The area surrounding the little town of Bled in north-western Slovenia has some of the most beautiful sights in the country. While Lake Bled and Bled Island are the most well known attractions, they are not the only ones in the area. Vintgar Gorge is located only a 15 minute drive away from the town, while Lake Bohinj and the Savica Waterfall require a drive of approximately 40 minutes. Being located about an hour (to an hour-and-a-half for the furthest location) away from Ljubljana, the area is a very suited for day trips out of the capital, which was what we did.
We were fortunate enough to finally have a day of awesome weather when we embarked on our day trip to the area, and the following photos cover all five of the locations mentioned above, in the order that we visited them.
Lake Bled, looking towards Bled Castle and the mountains forming part of Triglav National Park in the distance.
One of the traditional Plenta boats that brings visitors over to Bled Island.
The Church and Bell Tower that are the main attractions of Bled Island.
The island is very small, and completing a walk round the quieter shoreline path takes less than ten minutes.
On the docks on Bled Island.
Looking back towards Bled Island while returning to the mainland.
Crystal clear waters of the Radovna River as it flows through Vintgar Gorge.
Rushing rapids in the Gorge.
One of the narrowest sections of Vintgar Gorge.
A somewhat wider section of Vintgar Gorge.
It was a fairly long walk/climb to the Savica Waterfall.
The path wandered through fairly picturesque forests.
The Savica Waterfall, emerging from the rocks.
The bridge marks the outlet of Lake Bohinj, the river Sava Bohinjka.
The sky started becoming cloudy while we were at Lake Bohinj.
While all these locations comfortably fit into a day's visit (as it did for us), staying the night in Bled is also a good possibility if one wishes to spend more time in the area, or to explore more of the mountains further north/west.
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Till the next time,
Raylen