The Lakes: Bled & Bohinj

It is no over statement to rank Lake Bled & Bohinj as amongst the most beautiful Lakes in the Alps. Lake Bled is a world famous destination and not without good reason – surrounded by mountains and with a fairytale castle perched on a crag overlooking a 17th century church on an island, it is an outstandingly beautiful place. The town at one end is fairly developed with lots of bars, restaurants, hotels and other tourist facilities, whilst at the other end it is quieter and generally less built up. Taking a “Pletna” boat out to the island is certainly one of the highlights of any trip to Slovenia. Bohinj is less than half an hour’s drive west from Bled is located in the Triglav National Park and has an altogether more remote and tranquil feel – the serene lake, surrounded by beautiful mountains and quiet villages is a superb place to rest and unwind and is bursting with opportunities for outdoor activities from walking, mountain biking and boating / swimming in the lake in Summer to skiing in Winter. The popular ski resort of Vogel is perched on a mountain overlooking lake Bohinj and the small ski resort of Kobla, lies between Bled & Bohinj in an attractive town call Bohinjska Bistrica, which also features the excellent Bohinj Water Park. Bohinj is also a popular starting point for treks up to Slovenia’s highest mountain Triglav past 7 smaller high altitude lakes. Other attractions of the Lakes area include the charming medieval town of Radovljica 10km south of Bled, thelovely Vintgar Gorge, numerous waterfalls, the Sava Bohinjka river running down from Lake Bohinj which offers scope for fly-fishing, kayaking and swimming. Overall the Lakes region is a wonderful area to enjoy Slovenia’s great outdoors all year round and a great place for a holiday.