Stay in Bled or Bohinj

Posted by Vicky (SF Bay area) on 08/07/18 09:56 PM

Our plan as it is right now:

1. drive from Rovinj, Croatia to Ceglo, Slovenia and stay at Hotel Gredic; this is about a 2 hour drive, but we will stop at the Postojna caves on the way.
2. Next day, drive from Ceglo to Bohinj (about an hour) =- right now planning to overnight here as we'd like to spend time hiking and enjoying the lake and just the drive.
3. Next morning, drive to Bled, enjoy the day and drive on to Ljubijana where we plan to stay for 2 nights before driving to Zagreb

These stops are toward the end of a month traveling through Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro, ending finally in Zagreb.

Posted by Laura

Rick Steves' Europe

08/07/18 10:15 PM

16893 posts

I agree with staying at less-developed Lake Bohinj instead of Bled.

Posted by Dejan

Slovenia

08/08/18 08:11 AM

470 posts

Your driving times are too optimistic. Rovinj to Ceglo via Postojna is almost three hours not counting any border delays, Ceglo to Bohinj is two and a half hours non-stop. That said, you'll miss the best part of the Soca Valley if you take the direct route to Lake Bohinj, so I'd advise you to detour to the Tolmin Gorge or Kozjak Falls on your way to Bohinj to sample some of the Soca Valley's sights.

You mentioned in another thread that you'll be doing this trip in September. If so, your itinerary is fine. If the two driving days happen to fall on a weekend, account for delays when making your plans, especially for that Rovinj to Postojna leg, which crosses a border that gets very busy in the high season.

Posted by Vicky OP

SF Bay area

08/09/18 08:54 PM

29 posts

Thank you Dejan, for your suggestions; we've put the Soca Valley, including the Gorge on our driving itinerary for that day. We've also added a night in Ljubljana to give us more flexibility to visiting Bled and/or Bohinj another day, while leaving some time in Ljubljana. We will be driving this route during the week, and toward the end of September. (We're also not sure we want to stop at the caves, as we've seen so many and it's a big tourist site). We'll see how we feel.
If you have any other suggestions, including places to eat (not necessarily ultra expensive, but good food), we'd love to hear.
Thanks again - suggestions appreciated! Vicky

Posted by Andrew H.

Portland, Oregon

08/09/18 09:07 PM

5687 posts

Be sure to visit some of the pretty towns between Bled and Ljubljana - like Skofja Loka and Radovljica. The drive from Skofja Loka to Bled through the mountains, via Jamnik and Kropa, is really beautiful.

Staying in Bled vs. Bohinj is partly personal preference. Bled is a developed tourist resort with a town and modern conveniences (though the town is a practical place to stay, it is not especially charming). Bohinj is more of a "back to nature" experience. Though Bled is touristy, I doubt it will be that busy by the end of September.