We have limited time in Slovenia and want to visit Lake Bled and then raft the Soca in Bovec in one day from Ljubljana. We don't plan to go to the island at lake bled and will go up to the castle just for the views so I don't anticipate more than 3 hours at Bled. We will have a car and plan to leave Ljubljana by 8:00 a.m. A rafting trip at 2 or 2:30 would probably work best and there are some on that schedule that will last until about 5:00. I know the Vrsic pass is beautiful but we don't really have time to stop and appreciate so maybe the Predil pass is a better option. I know this will be a long day and that's OK. My question is whether it is realistic? Any route suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!
Posted by
Southeast US
3851 posts
It's about 40 minutes from Ljubljana to Bled.
Bled Castle opens at 8 am. The views are nice, but I found the castle otherwise not that exciting. I think you can get your fill of views within an hour and still have time for a slice of Bled cream cake.
It looks like it is around 1 1/2 to 2 hours to Bovec. So, I would expect that you should be able to get to a rafting trip at 2 pm or so without much trouble.
Posted by
881 posts
It’s not that crazy. Bled is the kind of place you could spend a day at or an hour at, and walk away with similar experiences. If you’re not going for a swim, it’s all about the views which are best from the town-side anyway. Definitely avoid the temptation to visit the island.
Posted by
OP
19 posts
Thanks for the replies. I knew from research that it looked doable "on paper" but wanted to get thoughts from fellow travelers for a reality check. We may be changing plans a bit and do rafting first since it's the furthest point and then come back to Ljubljana via Bled.
Posted by
85 posts
We stayed in Bled last year. In high season it can get very busy and we saw a traffic jam going into town from the highway whenever we left Bled and were in a traffic jam going back to Bled. Also wasn’t always easy to find a parking spot. So if you’re going in high season I would take that into consideration. It’s a shame you don’t have more time in Slovenia because on the way from Bled to Bovec you’ll be close to the beautiful Slap Peričnik, Mojstrana and lake Jasna in Kranjska Gora and lake Fusini.
Posted by
OP
19 posts
Thank ajlmv you for the perspective on traffic and the the other location suggestions. Our travel is mid-September so out of high season which should help. We are in Ljubljana for 3 nights but have other activities planned for the other full day and are exploring the town on the partial days. Still not enough time to really explore but a good "preview" for potential further travel!