So I’m stirring up some controversy in this post as I know many of you out there will argue that Lake Bled is the most beautiful lake in Slovenia.
But I think Lake Bohinj is the most beautiful lake in Slovenia.
I’ll admit that Lake Bled is gorgeous — the color of the water, the castle up on the cliff, the church on the little island in the lake.
It’a all very fairytale-esque.
And that fairytale comes with a price: hoards of people, cars and motor coaches.
It almost has a Cancun / French Riviera vibe going on as well as quite a few wealthy folks coming in to build mansions.
Lake Bohinj doesn’t have all this.
What does it have?
A view of Lake Bohinj and the mountains. Gorgeous!
Triglav National Park
Lake Bohinj is in Triglav National Park — Slovenia’s one and only national park.
As a result, no motorized watercraft are allowed on the lake — only kayaks, canoes, SUP’s, sailboards and the Bohinj ferry which is actually an electric boat.
This lake is pretty much surrounded by the mountains of Triglav so it has a more natural and rustic feel to it.
The lake is so clear you can see the fish swimming in it.
For me, I’d rather go to a natural / national park than an amusement park.
And Bled feels a bit more like an amusement park in places.
Lake Bohinj feels more like being in a national park — because you are!
The peaks of Triglav National Park that surround the lake.
A beautiful flower near Lake Bohinj.
The lake, the mountains and not much development. This is what makes Bohinj so beautiful.
Lots of trails
If you are a hiker or even a fit walker, then head to Lake Bohinj.
While there is a trail around Lake Bled and other trails you can take that lead up to some viewpoints from this main trail, there isn’t a trail system like what you’ll find in the Bohinj area.
Again, this is because Lake Bohinj lies in Triglav National Park.
There is a trail all the way around Bohinj.
However, there’s only a road on the south side of the lake.
And there are lots of trails you can take to viewpoints, gorges and waterfalls.
For those of you who want to really get up in the mountains you can tackle some tougher alpine trails and even do hut-to-hut hikes.
There’s a paved bike path as well that leads from the lake into the gorgeous valley to the East.
The Lake Bohinj area has a trail to fit every fitness and comfort level.
One of the trails in the Lake Bohinj area.
Trail to Lake Bohinj from Stara Fuzina.
Little villages with a low key vibe
There are several villages in the Bohinj district to choose from for your stay.
Bohinjska Bistrica is the main town to the East of the lake. It lies outside Triglav National Park.
Ribcev Laz (where the tourist center is), Stara Fuzina (my favorite), Ukanc (the west end of the lake), Studor v Bohinju and Srednja Vas v Bohinju are all villages that make a great base for exploring the lake.
Ribcev Laz, Stara Fuzina and Ukanc are all pretty much right on the lake.
And each village has a chilled out vibe to it — although Ribcev Laz has a bit more energy to it.
But I guess what I’m trying to convey is that the Lake Bohinj villages have a more laid back atmosphere compared to Bled which seems to have more kitschy shops and more traffic.
You just don’t get this at Bohinj.
The valley to the East of Lake Bohinj is dotted with little villages.
I love this person’s garden in Stara Fuzina, one of the villages of Bohinj. The gnomes!!
Incredibly proud locals
The locals love Lake Bohinj.
And they will tell you that Bohinj is better, more beautiful and more special than Lake Bled.
The people here really love their home and love to share it with travelers.
They will offer up some fabulous tips on what trails to take, what to do and let you know if there are some special events going on in the area.
I found the locals to also be very protective of Lake Bohinj.
It’s important to them to keep it clean and pristine.
They’re really welcoming and very helpful!
One of the locals — okay…a goat. But look how proud he is that he got his head through the fence. Not sure he got it back out…
The great outdoors
Ultimately Lake Bohinj is about nature — the great outdoors.
It’s about Triglav National Park, the trees, the mountains and a lake that is truly natural.
This is why Lake Bohinj is more beautiful — at least for me and many others — than Bled.
Yes, Lake Bled is this amazing color of green/turquoise.
But Bled doesn’t have the pure natural landscape of Bohinj.
