A Slovenian road trip: Lake Bled

Our Slovenian road trip came in the middle of a really busy time with work. The last thing we felt like doing was going camping, but we'd already booked the rental car so we packed it up and headed off for the weekend.

Slovenia is pretty small. It doesn't take long to get anywhere and the scenery is varied and dramatic so it's perfect for a road trip. There are just two things you need to know – drive on the right side of the road and keep your lights on at all times.

Our route

We had 3 days, and and spent the first night near Lake Bled and the second at the start of the Vršič Pass. Our route:

Within about 20 minutes out of the city we were driving through countryside like this, and already glad we'd come.

Lake Bohinj

Our first proper stop was Lake Bohinj, about half an hour from Lake Bled and an hour and a half from Ljubljana.

It's the quieter lake of the two and the scenery is just as dramatic. If it's warm enough you can go swimming or sailing (or just go for lunch like us).

Lake Bled

Next, we drove the 30 minutes back to Lake Bled. With the clear water and snow-capped mountains in the distance, it felt like stepping into a postcard. We hired a row boat to visit the little island in the centre (€10 for an hour), and did the perimeter walk which took about an hour and a half.

Taste Bled

As we were walking around the lake we came across Taste Bled, a street food festival. Lots of little stalls selling traditional Slovenian food and drinks (the wood-fired cheesy garlic bread was as good as it sounds).

Camp Bled

We spent the night at Camp Bled, a huge, well-organised campsite right next to the lake. It was probably just a bit too cold to camp when we were there (end of September), but we made it through the night!

Velika Osojnica

Early the next morning, fuelled by bad vending-machine coffee, we hiked up to the Velika Osojnica viewpoint. It was longer and a bit tougher than we expected (expect a muddy scramble if it's been raining recently). It took about an hour on forest trail 6.

We both agreed that it was the best view we'd ever seen (and if you've been following along, you'll know we've seen some pretty great stuff over the last couple of years).

Before we set off to the Julain Alps, we stopped for coffee and a slice of Bled cake (kremna rezina) at Caffe Peglez'n in the little town by the lake. Great custard-to-pastry ratio!

Part two of our road trip coming up tomorrow.