Lake Bled

Lake Bled is perhaps Slovenia's most famous destination, and for a good reason. I cannot think of a more picturesque location...well, perhaps Lake Bohinj, only about 20 minutes away. Most people recommended staying in Bled and day-tripping to Bohinj, but I'd say they are both worth a couple of days.

Bled is definitely more touristy, and for this reason, some may prefer Bohinj. But Bled is slightly prettier and has more things to do close by, as well as a better choice of hotels, bars, and restaurants.

You must visit the church on the island and ring the bell for good luck. I'd recommend hiring a boat and rowing, much more satisfying than taking a gondola or motorboat.

Vintgar Gorge is definitely worth a trip while you're here. It's a short drive from town, and walking it takes a couple of hours. It is an impressive gorge that features some nice waterfalls and many photo opportunities. For the more energetic, start at the far end and walk all the way back to town in about 3 to 4 hours.

Quick Tips:

Easily accessible by rail
Visit the church on the island
Walk Vintgar Gorge
Try an adventurous activity
Pay a visit to nearby Lake Bohinj
Don't forget your camera!!!

Best Way To Get Around:

Walking, rowing.

This was a wonderfully friendly place. I highly recommend this hostel for any traveller. You will come to love the family who runs this place, as they are very friendly and such characters.

The hostel itself is cheap and clean, and provides good food (three-course meal for only €5!) and a free shuttle bus to the centre of town--what more could you ask for? Well, how about rafting excursions? Or canyoning? Their companions at XXL sports have a great choice of things to do.

The rooms are bright, clean, comfortable - if you're lucky and have the right number of people, you can get an en-suite rooms to yourself, though I'm not sure if that's applicable to all rooms.

It's a way out of town, but the minibus runs down there a few times a day, so you have to be organised to save on the taxi fares. However, be nice and Papa might give you a lift anyway; we got a lift to Vintgar Gorge--a good 15 minutes in the wrong direction to town! There's a village nearby with a supermarket and bar-restaurant, but I enjoyed the home cooking here so much I didn't want to eat out.

In the evening, the bar is a great place to hang out, and the beer price can't be rivalled. Try a submarine, cherry brandy, including the glass dropped upside-down into a glass of beer, and watch the brightly coloured brandy creep up the beer as you drink.

A very fun trip for rafting beginners.

An all morning/afternoon trip down the nearby river on Grade 2 (easy) rapids. This is a good, fun activity and well-organised by people who know what they're doing and are good fun.

The river itself isn't too challenging or scary, maybe a bit tame for those who have done this before. There's a cool bit where you can get out and jump off a bridge back into the river from 7m up - don't worry it's perfectly safe, I trust these guys

You can have one of the guys take a CD full of photos as an optional extra for a few €, I've uploaded a couple of mine.

Only a short drive/taxi from Bled town, this was one of the highlights of my trip. Walk in the refreshing spray of a river whilst walking in beautiful surroundings. It's amazing that they've managed to build a path through this gorge, you wouldn't think there's space.

The walk itself is quite easy, maybe 2 hours long, quite flat. There is a cafe at either end. An optional walk back to town takes an extra hour, but is harder as it has hills and very little shade.

The cost is about 2€ and is well worth it. You won't be able to stop taking photos as there are so many great views

That church you can see on an island in the middle of the lake is even prettier when you get close-up. I would recommend renting a rowing boat for only a couple of euros to get there. There is a small exhibition on how the church has been modified through history and a small, expensive cafe.

Remember to ring the church bell for good luck!