A few years ago, your average American would likely not have heard of Slovenia or considered it as a holiday spot.  However, with the rise of Instagram, Lake Bled has become a magical destination – even for destination weddings!  You could even be like my friend Steven, who had a magical wedding at Lake Bled.

As a part of the former Yugoslavia, Slovenia is nestled between Austria, Italy, Croatia and the Adriatic Sea.  The landscape has rugged mountains (as part of the Julian Alps), glacial lakes, and beautiful wooded areas.

1. Train from Vienna to Lesce-Bled

Vienna is the perfect base to take a long weekend in Lake Bled. I began my journey in Vienna, where I took the 8:20 am train from Wien Hauptbanhof to Villach. There is a quick and easy switch from Villach to Lesce-Bled. Truthfully, I almost missed the stop at Lesce-Bled. Too busy admiring at the beauty out the window!  I arrived at Lesce-Bled around 1:50 pm.  From the Lesce-Bled train station, I took a bus into Bled town.

1.1 Bus to Bled town

I didn’t realize it at the time, but public transportation buses in Bled, and perhaps Slovenia, are actually what we would consider charter buses.  While there was a luggage compartment below the bus, I didn’t know this at the time.

Lugging a rolling luggage (with backpack and purse) onto a charter bus is the most miserable thing I can think of.  If you find yourself in this situation, do yourself a favor and just open the lower compartment yourself before you board. There is an unforgettable, unusual, “Dino Park” on the way into town.  And yes, it is everything your imagination thinks it would be. I couldn’t take a picture of it, as I struggling with my luggage and half-sitting in my seat.

In three words, my Airbnb is

Bled itself is a small town that surrounds the beautiful Lake Bled.  Lake Bled is more or less famous for the island, with a church, in the middle of the lake.  For 10 EUR, a tourist boat can take you onto the island so you can tour the church.  During my time there, I did not end up doing that, more or less because my purpose was to photograph the island and surrounding areas.

2. Ojstrica – Sunrise Hike Lake Bled

There are several hiking trails in and around Bled, which can offer you views of the lake and the island.  Most easily accessible is the Ojstrica, which is on the southwest side of the lake.  I went up to this viewpoint one morning for sunrise.  Sunrise was scheduled for 5:15 am that morning. According to Google Maps, it was a 45-50 minute walk from where I was staying on the opposite of the lake. Before 4:30 am, I was out the door.  I was in Bled in late May, early June, and it rained quite a bit. Be prepared!  Accuweather said it would rain at 7 am, so I had some time.

I mostly followed Google Maps. The path is mostly flat, around the circumference of the lake.  Towards the end, you veer off into a wooded, forested area, where a slight incline begins.  There are a lot of eroded and slippery stones (slippery from the rainfall the night before) along the way, so be careful.  Before Google said I arrived, I found this sign.

This is where you stop with your app and follow the sign.  This is where it begins to get steep. Basically, you begin to climb upward, but only for less than 5 minutes, until you reach the peak.

2.1 Sunrise

I arrived right around 5:17, and though shrouded by clouds, daylight was about to break.  There were a few people already enjoying the sunrise, and in a strange irony, the 6 people up there, including myself, were all Americans – one couple toasting with champagne, part of a family, and then me.

Watch this video on YouTube.

I would have said that it was peaceful up at the top, but for some reason, somebody down at grown level was doing some heavy gardening. All we could hear was the revving of a weed whacker, from about 5:30 to 6 am.  Things don’t always turn out exactly the picture-perfect way you want it to.

I stayed until about 6:45, when I realized I should get moving because of the aforementioned rain forecast.  And as a testament to the greatness of the Accuweather app, at 6:56, I felt the first drops of rain.  I rushed to grab my rain jacket and put the rain cover over my backpack to protect my camera. 

Getting caught in the rain is probably one of the more lighthearted things in life. Everyone I passed along the way gave each other an acknowledgement and a little chuckle. Basically, “Yep, I’m caught in the rain too.”

I got back around 7:30 am, exhausted and starving.  Why didn’t I stop along the way to get food?  Because when you pack your bag at 4 am, you think to yourself, “Why do I need money?  I am going to be in a forest.”  You bring money because you’ll be starving on your way back otherwise.

3. Well deserved breakfast

Luckily, Bled town is small. From my Airbnb, I can reach everywhere within five minutes.  I stopped by Caffe Peglez’n, which has a very adorable indoor area and an outdoor seating area.  The interior was decorated with a kitchy, vintage vibe.

I had a simple ham and cheese panini.  It was simple but bigger than I imagined, and perfect for refueling.  Things happen slowly in this part of the world. By 9 am, I finally finished and headed back.  After a shower, I took an amazingly long nap.  I haven’t done many sunrise hikes in my day. Even after my nap, I couldn’t recover from the exhaustion of the day.

4. Dinner and rain…again…

Later in the day, I agreed to meet J. I met her the day before at lunch, when both of us sat alone at neighboring tables. And we decided to eat together.

The following day, J and I decided to take a day trip to Lake Bohinj, in the Triglav National Park.

Read all about the fantastic day full of waterfalls, glacial valleys, and stunning hikes!

Of course, I knew it was going to rain (thank you, Accuweather).  But silly wardrobe choices. My rain jacket wouldn’t match with the dress I was determined to wear. Therefore, I was woefully unprepared for the inevitable downpour that came.  Why a dress you say?  I’m a firm believer that if you feel terrible, but you look nice, you will start to feel better… unless you are caught in the rain, and then … well, I’m just stupid.

Although J and I both ate almost an entire pizza while waiting for the rain to subside, it never did. After about an hour, enough was enough.  Don’t get me wrong, the pizza was delicious. However, my energy level was declining. I desperately needed to get back to my bed.  So, thank you to the tourist shop next door, and the 5,50 EUR umbrella that I bought.  There was a foreign woman looking at umbrellas too. When we made eye contact, we both started laughing both at ourselves and at each other.

Watch this video on YouTube.

Rain can bring good humor, if you let it.

And for an existential note on rain to finish the post, rain brings life, but it also takes away.

5. Information on your Sunrise Hike, Lake Bled

Train

• OBB: One-way, second class ticket: 39 EUR | $46 USD
• Wien Hbf to Villach Hbf: 8:20 am to 12:46 pm
• Villach Hbf to Lesce-Bled: 12:53 pm to 1:50 pm

Bus

Lesce-Bled to Bled main station bus fare: 1,30 EUR | $1.50 USD

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Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

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