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There are some things in life worth waking up for by alarm at 4 am. Catching the sunrise at Lake Bled is one of them. Since we were staying in Bohinj, a 45 minute drive from Bled, we had to get up extra early to see the rising sun!
Getting Situated for Sunrise at Lake Bled
Depending upon what view you want will determine which side of the lake you should situate yourself for the break of dawn.
We wanted the island with the Church of the Assumption in the foreground with Bled Castle off to the side in background. This would allow for us to be facing into the sun as it rose from behind the Julian Alps.
The opposite, more developed, side of the lake allows you to capture the rays of sun brilliantly reflecting on the island and its church as the sun comes up from behind. Since we only wanted to get up at 4 am once during our time in Bohinj, we parked our car near Camping Bled and situated ourselves on the southwest side of the lake. It was hard to know exactly where the sun was going to come up, so we got set up and hoped for the best!
When we left our accommodation in Bohinj, it was still pitch black outside. By the time we got parked, got situated, and got the camera and tri-pod ready to go at Lake Bled, the sky was starting to glow with vibrant pink and golden hues.
Before long, the sun made its appearance by peeking up and over the Julian Alps.
Here Comes the Sun…
It was impossible to not want to take a thousand pictures as the tranquil scene unfolded. It was just us, our camera, and the sunrise. We were quite amazed that hardly anyone else was around during this glorious time of day. Obviously they didn’t know what they were missing! (And maybe it was just too dang early!)
The rising sun illuminated the boardwalk where we sat and enjoyed our breakfast, as the camera shutter clicked away.
A curious duck came over to say hello and inspect what we were doing. We couldn’t help but give the little quacker a piece of our croissant.
It’s Still Early… Now What?!
Once the sun cleared the mountain peaks, the sky became washed out with the morning dew hanging in the air. We figured it was time to make our way to Vintgar Gorge, just over 3 miles (5.4 km) away. We had read that arriving early was a great way to avoid the crowds of people who would inevitably show up later in the day.
We know everyone values their sleep, but we can’t recommend enough that you get an early start to your day in Bled! Enjoy the peaceful sunrise, then have the nearby gorge all to yourself! Following our visit to Vintgar Gorge, we came back to Lake Bled and rented a row boat for an hour to experience the lake in a whole new manner!
Have you been to Lake Bled? What was your favorite way to experience the lake?
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