Rachel’s Interrail Adventures

Well, here I am in the middle of a huge downpour having just visited Lake Bled and Vintgar Gorge. Feeling very lucky that we have just finished and also that under my soaked clothes I am wearing a swimsuit!

We started the day buying sandwiches from a bakery for lunch and then catching the 8.30am bus to Bled (EU5.50ish).

We hired bikes on arrival (EU10 per bike for 2 hours) and booked a trip to Vintgar Gorge at the same time (EU10 for transport and EU10 for Gorge entrance).

Cycling round Lake Bled was a good option. With all the stopping we took 2 hours. Walking around without all that must be at least 2+ hours and hot. Cycling is breezy and cool. It’s pretty flat and we could stop periodically for amazing pictures…

…and swimming- not as cold as yesterday’s river swim… (swim #3 of this trip)

…and traditional Bled cake (EU6.90) with coffee.

Lake Bled really is that picture perfect location, clear blue water, castle, church on the island.

Note that we didn’t boat to the island and we also didn’t go up to the castle. A girl on our bus had been up and said the view was good but nothing else much up there.

After the sandwich lunch it was time to catch the shuttle to Vintgar Gorge (around 15 minutes transfer). What a great little trip that was: the power of water, crystal clear blue-green water. The pics do not do it justice. You basically walk alongside the fledgling river for maybe a kilometer on wooden walkways observing the colours, the calm, the power and the beauty. Chris enjoyed this more than Lake Bled.

The end of the gorge doesn’t have an access point and the walk up to the road is steep and through a forest. This is worth bearing in mind if you are less mobile. The heavens opened on us whilst we were walking through the forest and the wind really whipped up. Visibility became quite low with the forest and cloud cover.

We were absolutely soaked!!

After returning to Ljubljana and showering, we went down to the river and had a couple of beers and thence to Figovec restaurant and enjoyed dumplings and Ghoulash. Great food.

The costs for the day’s transport were 11EU to Bled and back, 10EU to Vintgar Gorge and back so 21EU. Gorge tickets were 10EU and bikes were 10EU.

I would recommend doing it like this. Tours to Bled are much more expensive and there’s not much they can add to the experience. The buses are easy. I would however recommend taking the shuttle to Vintgar Gorge. There are several places advertising them when you get off the bus in Bled. Unless you want a long walk (2 hours).

All in all – a brilliant day – highly recommended.