As you started planning your Slovenia adventure, it wouldn’t have taken long for you to start looking into things to do in Lake Bled.

As one of Slovenia’s most famous attractions I’m guessing you’ve seen photos of Lake Bled already. Despite this, most people tend to only spend one or two nights at Lake Bled before moving on with the assumption that there are not many things to do. I disagree.

In this post you’ll read about the things I did in Lake Bled.

I spent one week in Lake Bled during October, when the leaves were changing colours. The scenery was stunning, and a couple of locals I spoke to said it was the most beaituful season in their opinion. I’m sure you could find people who prefer Lake Bled in each of the four seasons, but I liked the autumn as the peak tourist season was over which meant less tourists and with fewer companies offering holiday packages (bus tours) visiting and the temperatures more reasonable during the day (it gets chilly in the evening).

Before you read on, open this link (opens in new tab) that shows you the main bus station in Lake Bled. Catching the bus is a super-easy way to get to the different attractions listed below (that aren’t within walking distance). Check with the reception at your accommodation to get the latest timetables for each destination you want to visit.

You can click on the links below to jump straight to the relevant section.

1. Walk Around The Lake

A moody view of Lake Bled

Make this your first activity in Lake Bled. The perimeter of the lake is just over a 6km round trip and you won’t take more than 2.5 hours, even if you’re dawdling and taken a bazillion photos. Once you’ve done a lap of the lake, you’ll have a good grasp of what makes the area so magical.

I didn’t actually walk around the entire lake in one go but did run around it on several occasions, but I’m guessing most people would prefer to walk 🙂

2. View The Lake From The Most Instagram Friendly Spots

(Insert Instagram model on the rock)

You can include these two viewpoints in your walk around the lake, but from those, I talked to they preferred going on a separate trip to the viewpoints which are accessed from the southwest corner of the lake.

The names of the two most popular viewpoints are Ojstrica and Mala Osojnica. They’re both within a 20-minute walk of each other so you can visit both, starting with Ojstrica.

The trail is reasonably steep once you start walking away from the lake, but it’s not a long walk so everyone should make it okay (20 minutes to Ojstrica). You’ll then be able to follow signs to Mala Osojnica (the trails aren’t available on Google Maps) which means you’ll essentially go across the hill rather than going down and then back up again.

Both viewpoints are on the side closer to Bled Island, which means you should go earlier in the day for the best lighting. I never got around to waking up early enough to see the sunrise, but apparently Ojstrica is the best sunrise spot in Lake Bled.

3. Hike To Babji Zob

A different view of the lake from Babji Zob

When you’re wandering around Lake Bled the keen observers will notice the almost vertical cliff in the distance to the south. It turns out you can actually hike to this cliff from the village Bohinjska Bela (you can catch a bus to here). While you can take various routes up the hill, following the signs to Babji Zob is the best.

It’s not an easy hike, but won’t take more than five hours return and you get yet another awesome view of Lake Bled (maybe I need to write a post about finding all the Lake Bled viewpoints) as well as down to the valley at the bottom of the cliff.

Tip: Download Maps.me to help you, the hiking trail to Babji Zob is on there (it’s not on Google Maps).

4. Row Out To Bled Island

I’m not sure what the experience is like in the peak season but with plenty of people offering rowboats for hire and not so many tourists in October you can spend a couple of hours hanging out on the water with your own rowboat with the goal of making it to Bled Island.

They’ll happily rent you the boat out for a couple of hours for 10 euro per person in the shoulder season (you may need to negotiate and prices will be higher in peak season) and with up to six people comfortably fitting on a boat I had a surprisingly fun time doing this!

You’re allowed to swim in the Lake too, so be prepared to take a potentially chilly swim. Bring a beer too.

5. Hike To Vintgar Gorge

The fall colours of Vintgar Gorge

Vintgar Gorge is a few kilometers from the shores of Lake Bled and a very popular attraction. You can catch a shuttle to the entrance from the main bus station (there’s a regular bus in the summer too) but I recommend you walk there as it’s no more than 45 minutes and it’s a nice walk.

The Gorge entrance fee is 10 Euro which is a little high, but it’s one of those ‘can’t miss’ destinations. I had FOMO so found myself heading there on my last day. The gorge has a boardwalk all the way through the ~3km gorge.

The colours of the water combined with the steep cliffs make this a stunning location, and you’ve got the Sum Waterfall at the eastern end to complete a beautiful attraction.

If you walked to the gorge (start at the western end), you’re now left with a nice forest walk that leads down the hill to the village, Zasip, back towards the Lake.

Tip: Avoid visiting the gorge between 11 am and 1 pm when the tour bus visitors at their peak.

There’s a Vintgar Gorge alternative.

Pokljuka Gorge is totally different, but a lot less touristy and more adventurous (free entrance). It doesn’t feature any water however which makes Vintgar so magical. The Pokljuka Gorge is a figure-eight route with a lot more elevation so it’s not an easy walk and more of a hike.

To get there, you’ll want to catch a bus to the Krnica bus stop.