Here’s how to get from Ljubljana to Lake Bled easily, with practical advice and timetables.
Here I detail the different bus and train routes to Lake Bled and at the end I explain that if you’re making the return journey during the day, the best route is to take the train on the outward journey and the bus on the return. You’ll understand why when you read the article.
Good tip: Bus fares are totally reduced at weekends, and the Slovenian rail company offers reduced return fares. Remember to ask it at the ticket office (reduced fares not available at ticket machines).
Buses from Ljubljana to Bled
To get from Ljubljana to Bled, you can take the bus. There are various routes. Here’s everything you need to know.
Price: €5.70 one way (€2.85 for children aged 7-15)
Duration: between 1 hour and 1 hour 19 minutes.
Departure: Ljubljana bus station(avtobusna postaja in Slovene).
Two different routes: Many buses from Ljubljana to Bled pass through small country villages. It’s a lovely route, especially if the weather is fine. Others buses go straight to the airport and then on to Bled (faster).
Timetable : The Ljubljana Bled bus timetable can be found here .
Please note: For the departure point, select “AVTOBUSNA POSTAJA” (which means “bus station”BUS STATION”).
Tip: Between Ljubljana and Bled, the bus will stop in the small town of Radovljica. You’ll be 50 metres from an excellent Gostilna (inn), good restaurants and a pretty village square. You could stop here for a coffee or lunch before catching your next bus.
On the way there or back, you could stop for lunch at Lectar in the village of Radovljica or have a coffee and explore this small village and its beautiful central square. It’s small but well worth a visit. You could also have a beer in the central square.
Warning: Stopping off just to see the village of Radovljica is not worth it, as apart from the magnificent central square, the church and the view from the edge of the village, there is nothing more to see. If you want to have a good time and get off the bus, you’ll have to sit down somewhere in the central square.
Lake Bled
By train from Ljubljana to Bled
You can get to Lake Bled by train, but make sure you understand the two different routes.
Price: €5
Duration: 50 minutes by bus to the lakeside.
Departure: Ljubljana station
The Ljubljana Bled train will not drop you off at the foot of Lake Bled, but 3.5 km from the lakeshore. You will then have to take a bus or walk (it’s long and there’s very little point in doing so). This train route should therefore be avoided if you want to go to Bled, and it’s better to take the bus, which will drop you off at the foot of the lake. But there is another, much more interesting train route.
The best site to visit for train timetables in Slovenia, and therefore for Ljubljana-Bled trains, is www.slo-zeleznice.si/en/.
Important tip: Be sure to read the option below, as there are in fact two stations at Lake Bled!
Warning : To get off at the right train stop, get off at LESCE – BLED. Lake Bled is called BLED JEZERO in Slovene.
Tip: There is another, longer option (1.5 hours) that will take you to the lakeside by train. You must select “Bled Jezero” as your destination, not “Lesce Bled” (ticket price €6.60 instead of €5). The train will first pass through the magnificent Vintgar Gorge, where I recommend you make a stop, as described in the rest of this article.
The best way to proceed
- Take the train from Ljubljana to Vintgar to visit the Vintgar Gorge (journey time 1h20). You will then have to make one change in the industrial town of Jesenice (see map below).
- Then take the train from Vintgar to Bled Jezero station (15 minutes – have a coffee next to the station while you wait for your train – nothing special here, but it’s a nice way to wait)
- From Bled Jezero station, walk down to the lake, go for a swim, climb to the Mala Osojnica viewpoint, get a Kremsnita at Belvedere and walk along the north shore (south if you’re short of time but it’s not as good) and at the end of the day, get to the Bled bus stop. It’s here.
- Take the bus back to Ljubljana.
Worth knowing: You can skip the visit to the Vintgar Gorge and go straight to Lake Bled.
By car from Ljubljana to Lake Bled
Cost of journey: petrol and car hire
Duration: 45 minutes.
Departure: Ljubljana centre
From Ljubljana city centre, take the north or east ring road and take the motorway towards Kranj and then Austria (Villach to be exact). 45 minutes later, turn left at the Bled sign and you’ll be at the lake 5 minutes later if there are no traffic jams.
Tip: park by turning right 300 metres before the lake. Don’t drive all the way to the lake, as parking after the lake is €10.
Very important : Study the car park map carefully before coming and choose those far enough away from the lake.
Lake Bled station in a Milka advert!
The station at Lake Bled (i.e. Bled Jezero) is really cute. So much so that it was used in a Milka advert, which you can watch in the video below.