Officially the most visited attraction in all of Slovenia, Lake Bled is seriously hyped. From wanton hyperbole in describing it the ‘prettiest’ lake in Europe, to being charged 15 euro to sit on a rowboat for ten minutes, lake Bled carries baggage. Yet, for all that, it is stunningly beautiful, very photogenic, and worthy of praise. For all that though, is it overrated?

LAKE BLED

**WHERE**: north-west Slovenia
**WHY**: Stunning beauty
**TIME**: 1 afternoon

Before I visited Lake Bled I’d heard it all. From friends and family who had visited, to relentless instagram posts, to incessant blog posts - mostly all touting how ‘special’ this one lake was.

‘How special could it possibly be,’ I thought, thinking of the gorgeous Alpine lakes I had seen in Corvara, the stunning natural beauty of Plitvice National Park in Croatia or the outstanding lakes of the Scottish Highlands. Yet, as we drove north through Croatia this morning, I felt my anticipation build. Everyone, just everyone, talks about this lake. It had to be special right?

After we’d parked the van, walked through the town of Bled, had something to eat, and eventually made our way to the lake, the sky had grown overcast, the clouds above seeming gloomy, as if ready to rain on our parade. Yet we waltzed down to the lake, blissfully content in the natural splendour that was about to befall our eyes. When we first saw the lake, I’ll admit, I was disappointed. What sat before me was a fairly unremarkable lake surrounded by fog, clouds and gaggles of tourists. Given that this was the low-season, I was shocked? How did such an average lake draw such tourists in the middle of winter?

Yet as we started to walk the circumference of the lake, the magic started. The sun came out from the clouds, bathing the lake in a gorgeous golden hue. The vast mountains behind the lake sprung into view, their reflections on the water mezmerizingly beautiful. The island in the middle, though horrifically blown-out by instagram was fairly spectacular. Around us, locals ran and jogged, obviously habituated to the scenery around them. the walk took us around two hours to complete, after scaling the trails up to Castle Bled, and spending some time on the northern edge of the lake watching the ducks float around. I was spellbound, the lake before me a true wondrous thing. Yet, surrounded as I was by people touting go-pro cameras, walking groups, and very, very overpriced food, I began to wonder; how would this be in summer?

Lake Bled experiences a colossal amount of visitors during the high season. During summer you’ll be likely to find tour buses, walking groups, sunbathers and some very, very crowded paths. The experience of this beautiful site amidst such crowded and horrible conditions would be thoroughly ruined. I found it crowded enough on a Sunday in mid-winter, and I would strongly encourage you to only go during the off-season.

Moreover, Lake Bled houses some of the more horrific tourist-traps in all of Europe. To visit the island in the centre will cost you 15 euro per person if going by rowboat, and then you’ll still have to pay to enter the church and partake in the horribly ‘groupthink’ activity of ringing that stupid bell in the tower for good-luck. How much good will can possibly be caused by one bell? Moreover, to enter the Bled Castle will cost 13 euro per person, a gouging I’m glad to say I skipped, as the views within can easily be replicated by merely taking the trail around the castle to several natural cliffs, offering up a similar vantage without the price.

My final review? Yes, Lake Bled is overrated. Hugely overrated. It is a pretty lake, a spellbindingly pretty lake even. Yet, despite that, it is just a lake. Outside of the hugely instagrammable island church, there is little to separate Lake Bled from many of the fantastic alpine lakes in Europe. Lake Bled is a thoroughly beautiful place, and one that is worth seeing. Ultimately though, if you are in Slovenia and you to had to choose between Bled and visiting a winery, or one of the smaller, less explored lakes in the country, maybe you should do some serious thinking. Ask: am I only coming here for instagram? If yes, then do some serious soul searching. There are heaps of other places you can visit close by such as Sofja Loka, The Three Castles Walk and the provinces to the south that are far more genuine, less touristy and more interesting to a visitor.

If visiting Slovenia in summer, skip Lake Bled entirely; it will be horrifically crowded and thoroughly unenjoyable. Be a responsible tourist: this place receives thousands of visitors a day during the summer, and the impacts of so many people visiting are unlikely to be positive for the wild-life that call this region home. I would also suggest that you only do Bled as a day trip from Ljubljana - the whole experience won’t take more than 3 hours and the rest of the town has little to keep you occupied. Do note that the cost of getting a bus to Lake Bled increases horrifically during the high-season, with some blogs having reported prices as high as 25 euro one way from Ljubljana. That, my freinds is a thorough rip off. Take my advice: go in winter. It will be prettier, less crowded and more photogenic. Take your photos, and then find something more genuine to do.

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