Lake Bohinj Slovenia – Photos + Video + Things to do

Despite being close to the famous Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj Slovenia has remained wilder and less touristy. It is a beautiful gem surrounded by the mountains of the Triglav National Park. It is such a peaceful place! If you love Nature, don't miss a detour to the Bohinj Lake. So here is my Guide with: lots of pictures, the best things to do at Lake Bohinj, suggestions of Lake Bohinj accommodations and practical information to plan your visit.

This article contains affiliate Links. If you purchase through them, I get a commission at no extra cost to you. 

I think Lake Bohinj should be on every Slovenia Itinerary because:

• It is Slovenia's largest permanent lake
• It is a serene environnement where you can connect with nature
• It looks quite different from one end to the others
• You can easily admire it from above thanks to the cable car
• Like many locals will tell you, it is better than Lake Bled (although that can be discussed, see after the video)

Here is a short video that should inspire you to visit Bohinj, one of the best places to visit in Slovenia:

Lake Bled or Lake Bohinj

Wondering if you should go to Lake Bled or Lake Bohinj? Both have a lot to offer and are part of the wonders of Slovenia. So here are your options depending on what you are looking for.

• If you are doing a road trip around Slovenia - spend a couple of days at both location
• If you like Hiking ---> Lake Bohinj - definitively
• If you like peace and quiet away from Tourists ---> Lake Bohinj
• If you like choice of restaurants and animation ---> Lake Bled
• If your like historical monuments and locations ---> Lake Bled
• If you like views ---> Both are phenomenal

It is really difficult to capture the majestic and peaceful feeling of Lake Bohinj in photos. But here are 4 of panoramas from different location and with different weather to help you get an idea of what you can expect.
And in between I have listed a few fact to help you learn more about the Bohinj Lake.

• Lake Bohinj is Slovenia's largest permanent lake - it is 4.2 km long (2.6mi) and 1km width max (0.62mi) - If you are wondering why 'permanent' it is because there is the Cerknica lake that almost disappears by cycle (when I went there was almost no water)
• It is located in the heart of the Julian Alps protected as the Triglav National Park - it is between the Summits of Vogel (South) and Prsivec (North)

• It is a natural glacial lake that is relatively cold (Mean annual of 8.5°C and July water temperatures reaching 17°C
• The inflow comes from the West with the Savica stream and the outflow is at the East to Sava Bohinjka
• Its elevation is 526m (1726ft) and Maximum depth 45m (148ft)

• In the clear water you can find many many trouts, burbot, chub, molluscs and many other species
• In Slovene a lake is called Jezero - So its local name is Bohinjsko Jezero

To help you locate Lake Bohinj, below are 2 maps from my Lake Bled Guide. On the first one you can locate Bled in the country and compared to Lubljana. On the Second one , you can see how Bohinj is located compared to Bled and the main Road 209 that links both of them

• The easiest way to visit Lake Bohinj is to rent a car. This way you can travel around easily. Get to Bled, drive along Led Bled and continue on 209 towards Bohinj. The road is large and in excellent condition. Easy driving. But know that parkings fill up fast in mid Summer. Check out my guide about driving in Slovenia
• In terms of public transportation you can find busses connecting with Lake Bohinj but that really limit your movements
• If you are limited in time and staying either in Ljubljana or in Bled you can book an organized tour that will take you to both the Vintgar Gorge and Lake Bohinj on the same day.

My personal choice is to stay around Stara Fuzina so that you can enjoy the lake at sunrise and sunset. My second choice would have been Ukanc to be more isolated in nature.

Other suggestions of Lake Bohinj Hotels and Accommodations:

• GOOD VALUE FOR LOCATION  - Not far from the hotel are the TD Bohinj Apartments that enjoy a fantastic location. No views but good value for price - Check out photos and book
• HOSTEL - In the middle of the South Shore is Hostel Pod Voglom (near a bus stop, and very close to the lake) - check out photos and book
• UKANC BOUTIQUE - Enjoy the comfort and elegance of Vila Park B&B in a beautiful garden, all you need to relax - check out photos and book
• UKANC BUDGET - rooms and apartment 750m from the Lake's west shore  -  check out photos and book

I think the best thing to do in Lake Bohinj is simply to walk around and enjoy the views from the shore.

