You’re visiting Bled for the first time and you’re not quite sure how to organise your trip. By now you know which attractions you’d like to see. But how are you going to get there? How will you find your way around town? What are the best places for a backpacker to eat and drink? Here are some tips which will hopefully answer these questions, and help make your visit as awesome as possible. For starters you should know that you’ll need a minimum of 2 days to see the main sights and a budget of +20 EUR per night for accommodation.
- How to drink on the cheap
If you can’t afford to drink in bars you can always buy some booze at the grocery store. Your best bet is one of the three Mercator stores spread across town. Note though that public drinking is prohibited so you shouldn’t drink on popular spots by the lake, no matter how tempting they may seem. A much better option is to go somewhere a bit further away from the main areas where you won’t be disturbed. Just make sure you clean up after yourself and keep the beautiful nature that brought you there intact.
- Where to find cheap eats
There are a few places that serve fast food, where you can grab a burger, a pizza or something similar for around 3.50 EUR per portion. Be careful though when visiting restaurants, as they are mostly aimed at a more posh hotel crowd, and can be quite pricy. A good rule of thumb is, the closer to the lake or to the main square, the higher the cost. It’s therefore best to take time and look for places further away from the main attractions. Another cheap option is to grab some food at one of the local grocery stores.
- Getting around town
Bled itself is very small so you can easily get around on foot. There are however some attractions, such as the Vintgar gorge, that are too far away to reach without transfer, so you’ll need to order a taxi or a shuttle. You can also make reservations to visit these attractions at the bus stop Bled and get your transfer included in the package.
- How to get there
One option is to take a train from Ljubljana to Lesce-Bled, then take a bus to either Bled Union station or Bled main station. They are 5 minutes walking distance apart so either one will be fine. If you’re on a really tight budget though you may prefer to get of at Bled Union, since that will save you some money (first is 1,30 and the second 1,80 EUR per person). The train from Ljubljana will cost you somewhere around 3 to 5 EUR per person, depending on your age (youngsters of 26 or less get a discount). Be careful though with taxis, as they tend to charge more to unsuspecting tourists. If you’d like to get to Bled directly you can do so by renting a shuttle, but that will cost you more than the first option. You can also get to Bled from Jesenice via train heading towards Nova Gorica and Koper.
- Accommodation
Bled is usually fully booked during high season, especially the more budget friendly places, so you should make your reservations as soon as possible (at least 6 months in advance). If not there’s a good chance you’ll be left with super cheap and awful places or highly overpriced hotels as your only options.