Background information on Lake Bled

Lake Bled is a beautiful glacial lake located in the Julian Alps in northwestern Slovenia, famous particularly for its bright emerald waters, its natural island in the middle of the lake (Bled Island) and a clifftop medieval castle (Bled Castle).

It measures up to 2.1 km (1.3 miles) in length, 1.3 km (0.8 miles) in width and up to 30 metres (98 feet) in depth, formed over thousands of years by melting glaciers.

Today, it is a well-known and world famous lake that is often featured in travel articles. Especially its cute island in the middle of the lake, with the Church of the Assumption and wishing bell.

The Mala Osojnica and Ojstrica hike

Lake Bled is surrounded by forested hills and steep cliffs. In particular, Mount Osojnica on the western side of the lake is where this hike climbs. This mountain gives some of the best views of Lake Bled, Bled Castle as well as Bled Island.

There are three main viewpoints on this mountain, specifically Mala Osojnica (Little Shady Hill), Velika Osojnica (Great Shady Hill) and Ojstrica (Sharp Peak). This hike in particular brings you to the viewpoints at Mala Osojnica and Ojstrica, although there is a detour along the way that will also take you to Velika Osojnica.

The hike is generally not difficult, although it does involve some steep climbs in certain parts. Occasionally there are also slippery surfaces especially after a rainfall. However, the views are very rewarding, and totally makes the hike worth it!

Planning considerations for the Mala Osojnica and Ojstrica hike

While you can begin the hike either at the Mala Osojnica or at the Ojstrica trailheads, I will explain the hike as per the way I did it – starting from the Mala Osojnica trailhead.

Getting to the Mala Osojnica trailhead

By foot

The trailhead is located at the southwest corner of Lake Bled, so it is possible to get there on foot if you are already in the main town of Bled. You can take a walk along the southern side of the lake before reaching the trailhead in about 30-40 minutes (about 2.5 km or 1.6 miles).

You can even incorporate a walk around the perimeter of the lake together with the Mala Osojnica and Ojstrica hike. The walk around the lake on its own will take around 2 hours with a total distance of 6 km (3.7 miles), so you should plan for at least half a day if doing so including the hike.

By car

If you prefer to drive to the west side of the lake, then the main consideration is where to park and how much that will cost.

Unfortunately, parking in the area is relatively expensive. There are 3 nearby parking options and as shown in the map earlier, they are Pristava, Velika Zaka and Parkplatz. More parking information – both locations and costs – can be found in the Bled website.

The cheapest option of the three is Parkplatz, but that is also the furthest. The most expensive is Velika Zaka. I made a huge mistake by parking at Pristava, because even though it wasn’t as expensive as at Velika Zaka, I still had to pay €24 for just over 3 hours (it is €6 per hour during peak season). It still costs quite a bit at Parkplatz though, so having known earlier, I would have just decided to walk.

By bus

If arriving from outside of Bled, you can search for Arriva buses that arrive at ‘Bled Mlino‘ before a taking a short walk to the trailheads.

By train

And in case you are arriving from the north such as Jesenice, you can also take a train to the Bled Jezero (Lake Bled) station in just 16 minutes. Then, take a 20-minute walk to the trailheads.

Time of the day

You can enjoy a lot more peace and quiet by doing the hike around sunrise, plus also you get some of the nicest lightings for your photos at the viewpoints.

During or just before sunsets are also beautiful for pictures, but expect to see lots more photography enthusiasts at this time.

Definitely avoid the mid days of summer, not only because of the heat, but also the crowds at the viewpoints.

The Mala Osojnica and Ojstrica hike

The Mala Osojnica and Ojstrica hike is very well marked by signs along the way so it is not easy to get lost. If you are following the direction described on this website, then you should follow the signs first for Mala Osojnica. Once you are at the Mala Osojnica viewpoint, you should then switch to following the directions to Ojstrica.

Whether you choose to start with Mala Osojnica or Ojstrica, the difficulty shouldn’t vary by too much. The route to Mala Osojnica is shorter but steeper, whereas the route to Ojstrica is longer but less steep.