You can walk all around the lake. It is 12km and tales 3 to 4 hours depending on how much you stop.
On the North shore, you are walking right by the lake as there are no construction, the mountain start climbing.
However the hike on the South shore is less enjoyable. You walk on the other side of the road. They created an elevated pathway, which is better than just walking by the road but it is not the best for the views.
Don't forget to cross the road at the parking to enjoy views from the mid-beaches.
You can do the South shore by car and stop at different views (listed with GPS coordinates in my eBook)

As you can see in those pictures in the beautiful from every angle.
Even if the weather is not good, you should go out. The white views from Ukanc were splendid and it stopped raining right when we walked there!
I could stay hour admiring the magnificence of the scenery of Lake Bohinj.

I also recommend getting up to admire sunrise. You won't see the very first light but when it gets over the tree line, it is serene. Plus at this time there is nobody around 🙂

BIKING
or you can rent a bike but the North shore will not be accessible to you 🙂 

Meet Goldhorn / Zlatorog

By the side of the lake you can see a status of the famous Zlatorog a.k.a Goldhorn. It is a legendary creature and icon of the Triglav National Park.
The creature, a white chamois with golden horns, is part of a fairy-tale passed down from generations. You can read the original story as written by Karel Dezman here.

The statue is located on the South East shore, not far from the bridge. But I must admit that the statue at Lake Jasna has more impressive horns!

Swim, Kayak or Fish at Lake Bohinj

Lake Bohinj is really great for water sport. However as I said before, the water is quite cold except in summer peak. 
So people enjoy it more kayaking or on boats.
I really recommend kayaking to enjoy the serenity of the area and appreciate the mountains in every direction. 

And as I told you in the facts, there are lots of fishes, especially trouts, so you can rent a boat and go fishing! You can obtain permits from the tourist office.

Visit St John the Baptist Church

Vogel Cable Car (Lake Bohinj Cable Car)

One of my favorite activities at Lake Bohinj was riding the Vogel cable car. The ride is very steep and impressive but you get wonderful views of the whole lake and the Julian Alps. On a clear day you the Triangular-shaped Triglav summit stands out above the others. 

It was built in 2001 and enables you to get from 579m to 1535m elevation in just over 4 minutes minutes. The average incline is 70%

From there you can go hiking on the trails replacing the ski slopes in summer or you can pay extra to take the chairlift and get even higher. 

However I wish they had done a better platform with the views at the top of the Bohinj cable car ride.

Savica Waterfall

Another famous location around Lake Bohinj is the Savica Waterfall. It is located at the Western end, above Ukanc.
You have to pay for parking and for entrance and then climb 550 steps to reach the viewing platform.
One one side you see the mountains and a little bit of the lake, and on the other the surprising slap Savica. It is an A-shaped waterfall that starts in the middle of the rock wall (from underground river) and falls into an emerald pool. 
It is worth the climb.

For many more photos, check out my article dedicated to the Savica Waterfall

Lake Bohinj Hiking

Lake Bohinj is a fantastic place for hiking. There is a large choice of trails. Some easy and short or long treks to the summits of the National Park (including Triglav).

I recommend heading to the tourist office to learn more about the different trail and get a Lake Bohinj walking map.

An easy one is the Mostnica Gorge, above Stara Fuzina. It is not as fascinating as the Vintgar gorge in Lake Bled but it offers some interesting features along the way and, contrary to Vintgar, you are not stuck against other tourists on a small trail LOL.

Lake Bohinj is also a great destination in winter for those who love skiing.

Mount Vogel is a ski resort with 26km of slopes. Most accommodations in the area have facilities to handle your skiing equipment.

Want to see more of SLOVENIA?

Inspiring, isn't it?

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Love sharing? Here are other pins for you: