Ljubljana

Getting From Ljubljana to Bled

more than a year ago
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 Ljubljana to Bled' or vice versa. On the one hand this makes perfect sense, because Ljubljana and Bled 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 Ljubljana to Bled 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!
Flying from Ljubljana to Bled - Ljubljana Airport
While it's not possible to fly from Ljubljana to Bled, you can take other transport and stop at the airport along the way © Ljubljana Airport

Ljubljana to Bled Flights

While it's clearly not possible to fly from Ljubljana to Bled, 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 Ljubljana 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 Bled. 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 Ljubljana and Bled.
Train from Ljubljana to Bled © CC Ines Zgonc
Be careful, trains like this are notorious for being the scenes of whodunit murder mysteries © CC / Ines Zgonc

Ljubljana to Bled Train

Yes, there's no more romantic form of public transport than the railway, which makes it a fine choice to go from Ljubljana to Bled. 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 from 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 get nearly 20 trains per day from Ljubljana.
Bus from Ljubljana to Bled - Ljubljana Main Bus Station
Nope, you're not mistaken, that really is the capital city's main bus station © www.ap-ljubljana.si

Ljubljana to Bled Bus

Although buses lack the romance of trains, they are by far the most frequent mode of public transport between Ljubljana and Bled, 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 dropping you in the centre of Bled town, rather than at one of Bled's two remote train stations, but do take around an hour and 15 minutes to make the journey. So don't be discouraged by the ramshackle prefabricated building that serves as Ljubljana's main bus station if convenience and price are your two main concerns.

Ljubljana to Bled Shuttle

While not as plentiful as shuttle services from Ljubljana to the airport, there are still quite a few companies offering Ljubljana to Bled 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 Bled will almost surely be a cheaper option per person, as well as more convenient.
Shuttle from Ljubljana to Bled - GoOpti
A shuttle from Ljubljana to Bled © GoOpti 

Ljubljana to Bled Taxi

Taking a taxi from Ljubljana to Bled 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 Bled.

Ljubljana to Bled 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, rides to Bled and Bohinj are often available, and it would also be possible to get one going to Jesenice and asked to be dropped off at the Bled exit on the motorway. 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 Ljubljana to Bled © CC Mravlja Matjaz.jpg
They look like they're having fun, and that's really what hitchhiking from Ljubljana to Bled is all about © CC/Mravlja Matjaz

Hitchhiking from Ljubljana to Bled

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 here 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.
Cycle from Ljubljana to Bled © CC Doremo
If you decide to walk from Ljubljana to Bled, those 53km will just fly by when you've got picturesque views like this! © CC/Doremo

Walking from Ljubljana to Bled

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 take you through the suburb of Medvode just outside Ljubljana, where the waters of the Sora river flow into the mighty Sava and the locals insist that they're from the Alpine region rather than Ljubljana proper or Central Slovenia.

The next 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 Bled, 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, the rest of the journey will reward you with some breathtaking views while you pass villages like Podnart, Kamna Gorica and Radovljica, before reaching Lesce and victoriously staggering into Bled in a state of partial delirium and adrenaline fuelled euphoria.
Cycling from Ljubljana to Bled © Pixabay
Cycling from Ljubljana to Bled along the very scenic route © Pixabay

Cycling from Ljubljana to Bled

Getting to Bled from 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 Bled 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 Ljubljana to Bled in an hour and a half should be your goal. Good luck champ!
Getting from Ljubljana to Bled by Horse © www.sloveniahorseriding.com
One of these two animals are really enjoying themselves, but we're not going to tell you which one © www.sloveniahorseriding.com

Ljubljana to Bled 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 centre of Ljubljana to the calm shores of Lake Bled 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 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. Then head onwards to 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.

Horseback Riding from Ljubljana to Bled

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

Ljubljana to Bled 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 Ljubljana and Bled, 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.

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