To the first viewpoint (15 mins)

From the southwestern point of Lake Bled and specifically at the Mala Osojnica trailhead, follow the trail and signs accordingly. There are two possible places to start your hike and both routes will ultimately converge.

Large portions of the hike take place in a forested and sloped area. In a while you should pass by what looks like an abandoned building. Keep going and in 15 minutes or less, you should arrive at the first (unofficial) viewpoint.

I found this to be an extremely impressive viewpoint. It felt like a huge movie screen in front of me, with Bled Island right in my face. Once you’ve enjoyed this view (it’s hard to get enough of it), continue on your ascent.

Mala Osojnica viewpoint (15 mins)

The route continues on a zigzag up the slope for another 10 to 15 minutes before arriving at a long flight of metal stairs.

The metal stairs are certainly as steep as it looks. While climbing, I could hardly even look at what was above me. It is also best to cling on to the metal rails as it’d be a dangerous fall if you were to lose your footing.

After the flight of steps, you are yet again rewarded with another view – this time with a bench as well!

Then continue on for another 5 minutes, making sure to follow the signs closely, and you will arrive at the Mala Osojnica viewpoint!

To Ojstrica (20 minutes)

From the Mala Osojnica viewpoint, you can either retrace your steps back down to Lake Bled and complete the Mala Osojnica hike within an hour, or continue on to the Ojstrica viewpoint.

If you decide to continue, then leave the viewpoint from the opposite end from where you came from. The trail continues further in a forested area. There may be multiple forks that are not very well signposted but I found that they lead to the same general direction.

Possible add-on to Velika Osojnica

You will soon arrive at a T-junction – the right turn leads you downhill on to the Ojstrica viewpoint, while the left turn will lead you on to the Velika Osojnica viewpoint (756m / 2,480 ft). If you’d like to do a detour, hiking uphill to Velika Osojnica and back to this junction will add a further 30 minutes.

I decided not to do this add-on as I’ve read about how the views were not as great compared to the other two viewpoints, and I had a car that I had to return shortly that evening.

A short slippery climb

Continuing on from the T-junction, head downhill towards Osojnica for about 10 minutes. You will then see a rocky and stony hill to the left. You can also check a signpost at the foot of this hill to make sure that this is indeed leading up to the Ojstrica viewpoint.

By this time you should usually notice an increase in the number of people because the Ojstrica viewpoint is the easiest viewpoint to reach for most.

Do this short uphill climb for around 5 minutes or less. But do be careful because these rocks have very smooth surfaces. And especially after a rain, it gets very slippery. There were quite a number of people who were struggling with the slippery surfaces so keep your hands free and hold on to the metal cables.

At the end of this short climb is yet another highly rewarding view!

You are very likely to see more people at this viewpoint compared to that at the Mala Osojnica viewpoint earlier. Many people may be taking turns to take pictures at the edge and when I was there, a few were already waiting for the sunset.

I wasn’t going to wait till the sunset as it was summer (with a late sunset) and I had a car to return. But if you were doing the hike in the spring or autumn, waiting for the sunset is one you can consider. I believe the views will be incredible!

To Velika Zaka (20 minutes)

It’s not easy deciding when to leave the Ojstrica viewpoint. As the time was ticking towards sunset, the view looked somewhat different with every passing minute. There was always that urge of wanting to see more. But unfortunately I had to leave.

When that time comes for you, retrace your steps back down the rocky hill. Then continue on your downhill trail.

There will come a time when you see a split in the path. The left will lead you down to the Velika Zaka carpark and the Ojstrica viewpoint trailhead, while the right will lead you back to where we started from – the Mala Osojnica trailhead.

In case you are doing the walk around Lake Bled together with this Mala Osojnica and Ojstrica hike, I’d suggest to loop back to the same starting point and continue your walk round Lake Bled from there.

This is because the section between both trailheads is one of the best parts of the walk round Lake Bled. It features a boardwalk at the edge of the lake that brings you as close as you want to be with Bled Island and the lake. So don’t miss that!

