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Julian Alps - Route assistance. Can I drive just part of it?

The Croatia & Slovenia guide book recommends a drive through the Juilan Alps. I have puzzled over the description and the map drawn in the guide. I will have a rental car and would like to take a short drive (out and back) from Bled. Can anyone help me navigate? It's hard to determine the name/number of the roads or the name of towns along the way. Any advice and/or suggestions would be most welcome.

By the way, we plan on just two days / one night in Bled. We will arrive between 9 and 10 and would like to take a boat to the island in the lake when we arrive. If feasible, we would next like to take a drive into the mountains.

Thanks!

Posted by
470 posts

The essence of the drive through the Julian Alps is road 206, which crosses the Vrsic Pass between Kranjska Gora and Bovec further west in the mountain range. It's generally done as part of a loop around the Julian Alps, starting in Bled, going to Kranjska Gora, taking road 206 to Bovec and then continuing down the Soca Valley past Kobarid and Tolmin and returning to Bled through Podbrdo and Bohinjska Bistrica. Road 206 is the only road that truly traverses the Triglav National Park, it gets you closer to the interior parts of the Julian Alps than any other road. Take a look at Google Maps for reference, here's a link to the route I described: https://goo.gl/maps/Pshr3ZwGyyk

If you're looking for a shorter alternative in the vicinity of Bled, I'm afraid there's no road that offers the same kind of experience. However, a very good alternative that I recommend is going to the nearby Bohinj valley, already in the national park, visit the lake there, go to the Savica waterfall, take the cable car up to Mt Vogel with views of Mt Triglav, drive or even rent a bicycle and cycle into the upper part of Bohinj - Stara Fuzina, Studor, Srednja Vas, etc. It's a lovely, wilder and more rural region compared to Bled and it's very scenic. The near edge of the lake (Bohinj Jezero bus stop) is only about 30 minutes by car and 40 minutes by bus from Bled.

Posted by
104 posts

Dejan, this is exactly the advice I was seeking. Thank you so much!

Posted by
470 posts

You're welcome. Enjoy your time in Slovenia, you'll love it!

Posted by
27110 posts

From a timing perspective, be aware that the little boats on Lake Bled depart for the island only when full. You conceivably might have to wait a good while for the trip. I visited on a Thursday in mid-August, and I decided spend my time walking around the lake rather than cool my heels waiting on a boat departure.

Posted by
470 posts

It's been reported in the news that they've changed this arrangement last month and will from now on depart at set times. I haven't been to Bled since to confirm this on the ground, but it was an official announcement by the council, so I'm guessing this change is imminent, if it hasn't already happened.

Posted by
437 posts

We were just there in late May and our boat was not all the way full when it left. We were the second group on, and they did spend about 10-15 minutes inviting all passers-by to join us before we left. I think in the end there were 7 people in our boat.