And for me, that setting in nature — in Triglav National Park where it can be so protected — makes it more beautiful than Bled.
Valley and mountains near Lake Bohinj. So beautiful!
Lake Bohinj and the mountains of Triglav National Park. Stunning!
What do you think?
If you’ve been to Lake Bohinj and Lake Bled, I’d love to hear your thoughts on which one you prefer and why.
While I do think Bled is gorgeous, Bohinj is just more so.
Perhaps it just fits my “style” more.
What about you?
I think I should really go to Slovenia soon!!!!!! Thank you for sharing all these tips and I love the way you take landscape photos, and the way you keep them real, without too much heavy editing.
I really appreciate the comment, Olivia. I’m actually a trained commercial photographer and have always been a bit of a purist for nature photos. If I’m going to heavily edit something, it’s because I want to do something totally artistic with the image and you’ll know it was edited!!! And yes, do go to Slovenia. It’s beautiful!
Such beautiful photos and informative! Adding to my bucket list of places to go!
Thanks, Sam!
I haven’t seen Lake Bled yet, but this one looks like it could be competition. I especially like that it is lesser known. I guess I’ll have to check them both out and see for myself!
I would say Bohinj is lesser know with most folks but it’s well known among the Slovenians. Do see both. But I’d spend more time at Bohinj!
Slovenia is on my travel bucket list! Thanks for your guide!
I’ve spent tons of time traveling around Slovenia and the whole country is just so picturesque! It’s definitely a beautiful place to visit and should be on every traveller’s bucket list! Great post and thanks for sharing!
This was my first visit to Slovenia, Marisa. I did Ljublana, the Soca Valley and then Bohinj. I’ll return to Slovenia to dig deeper. It’s such a beautiful country filled with kind people.
I didn’t have time to visit Lake Bohinj while I was in Slovenia but would love to on a return visit. I did drive through Triglav park and it really is gorgeous. After visiting Lake Bled I kind of wish I had chosen Lake Bohinj because I just wan’t all that impressed by Lake Bled. It felt like somewhere you go and just look at it and leave. It looks like there are a lot more activities at Lake Bohinj.
Exactly. Although there are some walks around Bled and up to some viewpoints as I took a short (but steep) walk up to a nice viewpoint. But then I was done. I was happy I chose to stay 5 days in Stara Fuzina along Lake Bohinj. I just scratched the surface of all there is to do.
Wow! Who knew that Slovenia was this beautiful. Thanks for the highlighting it and providing useful information 🙂
You’re welcome. Slovenia is stunning!
I LOVE that photo of the cows with the mountains in the background. So beautiful! Lake Bled has been on my list forever, but this looks a lot less developed which probably gives it a nicer “vibe”. Slovenia is almost top of my Europe bucket list now (behind Norway!) so I’m hoping to get there soon-ish, and I’ll have to look into this place!
Do put Lake Bohinj on your list. And do see Bled…just don’t spend a lot of time there. The Bohinj area is much more laid back. And Slovenia is over the top gorgeous!
This truly looks like something taken from a movie, kind of like Sound of Music. Simply breathtaking!
To visit a nature like this, pure and clean, that is a dream 🙂
Yes, Ann, it is pretty dreamy. I hope you visit because I think you would like it.
I’m planning a trip to Slovenia this summer. The obvious place is Lake Bled and I’d never actually heard of Lake Bohninj. This has certainly given me some more food for thought on places to add to my itinerary. The photos are abosolutley stunning, so I can only imagine what it looks like in real life. Really looking forward to adding Lake Bohninji to my itinerary 🙂
Oh, Bled will be so busy in summer and amusement park like. Which might be fine if that’s your thing. Bohinj will be busy in summer, but it’s so much more laid back in general. More surrounded by nature. More places to get away from the crowds. Do go!!
Oh this looks lovely – beautiful photos! I’ll admit I’d only ever heard of Bled so it’s really good to learn that there are other similar spots in Slovenia too. Hiking away from the crowds sounds perfect!
Lake Bohinj is less busy — although July and August are busy but more with the Slovenians and not everyone else. June is great and I hear September and October are quite nice too!