SEPTEMBER 2023
Bled is incredibly touristy, but also cannot be missed on your Slovenia itinerary. I was charmed by Lake Bled, much more than I expected. The surroundings of Lake Bled are incredibly beautiful and the best way to experience it is by doing a hike to the famous viewpoint. We enjoyed our time during summer at Lake Bled and I am sure it is even more lovely in autumn, when the leaves are turning and the crowds are gone.
Practical information
Lake Bled is quite big, to walk around it costs about 1,5 hours, so you have to prepare for what you want to do when you visit Lake Bled. Lake Bled is a popular spot, with scarce parking. Not all activities are located at Bled village, where you can find one big parking. Ideally, you would have a bike, so you can cycle to all hotspots. We did the hike to the Ojstrica viewpoint, which is located at the other side of the town. We parked our small campervan at the parking next to Camping Bled, which cost € 6 per hour. During the high season these prices are not rare, so if you want to do several activities in a day the parking fees can really add up. Lake Bled is beautiful and definitely worth your time, but it helps if you know how you want to spend your day(s). We did the Ojstrica hike, had lunch and went swimming. There are plenty of activities you can do, such as hike a canoe/boat, visit Bled Castle, go on the summer toboggan, take a chairlift etc. I found Bled very family friendly, but unfortunately toddlers are not allowed on the toboggan, so we skipped that.
Ojstrica hike
We visited Bled in the middle of summer, during a heatwave. I still wanted to do the Ojstrica hike, so we tried to go as early as possible. Of course I got distracted with many photostops on our way to the hike, so we didn’t start until 9.30AM. The Ojstrica hike is not very long, but you do incline about 150 meters in a half hour, so that still is a lot of stairs 😉 We parked our car at the parking next to Camping Bled, which is one of the only spots at this side of the lake where you are allowed to park. From the parking lot you can turn right, walk the wooden paths of the lake and you will see a sign highlighting where to start the hike after 10 minutes.
The hike starts in the forest, where you can find some shade. The last part is pretty steep and rocky, make sure to wear sturdy shoes. The view when you arrive to the top is breathtaking, from this viewpoint you can truly take in how beautiful Lake Bled is. You can sense the scale and you have a good view of Bled’s famous island. I didn’t expect to be that impressed, but was really in love with the view. There is a little bench on top, that you might have to yourself on an uncrowded day. We quickly confiscated it to take some pictures. Overall, it wasn’t too crowded when we visited, with about 10 other people on the viewpoint. It did get more crowded when we ascended at 10.15AM. If you are creative you can even take good pictures when it is crowded, you just have to wait for the right moment.
Camping Bled
Right at Lake Bled you will find Camping Bled. As we had our campervan parked here, we decided to also go here for swimming and lunch. We took a quick dip in Lake Bled from the public beach in front of Lake Bled. It acually had a lovely temperature during summer and wasn’t as cold as I expected. It was very special to have a swim with the Julian Alps and Lake Bled’s island as my backdrop. Don’t expect a quiet beach experience, it gets absolutely packed with families during summer. All in all, good vibes.
After our swim we had lunch at Camping Bled, at the terrace of the main restaurant. The drinks were expensive, the food was well priced for the generous portions. Overall, I would recommend this. Camping Bled also seemed like a good spot for camping, it was secluded in the forest, but also offered activities. We stayed at a small campsite (Brezje 14), not directly at the lake instead, which is much cheaper and does not need reservations months in advance.