Lake Bled to Lake Bohinj: Bus, Train, Bike or Walk

Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj sit 26 kilometres apart in the same corner of the Julian Alps in Slovenia, and they could hardly be less alike. Bled is the postcard — the island church, the castle on its cliff, the coach parties. Bohinj is bigger, quieter and wilder, sitting inside Triglav National Park with mountains dropping straight into the water.

Almost everyone who visits one wants to see the other, and there are four ways to make the trip. Here’s how each one works, what it costs and how long it takes.

Lake Bled to Lake Bohinj at a Glance

How	Time	Cost	Best For
Bus	35–40 min	€3–4	Almost everyone. Direct, frequent in summer, drops you at the lakeside. Carry cash.
Train + bus	20 min + connection	€3–5	Train lovers or walkers. Train goes to Bohinjska Bistrica. To reach the lake, connect for bus or walk.
Bike	2–3 hrs	From ~€15/day	A good half-day. Quiet roads and cycle path most of the way.
On foot	3 days	Accommodation + food	Making the journey the holiday itself.

Getting from Lake Bled to Lake Bohinj by Bus

The bus is how most people do it. Arriva runs the route from Bled bus station, and the journey takes around 35 to 40 minutes.

There are two stops worth knowing at the Bohinj end. Ribčev Laz is the eastern end of the lake — the stone bridge, the church of St John the Baptist, the tourist office, and the start of most of the walking. Bohinjsko Jezero / Ukanc is the far western end, closer to the Vogel cable car and the Savica waterfall. Ribčev Laz is the one you want unless you’re heading straight up to Vogel.

• Journey time: 35–40 minutes
• Fare: Roughly €3–4 one way
• Frequency: Hourly or better in July and August; far thinner out of season, with multi-hour gaps.
• Tickets: From the driver, at Bled bus station, or online through Arriva.
• Take cash. Buses in this part of Slovenia are cash-only in our experience, and card payment on board isn’t something to rely on. There’s no ticket machine at most stops either — you pay the driver as you board.

By Train: the Bohinj Railway

There is a train, and it’s a lovely one. The historic Bohinj Railway, which runs from Bled Jezero station through to Bohinjska Bistrica in about 20 minutes.

The catch is geography. The train doesn’t go to Lake Bohinj. It stops at Bohinjska Bistrica, roughly 6 kilometres short of the lake, so you’ll need a bus, a bike or about an hour on foot to finish the journey. Worth noting too that Bled Jezero isn’t Bled’s main station — it’s the small one on the western side of the lake, a walk from the town centre.

It’s still worth doing if you like trains, or if you’re staying in Bohinjska Bistrica rather than at the lake itself.

• Journey time: About 20 minutes to Bohinjska Bistrica
• Bikes: Carried for €1.50, or €3.00 for e-bikes
• Julian Alps: Bohinj Card: If you’re staying two or more nights at a partner property, train travel is included free.

Cycling from Bled to Bohinj

Cycling between the lakes is a popular half-day. It’s roughly 26 to 30 kilometres depending on the route, and takes two to three hours at a relaxed pace on a mix of cycle path and quiet road.

Several places in Bled rent bikes, and some will arrange a one-way drop-off so you don’t have to ride back. If you’d rather not ride the whole way, you can put the bike on the train to Bohinjska Bistrica and cycle the last stretch to the lake.

Walking It: The 3-Day Juliana Trail Route

The most rewarding way to make the journey is to walk. Stages 5, 6 and 7 of the Juliana Trail connect the two lakes over roughly 54 kilometres — climbing out of Bled through the Pokljuška Soteska Gorge, across the Pokljuka plateau, then down through alpine villages to Bohinj and out to Bohinjska Bistrica. Three days, with a bed at the end of each one.

We walked it in September and you can read our full guide to hiking the Juliana Trail for the stage-by-stage detail, where to stay each night and why we ended up walking the whole thing backwards. It was a beautiful Alpine hike and the highlight of our trip to Slovenia.

Can You Visit Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj in One Day?

Yes, and plenty of people do. With a 35-minute bus each way you can be at Bohinj by mid-morning, walk a stretch of the lakeside path, swim, take the Vogel cable car up for the view, and be back in Bled for dinner.

Whether you should is another question. Bohinj rewards slowness. It’s the quieter, wilder lake, and a day trip means seeing it in its busiest few hours. If you can spare a night, stay. If you’ve got three days, walking between them beats seeing both in one.

We loved our stay at Lake Bohinj at the beautiful Hotel Majerca. It was the best stay of our 2-week trip because the hotel was so comfy, the Michellin-award restaurant was delicious and the mountain views are next level.

Bled or Bohinj: Which Should you Stay At?

	Lake Bled	Lake Bohinj
Feel	Beautiful, fairytale-esque, busy, a little resort-like	Quiet, wild, inside a national park
Good for	A first visit, a short trip, easy connections	Swimming, walking, mountains, staying put
Getting there	Direct buses from Ljubljana and the airport	Change at Bled, or the Bohinj Railway
Food and shops	Plenty of choice	Limited — plan ahead
Crowds	Significant in summer	Noticeably fewer, though Ribčev Laz gets busy

If you’ve only got one night, stay in Bled. We’d recommend the quaint and traditional Penzion Kaps. The transport links to Bled make everything else easier. If you’ve got three or more, split them across Bohinj and Bled for the best experience.

Planning Your Slovenia Trip

• Hiking between the lakes? Our full Juliana Trail guide covers stages 5–7 in detail.
• Staying at Bled? Here’s our Lake Bled guide.
• Building an itinerary? Read our week in Slovenia.
• Need a beach afterwards? Piran is the perfect Slovenian beach destination.