Getting from Bled to Ljubljana: Train, bus, taxi and more

24 Jul 2024

According to Uncle Google and his all-seeing eye (our most favourite family member, if anyone asks), one of the most commonly asked questions people have when first coming to Slovenia is 'How to get from Bled to Ljubljana' or vice versa. On the one hand this makes perfect sense, because Bled and Ljubljana are the two most visited destinations in the country. Of course on the other hand (because usually where there's one hand there's also that troublesome other hand), it's quite an easy question to answer because Slovenia is absolutely tiny, so you could literally walk the 53km from Bled to Ljubljana if you had some 11 hours or so to spare. Below we explain all of the more practical transport options between Slovenia's most popular destinations, as well as a few more ridiculous ones, because this is In Your Pocket and that's the kind of thing we like to do!

Bled to Ljubljana Flights

While it's clearly not possible to fly from Bled to Ljubljana, even with a private plane since there aren't any airfields in the capital, Ljubljana airport is almost exactly about halfway between the two, so you could take an airport bus or shuttle from Bled to the airport, have a coffee, stand in a queue for a bit (if you can find one, which might be a challenge - especially after the collapse of Slovenia's national carrier, Adria Airways), and then take another bus, shuttle or taxi onwards to Ljubljana. While this unfortunately won't let you experience the magic of flight, the frustration of security checks or the guilt of being directly responsible for destroying the planet with insane carbon emissions, it's about as close as you'll get to flying between Bled and Ljubljana.

Bled to Ljubljana Train

Yes, there's no more romantic form of public transport than the railway, which makes it a fine choice to go from Bled to Ljubljana. More than a dozen trains per day cover the route in anywhere from 40 minutes to just over an hour, and prices are quite reasonable at under €7. You also of course get some beautiful Alpine views from the large windows, and have plenty of space to relax and enjoy the ride. All of this comes with some downside though, which in this case is the fact that Bled doesn't have a central railway station. The closest - called Bled Jezero - is located on the hill above the northwest corner of the lake, some 3.5km from the main built-up area on the opposite shore, and only sees a half dozen or so trains depart for Ljubljana per day. The other station - confusingly called Lesce-Bled, since it's in the village of Lesce - is some 4.5km outside of town, but does at least have almost 20 trains per day stop on their way to Ljubljana.

Bled to Ljubljana Bus

Although buses lack the romance of trains, they are by far the most frequent mode of public transport between Bled and Ljubljana, with departures at least every hour between 5:00 and 21:00 throughout the year (even on Sundays!), and every half hour during the summer season. They also have the added convenience of departing from the centre of Bled town, rather than from one of Bled's two remote train stations, but do take around an hour and 15 minutes to make the journey. Just don't be discouraged by the ramshackle prefabricated building that serves as Ljubljana's main bus station when arriving, if convenience and price are your two main concerns.

Bled to Ljubljana Shuttle

While not as plentiful as shuttle services from Bled to the airport, there are still quite a few companies offering Bled to Ljubljana shuttle services, including Mamut and GoOpti. These are usually a much cheaper option if you're a solo traveller or a couple, although if you a group of three or four a taxi to Ljubljana will almost surely be a cheaper option per person, as well as more convenient.

Bled to Ljubljana Taxi

Taking a taxi from Bled to Ljubljana is actually a quite reasonable option for groups of three to four people. If you book over the phone at one of the many reputable taxi companies in Ljubljana, you can expect the total cost to be around €40-50 for the one-way drive to Ljubljana.

Bled to Ljubljana Rideshare

Slovenia's domestic version of the well-known European rideshare site BlaBlaCar is called Prevozi.org, which just means 'transport' in Slovene. While the rides are much more frequent from Ljubljana in the direction of Maribor and Koper at the coast, there are some rides from Bled, and sometimes even Bohinj, available. It might also be possible to get one coming from Jesenice to Ljubljana, as long as you can meet them at the Bled motorway exit. The site is only in Slovene and you need to register, but that's nothing Uncle Google and his translation magic can't help out with. More info about how it all works (or often times doesn't) can be found here.

