How to get to Lake Bled – Costs and Complete Guide

How to get to Lake Bled – General Information

In this post, I am going to provide you detailed instructions on how to get to the beautiful lakeside town of Bled. While the easiest way to get to Lake Bled is from Ljubljana, it is possible to visit Bled from other nearby major cities as well, doing it like always: on a budget!

There are two main options for public transport, by bus and by train. One other option is to rent a car but this is generally more expensive if not traveling as a group.

The bus station in Bled is right in the heart of town, making this the most convenient stop for a lot of travelers, being close to most accommodations in the area.

There are 2 train stations near Bled: Lesce Bled and Bled Jezero. Lesce Bled is a bit further away from Bled and you need to catch a bus from the station to get you into Bled. Bled Jezero is around a 20-30 minute walk into Bled.

While Bled Jezero is viable to explore other parts of Slovenia it is a bit difficult to get into this station as it is not connected on the Ljubljana train line. As such in most of the cases in this post I don’t mention this station but it is good to know as an option for anyone visiting the area.

Guide by City

How to Get to Lake Bled from Ljubljana

There are two main options to get to Lake Bled from Ljubljana: by train and by bus. The costs are about the same and this is one of the few instances that I recommend to take a bus when there is a train option available.

By Bus: There are a number of bus operators that offer direct routes from Ljubljana to Lake Bled. The advantage this offers over the train is that you arrive straight into the town of Bled where the majority of accommodation is next to. The journey takes between 50-75 minutes depending on the operator and route taken. Buses are frequent and depart around every 20-30 minutes. You can check bus timetable here

By Train: If you want a scenic train ride then this is definitely worth it, the cost is about the same but it will take you longer to arrive. As highlighted at the beginning of the blog post there are two train stations that feed into Bled: Lesce-Bled and Bled Jezero.

Trains are only direct to Lesce Bled from Ljubljana which then causes a further bus ride from the train station into town. On the other hand trains take about 1 hour 40 minutes to reach Bled Jezero station, which is a 25-minute walk from the lake. Tickets cost around €6 to €7 for a one-way trip. While the journey takes a bit longer than the bus, the views are worth it.

Both train and bus options are cheap make sure that you check out Trainline or Omio for your best option that fits into your schedule.

How to Get to Lake Bled from Trieste

This is the way I actually got to Lake Bled as this is the nearest airport which was available to me from my base in Malta and flights were really cheap via Ryanair.

By Train: There is no direct train to Bled from Trieste, there is however to Ljubljana, so you can get a train there, spend a day in Ljubljana and then continue on your journey to Bled by following the previous section on how to get to Lake Bled from Ljubljana.

By Bus: Flixbus offers daily direct services to Bled from Trieste. They offer daily departure at 21:10 and arrives into Bled at around midnight. It costs around €10-€15 depending on the time booked and seasonality. Drop off is right at the heart of Bled town at the main bus stop area making this a convenient option of getting to Bled from Trieste.

How to Get to Lake Bled from Zagreb

Similarly to Trieste, Zagreb is also a cheap entry point to Slovenia, as budget airlines often fly into here. Although a bit further out than Trieste it doesn’t take much longer to arrive.

By Train: This is the most convenient option for arriving to Bled from Zagreb, with 2-3 daily trains from Zagreb station to Lesce-Bled at the time of writing. Make sure to get a ticket in advance as these tend to get booked up especially in peak season. From Lesce-Bled station catch a bus to the town center. The views from this train journey are scenic especially when taken during sunset times.

By Bus: There is no direct bus to Bled but there is one to Ljubljana. This journey takes around 2h 30m and buses depart frequently. You can check departure times here and then connect with another flixbus (the same one coming from Trieste) at around 11pm.

How to Get to Lake Bled from Graz

There is no easy way to get to Bled directly from Graz by public transport but I decided to include it in my blog post anyways for those that are traveling in Austria and want to head south to Slovenia

By Train: The direct option of getting into Bled by train from Austria is through Villach. From Graz, you need to change twice to reach Bled. I wouldn’t recommend this option unless you want to visit Villach as well.

By Bus: The most viable option on reaching Slovenia is by bus and yes you know it specifically Flixbus. They have a direct route to Ljubljana overnight or in the morning and takes around 2.5 hours. Here I would also suggest to take a breather and spend a day in the Slovenian capital and then continue on your way to Bled but the call is yours. You can refer back to the Ljubljana section for the details on this part of the journey. The total cost of the journey will amount to around €35.

There you have it, a complete guide on how to get to Lake Bled! I have tried to mention all major cities with airports nearby with viable routes into Lake Bled. If you are further out you can always make your way to one of these cities or check out train routes or bus routes available in your area.

Now that you found out how to get there, time to check out what to do in Lake Bled. Checkout this post on a complete guide on how to spend 3 days in Lake Bled or other related posts below!