Lake Bled to Venice

Itinerary

Day 1: ARRIVAL at Lake Bled 4* hotel
Its distinctive island church and clifftop castle, all backed by the beautiful Karavanke Mountains, has made Bled one of Slovenia’s most popular tourist attractions. Spend your first day strolling around the western side of the lake for some of the best views and photographs, and take a short hike up to Ojstrica (20 min) or Mala Osojnica (40 min) for the perfect view down onto the lake. Round off your evening with Bled's culinary delight, Kremšnita (cream slice).

Day 2: BLED – BOHINJSKA BISTRICA
27 km / 43 km with side trip; 4* hotel
A short car transfer takes you to Pokljuka, a forested high plateau from which you'll cycle through lovely alpine villages to Lake Bohinj, the pride of the Triglav National Park. Framed by the Julian Alps, Bohinj is the largest and deepest lake in the national park. Get there early enough and you can take a 20-minute hike up to Savica Waterfall, the source of the lake and the Sava Bohinjka River.

Day 3: BOHINJ – TOLMIN
56 km; or 35 km if taking train to Podbrdo; 3* guesthouse
Today's cycling trip will take you over the Sorica Pass over the Julian Alps, or you can take a short train ride through the Bohinj tunnel to Podbrdo. Then you peddle off through a narrow valley and join the beautiful emerald-green Soča River as it rushes out of the mountains and into the western side of the Julian Alps. Arrive early enough and you can head out to the stunning Tolmin Gorge, with breathtaking scenes such as Bear's Head; a natural bridge created by a giant boulder that fell and got wedged in a narrow part of the gorge.

Day 4: TOLMIN – ŠMARTNO / DOBROVO
34 km / 46 km without lift up; 3* family hotel with a view
You'll begin on the Kolovrat Ridge - the best viewpoint high above the Soča Valley and forming the border between alpine Slovenia and Italy. Be sure to visit Mrs. Josephine, who runs an old-fashioned pub in the first village you come to. The ridge is about 7km long and lies at an elevation between 800 m and 1150 m. After you descend you'll reach your day's destination - Šmartno v Goriških Brdih, a beautifully restored medieval village of narrow streets with Mediterranean houses. Rest your legs here and sip cool white wine in another authentic village pub.

Day 5: ŠMARTNO - GRADO 67 km; 3* hotel.
After leaving the Brda wine region you'll reach "Southern Berlin". The town of Gorizia was once the dividing point between Italy and Yugoslavia. While here, visit the very interesting Curtain museum. Further along the border you'll come to the smallest military museum in the world, a historic Yugoslav border outpost, and the ancient Kostanjevica Monastery, burial place of the last French King. Turning south and entering Italy, you'll soon reach the Adriatic Sea. You will spend the afternoon in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, passing by rivers, canals and ancient Roman towns. Your destination will be Aquileia, with its Roman excavations, or Grado, a lively historic resort town on a lagoon island.

Day 6: GRADO - PORTOGRUARO
87 km or 59 km if shortened by train ride; 3* hotel.
This morning you will head back inland a bit, leaving the sea behind you. You will pass through a multitude of “Valli da Pesca” (stretches of lagoon enclosed by earthen dykes where extensive fish farming is practised) and “casoni” (constructions used by fishermen in the past during the fishing season). Your destination is the town of Portogruaro, one of the main centres in the period of the “Serenissima Republic of Venice”, which is still impressive even today with its glorious “Palazzi” or “palaces”.

Day 7: PORTOGRUARO – LIDO DI JESOLO / JESOLO
67 km; 3* resort hotel.
From Portogruaro you can look forward to a wonderful easy cycle westwards along the beautiful beaches of the Adriatic coast. There are numerous opportunities to relax and swim so be sure to pack your swim gear. You will stay overnight in one of the two towns along this famous coastline, depending on availability. Jesolo is a gateway to Venice, from here you can easily travel to the airport or old town on the lagoon.

Day 8: DEPARTURE FROM LIDO DI JESOLO / JESOLO. After breakfast, your tour ends. However, you can prolong your stay or continue your trip by visiting ancient Serrenissima - Venice.

Price

Price per person in a double room sharing:
Low season: March 20 to May 8 and September 18 to October 12, 2021: 760 EUR
High season: May 9 to September 17, 2021: 825 EUR No departures in August
(Currency converter)

Price includes:
•    accommodation in hotels 3*/4* and country guesthouse in a two-bed room with WC and shower, on a bed & breakfast basis
•    luggage transfer
•    transfers on days two and four
•    luggage transfer – one piece, max 20 kg / 45 lb
•    information pack including text road notes (in plain English) and corresponding maps
•    GPS data
•    local tourist and other taxes in Slovenia
•    personal welcome meeting, detailed briefing and bike fitting upon arrival
•    telephone assistance during the trip

Optional extras:
•    single room 185 EUR
•    bike rental 90 EUR classic touring / trekking bikes are equipped with 21 gears. One back, side pannier per bike. One cycling odometer, one lock, one spare inner tube, one set of Allen keys and a basic puncture repair kit per couple / pair of bikes. Every additional day: 15 EUR per bike. Additional odometer 20 EUR, payable on the spot. Bike rental period starts at 9:00 on day two of the tour and ends at 18:00 on day seven. Electric bike not available
•    helmet rental 12 EUR per week
•    transfers: Ljubljana Airport to Bled, Ljubljana City to Bled - please ask us for a favorable quote. Please inquire about transfer from Jesolo to Venice City, Venice Mestre and Venice Airport.

Additional nights:
•   3* hotel in Bled 65 EUR per person per night in standard double room, BB. Single room 120 EUR
•   4* hotel in Bled 85 EUR per person per night in standard double room, BB. Single room 140 EUR
•   4* Hotel in Bohinj 65 EUR per person per night, in a standard double room, BB. Single room 80 EUR
•   4* Hotel in Brda / Colli 65 EUR per person per night, in a standard double room, BB. Single room 105 EUR
•   4* hotel in Lido di Jessolo at request

Discounts:
•   third adult in the room -10% on basic price

Not included: tourist and other local taxes in Italy. Optional train ticket to Podbrdo on day three if you would like to shorten the trip.

Travel options

Starting point of this trip is Bled in NW Slovenia.
Getting there...
By plane: closest airport is Ljubljana (LJU). Several airlines serve it, check connections. From the airport you can travel to Bled by bus (change once, takes about two hours) or book our transfer (faster - 20 min) - please ask us for a favorable quote!
By bus: Flixbus buses stop in Bled.
By train: Bled has two railway stations: Lesce Bled station on the Villach - Ljubljana mainline, four km away from town center; you'll need to take a bus. The other is station Bled Jezero on the Jesenice - Nova Gorica sideline only a few trains a day. Two km away from town center; we'll give you a lift.
By car: take exit Lesce on the A1 motorway Ljubljana - Jesenice, Karavanke.

.... and away
By plane: Venice Marco Polo airport (VCE) or Treviso (TSF). Several airlines serve them. Please ask about our transfer services from your last hotel to the airports!
By train: Venice has two railway stations: Santa Lucia on the lagoon and Venice Mestre on the mainland. Please note not all international trains go to the station on the lagoon!

Video

Your bike