Hitchhiking from Bled to Ljubljana

While hitching a ride is perfectly legal and generally safe in Slovenia, and in the summer months it's not unusual to see people along the motorway entrances in Ljubljana holding signs with MB, KP, ZG and Bled on them, since public transport is so plentiful and cheap, and the ridesharing outlined above even more plentiful and even cheaper, we'd recommend sticking to those options. Although if you're really intent and reliving your hippie father's (or grandfather's) European adventure from the 1970s or just have the perfect hand model thumb and are intent on using it, you can find lots more info at hitchwiki.org, which we just discovered was a thing.

Walking from Bled to Ljubljana

When we mentioned this option in the opening paragraph above you most likely thought we were joking, but clearly we were not. Realistically speaking not many people will opt for this option, but 53km is not actually that big of a distance, and in the summer time you've got plenty of daylight to make the trek, even with a few coffee breaks and a longer stop for lunch. You'll probably want to take the old road, since walking along the motorway isn't so pleasant, and generally frowned upon (plus illegal). This route will first take you through Lesce (where you'll see the Lesce-Bled train station and maybe have some second thought about your chosen means of transport), then continue on accompanied by some breathtaking views through lovely Radovljica and villages like Kamna Gorica and Podnart. You first main stop is Kranj which is both the third largest city in Slovenia with some 50,000 inhabitants, and home to one a finest medieval skylines anywhere in the world - the perfect place to rest your weary feet and enjoy a hearty homemade lunch. At this point you're still only about halfway to your final destination of Ljubljana, and if you want to give up and just take one of the many buses or trains available, we won't hold it against you, you've already made it further than most. But if you're not the quitting type, then grit out the next long section of winding rural road until you get to the suburb of Medvode just outside of Ljubljana. This is where the waters of the Sora river flow into the mighty Sava, and local insist that they're from the Alpine region rather than Ljubljana proper or even Central Slovenia. Now that you can practically see the big city lights in the distance, the excitement of finally reaching your destination should carry you the rest of the way into the city centre, victoriously staggering into Ljubljana in a state of partial delirium and adrenaline fuelled euphoria.

Cycling from Bled to Ljubljana

Getting to Bled to Ljubljana by bike is a much more common practice than walking and generally follows the same path as outlined above, but we're listing it second since we personally prefer walking to cycling. At a leisurely pace of say 15km per hour, you'll be in Ljubljana in under four hours, even with a short stop for coffee and another for beer - you've got to stay hydrated after all. Meanwhile, if you're one of those cyclists who's got a bike worth more than our car, wears gear covered with sponsor logos even though none of the companies are paying you and generally fancy yourself the king of the road on your way to Tour de France glory in your head, then Bled to Ljubljana in an hour and a half should be your goal. Good luck champ!

Bled to Ljubljana by Electric Scooter

With a top speed (legally in Slovenia) of 25km per hour, one of these bad boys would be able to whisk you from the calm shores of Lake Bled to the centre of Ljubljana in just about two hours flat. Unfortunately they've also only got an average range of some 20-25km, so you're going to have to stop at least twice along the way to avoid the risk of running out of juice and getting stranded. If electric scooter is your chosen method of transport, we recommend a route via Kropa, which has been famed for centuries for its wrought iron production. Of course finding a place to recharge there might pose a challenge, but you're resourceful, so we're sure you'll figure it out. With that sorted, and some handmade wrought iron souvenirs securely packed away in your bag, your next stop is the lovely little medieval town of Škofja Loka, where you can get an ice cream on the main square and take a quick tour of the old town centre while your electric steed recharges. From there it's an idyllic ride the rest of the way into town through fields, villages and other rural scenery, until the big city sneaks right up on you.

Horseback Riding from Bled to Ljubljana

While there aren't any fixed schedule tours from Bled to Ljubljana by horseback, there are some stables in both the vicinity of Bled and Ljubljana, so if you get in contact with them with your request, they might be able to help you out.

Bled to Ljubljana by Camel

Okay, now this is just getting absurd, and we should probably stop. Everyone who's ever been on a camel before knows that they are even slower than walking. Also, camels aren't actually native to Slovenia, and from the reports we've read it's going to be another 15-20 years at least before global climate change turns Slovenia into a desert suitable for these most ridiculous of God's creations to populate the once lush green lands of Slovenia. However, if you found this page by searching for camel rides between Bled and Ljubljana, we would love to hear from you, seriously, email us at ljubljana@inyourpocket.com, and we'll see what we can do to help you out. In this day and age anything is possible.

Bled