Alpine Lakes Bled and Bohinj

General information

Destination
Ljubljana, Slovenia

Program details

Lake Bled is famous for its little island in the middle and a castle above it. Visit the Alpine world of Triglav National Park, where The Bohinj valley lies, known for its scenic beauty and pristine nature.

Drive across the Pokljuka plateau, a high altitude wlderness with thick pine forests. The lake surrounds Bled Island (Blejski otok). The island has several buildings, the main one being the pilgrimage church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary (Cerkev Marijinega vnebovzetja), built in its current form near the end of the 17th century, and decorated with remains of Gothic frescos from around 1470 in the presbyterium and rich Baroque equipment.

The church has a 52 m (171 ft) tower and there is a Baroque stairway from 1655 with 99 stone steps leading up to the building. The church is frequently visited and weddings are held there regularly. Traditionally it is considered good luck for the groom to carry his bride up the steps on the day of their wedding before ringing the bell and making a wish inside the church.

The largest of the streams that flow into the lake, the Savica ('little Sava'), is fed from Črno jezero (Black Lake), the lowest-lying lake in the Triglav Lakes Valley. The outflow at the eastern end is the Jezernica creek which merges with the Mostnica to form the Sava Bohinjka, which in turn becomes the larger Sava River at the confluence with the Sava Dolinka. As found out already by Belsazar Hacquet in the 18th century, much more water leaves Lake Bohinj than enters it, which is explained with subterranean sources of water.

The clear waters are the habitat of brown trout, burbot, European chub, common minnow and Arctic char, eight genera of molluscs, as well as of numerous algae species. It is a popular day trippers' destination for swimming and other water sports. On the shore is a statue of the legendary Goldhorn (Zlatorog) chamois, whose story was perpetuated by the poet Rudolf Baumbach.


Meeting/pick-up point: Pick-up from the hotel.

Duration: 8 hours.

Start/opening time: At 9am.

End/closing time: At 5pm.

Languages: English.

Included: traditional meal, admissions to Bled Castle and Bohinj Church.