We begin the route from the beautiful Lake Bled, walking around it counterclockwise. Our first stop is at the parish church of St. Martin, from where we start to gain a bit of elevation toward Bled Castle. But before reaching it, we pause at the lake viewpoint, which offers a spectacular panoramic view.
From there, we descend through fields and forests until we reach Podhom, where we take the detour toward the famous Vintgar Gorge. As we cross the first bridge over the Radovna River, we can already sense we’re entering an impressive natural setting. This river flows through Vintgar Gorge — a 1.6 km canyon with wooden walkways, rapids, natural pools, and the Šum Waterfall. It’s all located within Triglav National Park, in the Julian Alps. The gorge is open from April to November and closes during winter for safety reasons.
However, in our case — and possibly yours — we faced the reality of mass tourism. We tried to buy tickets for the walkways but found they were already sold out. (Tip: check the official website and book in advance outside of peak season — it’s truly worth it!)
Instead, we chose to follow one of the return trails used by visitors who do access the walkways. There are several circular routes on either side of the gorge. We took the trail on the left, keeping the Radovna River on our right, which allowed us to reach the end of the walkway section and see the Šum Waterfall — the only one you can access for free.
From there, we continued along the marked return paths, passing by the church of St. Katherine and descending through fields and forests via Zasip until we reached Lake Bled again. We took the opportunity to grab a bite by the lake and finished the day with a full loop around it, enjoying the views of the island and the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with the castle in the background.
A beautiful, complete, and highly recommended route through Bled and the Vintgar Gorge.
Video
Map
Max elevation: 676 m
Total climbing: 649 m
Total time: 06:14:53
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