We will be staying in Ljubljana as a base and were thinking of doing the day tour of Lake Bled with Roundabout. Looking at it, it seems that we would be rushed and may prefer to do it at our own pace. Rick Steves says to take a taxi from Ljubljana to Lake Bled. He also says you can rent a car there for the day (which may be cheaper than paying for a tour for four people). Is that the best way, or would we be better of by bus/taxi and tour around (Vintgar gorge, the castle, island) by hiking or bike (or car to Vintgar Gorge?) and then bus/taxi back to Ljubljana? Thanks again!!
Posted by
Slovenia
470 posts
There are frequent buses and trains to Bled from Ljubljana. Getting from Bled to the Vintgar Gorge can be done on foot, by taxi or in the summer months by bus. Note that the gorge is closed from about mid-October to mid-April. You could rent a car, although there is no point in doing so just for the day trip to Lake Bled, it makes more sense to rent a car for a day trip into the Julian Alps or to rent it for several days and explore both lakes (Bled and Bohinj) and the surrounding countryside.
PS: This is the Croatia forum, you will get more responses if you post your Slovenia-related queries in the Slovenia forum.
Posted by
OP
71 posts
Oops, thanks for the response and noting my post on the wrong spot!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16250 posts
Hertz is showing $45-$67 for a one-day rental picked up in Ljubljana ( not at the airport). With four people, I would do that.
Younstill might want to rent and ride bikes to Vintgar Gorge. We did that in September and noticed that the parking lot was full at late morning. With bikes we could just ride to the entrance gate and lock up the bikes.
Posted by
Washington DC
27110 posts
The Vintgar Gorge parking lot seemed very full on the day of my visit as well, which was August 14, 2015.
Posted by
22 posts
We (4 people) rented a car in Ljubljana and drove up to Vintgar Gorge first thing in the morning. There are minimal crowds and abundant parking if you arrive early, like 9am. Afterwards we made the quick drive over to Bled (stopping for lunch at a market on the way) and found reasonably cheap parking, then walked around the lake for several hours. We had dinner at the Bled Castle Restaurant, which had spectacular views. If you have someone who is willing to drive, it is very easy to drive around in Slovenia and I recommend it.