In recent years, Slovenia has become a nation of cyclists. Of course, the success of Slovenia’s cyclists, particularly Tadej Pogačar, has certainly contributed to this. Those of you who are fans of cycling will no doubt have watched the recent Tour de France and seen Pogačar win for the fifth time — a simply stunning Slovenian success story.

Following in Pogačar’s footsteps, or rather wheels, on Sunday we decided to try out the newly-opened Bled–Bohinj cycle route. It took years of waiting patiently for the cycle path to be finished – the project began in 2022 – but in the end it was worth the wait.

The route officially starts from Bled, however, we started from home, i.e. Radovljica/Lesce, where there is a bike lane on the main road leading to the traffic lights at the main junction between Lesce and Bled. Radovljica has a good network of cycle paths for road bikes and mountain bikes: https://www.radolca.si/en/activities-and-experiences/cycling/network-of-cycling-paths. From the junction, there is a bike path parallel to the main road. It crosses the road leading to the Šobec Camp, passes River Camping Bled before leading down to cross the Sava River, before climbing towards Bled.

Because cycling around Lake Bled isn’t permitted, and cycling on the main road through the town isn’t pleasant due to the heavy traffic, the cycle route makes a detour around Bled towards Bled railway station, above Lake Bled.

Thereafter, there is a short section on the main road before reaching the village of Bohinjska Bela. At the time of writing (11th August 2026), there is a detour in place between Bohinjska Bela and the hamlet of Obrne, which means having to cycle on the road. I’d recommend waiting until the road reopens, especially if you have children, as this section is quite long and, during the peak summer season, there is a constant stream of traffic.

Once back onto the cycle path the real enjoyment begins; think stunning views of the turquoise river, lush forests, hills and mountains, and all entirely traffic-free.

We stopped at the sign for the Grmečica waterfall. However, like many of Slovenia’s watercourses, it has dried up. Of course, Slovenia isn’t alone in this; worringly, drought conditions are present in many parts of Europe. In addition, the country’s firefighters and armed forces have been battling four forest fires recently, so please, please, take care and be aware of the ever-present danger and, of course, heed the warnings of not lighting fires outdoors and saving water.

The route is well signposted throughout. The route from Bled to Bohinjska Bistrica follows red signposts, thereafter local Bohinj signs show the route.

Importantly, there are also a few stopping areas with portaloos and benches.

On reaching Bohinjska Bistrica, at the time of writing there is a short diversion in place, but on quiet roads so it’s not a problem. You rejoin the path at the Danica Camp, from where the path leads through Brod and on to Lake Bohinj; note that this section has a few ups and downs requiring low gears but nothing too extreme.

The reward comes in the magnificent view of crystal-clear Lake Bohinj and the surrounding Julian Alps.

The entire route from Bled via Bohinjska Bistrica to Lake Bohinj is cca. 28 kilomtres. For those of you who might not want to cycle the entire route there and back, there is an option to take the train to, or from, Bohinjska Bistrica, meaning you only have to cycle one-way, plus the addition cca. 8 kilometres to/from Lake Bohinj.

Have you tried out the new cycle route yet? If not, let me know your impressions when you do!

© Adele in Slovenia