What else you can plan with the Mala Osojnica and Ojstrica hike

Given that the Mala Osojnica and Ojstrica hike only takes around 1.5 to 2 hours, you can easily fit other activities in the same day. Especially those within the vicinity of Lake Bled listed below.

1. Walk around Lake Bled

As I briefly mentioned earlier, you can incorporate the Mala Osojnica and Ojstrica hike as an add-on to a walk around the lake. This will cover just over 8 km (5 miles) in total and take around 3-4 hours or so. This is great especially if you are already staying at Lake Bled and are at the main town centre. Doing this walk gives you all-round varying views of Lake Bled, Bled Island as well as Bled Castle.

2. Bled Castle

Bled Castle is Slovenia’s oldest fortress and is one of the icons at Lake Bled. Perched at the top of a cliff over Lake Bled, it forms part of the scenery that you’d have seen from the viewpoints of Mala Osojnica and Ojstrica.

You can spend a couple of hours climbing to the castle and exploring the museums and chapel, as well as enjoying the panoramic views of the lake.

Entry to the castle costs €19 and if you are staying in Bled for a minimum of 3 nights during the summer months, you can get a free Julian Alps Bled card which gives you a 10% discount.

3. Bled Island

You can’t really say that you’ve been to Lake Bled without having set foot on Bled Island. You can either get chauffeured in a pletna (wooden boat) or rent a rowboat and row yourself across to the island. There are a number of different options near the main town centre of Bled and also along the southern side of the lake. You can also rent a rowboat yourself near Velika Zaka where you start or end your hike.

While on Bled Island, you can climb the 99 steps from the shore and visit the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the church, you get to ring a wishing bell, which I’m sure you’ll hear a lot of during your hike. You can also climb the tower for a view of Bled Island from above.

Expect to spend around €18-€20 for the pletna or rowboat, and another €12 for the entry to the church.

4. Straza Bled

Straza Bled is an adventure hill on the south side of Lake Bled, offering a chairlift ride, a toboggan ride as well as a few walking trails during the summer months. If you are at Lake Bled during the summer months, the toboggan ride is definitely one of the best things you can do.

Expect to spend €15 for the toboggan ride (chairlift ride inclusive), with an incremental amount of €10 for each additional ride. If you have the Julian Alps Bled card, you get to do 3 toboggan rides for the price of 2.

5. Vintgar Gorge

Vintgar Gorge is an impressive canyon with emerald-green waters located a short distance away from Lake Bled. Through a 5.7 km (3.5 miles) trail, you get to experience walking through the gorge on boardwalks, enjoy the Sum Waterfall as well as the King Triglav walk.

I wouldn’t really recommend doing this on the same day as your Mala Osojnica and Ojstrica hike though, unless you are good with walking very long distances. And especially if you are also walking round the lake with the hike. This is because once you start on the Vintgar Gorge trail, there is no turning back. The route is strictly one-way only and you’ll have to finish the entire 5.7 km route once you start it. I’d suggest to plan a visit to Vintgar Gorge on a separate day from this hike.

What I did

I stayed 2 nights at Lake Bled during my first trip in August 2018. Sadly, that trip was plagued with heavy rain and thunderstorms. I did get a morning of sun on the first day when I took the pletna ride to Bled Island and rang the wishing bell. Then I went to Straza Bled and managed to get a chairlift up before the toboggan was suspended due to impending rain. I was sent back down by the chairlift with no refund for my toboggan ride (which to be fair they did warn me about).

Heavy rain poured while I was walking round the lake. I did a small bit of the Mala Osojnica hike to the very first (unofficial) viewpoint but abandoned it due to extremely muddy and slippery conditions. Then I left Lake Bled early the next day for Ljubljana because the rain kept pouring.

I came back with a vengeance in August 2026 and stayed 5 nights at Lake Bled. Although to be fair only 2 days were spent at Lake Bled (the other days were spent at Lake Bohinj and Soca River). I did Bled Castle and Vintgar Gorge on the first, and then the Mala Osojnica and Ojstrica hike plus Straza Bled on the second.