it is an easy stroll with no significant inclines or declines.
Plus, this is the perfect opportunity to find a spot to sit and have your lunch!
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. Our best pictures were at the Ojstrica viewpoint.
However, if you wish, you can continue about 20 minutes more to the Mala Osojnica viewpoint for higher views!
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!
Other Things to Plan a Great Trip to Lake Bled
Here are some suggestions on what to do with an extra day in Lake Bled, where to eat and where to stay while in Lake Bled.
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!
How to Get Around Lake Bled
Much of Lake Bled is walkable, especially if you stay centrally and nearby restaurants. However, it could take a while to walk from point A to point B throughout the day (its about 3.7 miles or 6km around the lake.) Therefore, having some means of transportation is a good idea.
Bike: A great way to get around Lake Bled is to bike!
Rent a Car: Driving is another good option as long as you can find parking at your hotel. Renting a car is also the best option if you want to explore more of the countryside of Slovenia.
Public Shuttle: There is a shuttle that will take you to popular places around the lake if you plan to visit during peak season (July 1 to end of August.)
Dinner Recommendation
After you’ve done all that walking and hiking, have a nice dinner since you didn’t have time for a big lunch!
We ate at the Oldest Bled Cellar which was really good!
However, there is also one called Old Cellar Bar that has a great rooftop patio with a view of the lake!
We were told we had to have a piece of Lake Bled Cream cake (aka cremeschnitte aka kremna rezina aka kremsnita!!), which can be found at nearly every restaurant around Lake Bled 👍🏼😄
Where to Stay in Lake Bled
Since you won’t be here long, be sure to stay in a central location that will allow you to walk to restaurants and maximize your time in Lake Bled.
Most of the restaurants are locate in Bled, which is located on the northeast side of Lake Bled.
The Penzion Kaps hotel is among the best-rated and has a great location. It is also reasonably priced compared to some of its neighboring hotels.
Book a room at the Penzion Kaps (before it sells out!)
24 Hours in Lake Bled Recap
As I mentioned before, Lake Bled ended up on our itinerary as more of a pit-stop rather than a final destination as we road tripped from Austria to Croatia. However, I was SOO impressed with Slovenia and truly think it is underrated. I would love to return to Slovenia and even do more in the Bled area!
If you’re coming from Austria, follow this itinerary for 72 hours in west Austria! If you’re headed south, here is a great way to spend 4 days in Croatia!
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