Bled: From the gorge to the church
If you love the mountains, but you prefer a milder climate, Bled is absolutely perfect for you: The small Slovenian village is surrounded by the Julian Alps and the Karawanks and thus protected from the cold north winds. Lake Bled, which was formed due to the retreat of the Bohinj glacier, is the true gem of Bled and during summer it can get up to 25 degrees warm. The water of Lake Bled is known for its healing properties. Therefore the sources of the lake also supply a few nearby hotel pools with thermal water.
Panoramic hiking at Lake Bled
There is a six kilometres-long, very comfortable circular path around Lake Bled, which can be easily done within two hours. Do you prefer more demanding tours? Then you can circle the lake farther up and you start your hike at the eastern shores from hill to hill - for that you should at least plan five hours. Lake Bled is surrounded by numerous hills and mountains, which offer many easy to moderately difficult tours: The short hike to the local mountain Straža (642 metres) rewards you with a toboggan run back down to the valley. A short detour of 45 minutes leads you up to the famous and beautiful castle of Bled. You can get the most beautiful view of Lake Bled at mount Osojnica (756 metres) - the hike up there takes approximately an hour.
Small island with a church in the lake
Whichever path you choose, you definitely cannot miss the small, enchanting gothic church, which is located on the small island Blejski Otok in the middle of the lake. You can get to the St. Mary’s Church on the island by pletna, a traditional wooden rowing boat. Once, the sanctuary of the heathen goddess of love, Živa, was to be found on the island. Here you can also walk up to the bell tower via a steep staircase.
High, higher, Triglav
In Bled you would rather climb in the Julian Alps than in the Karawanks. In Pod Iglico at the Bohinjska Bela and in Peč close to Bodešče you can find a few via ferrata.
Climbing in Bled
In Bled you would rather climb in the Julian Alps than in the Karawanks. In Pod Iglico at the Bohinjska Bela and in Peč close to Bodešče you can find a few via ferrata.
Turquoise water in the Vintgar Gorge
A few kilometres to the north-west of Bled, the river Radovna formed the 1.6 kilometres-long Vintgar Gorge. The turquoise waters of the gorge are definitely worth a visit, but you should come here as soon as possible - by now the gorge is quite famous, popular and thus well attended.
