Instead of flying from Split back to Prague to continue our hop on hop off journey with Busabout, we decided to book one last tour. At least this way, we could experience more cities and countries along the way. We opted for the Bohemian Trek to get us on our way. Driving along the Croatian coastline, we were headed north to Zagreb, the Croatian capital. After a orientation walk of the city we had the afternoon to explore the sites before heading to dinner for food and some drinks.
Continuing our drive north, we were travelling along one of Europe’s most magnificent drives from the Croatian coast to the Alps. As you may already know, I love alpine cities and fell in love since visiting Switzerland last year and I was in luck as Lake Bled was located at the foot of the Slovenian alps. We crossed the border into Slovenia, stopping in the capital; Ljubljana for lunch and to see the Dragon and Triple Bridges before arriving in Lake Bled where we stayed for the next two nights.
On arrival, we all head down to the beautiful lake for our first taste of famous Bled cream cake – yum! We walked to a local run tour agency 3glav Adventures to book the Emerald River Day Adventure and the itinerary looked great. After purchasing the tour for €65, we head to a restaurant for dinner and drinks, the group excited for the days ahead!
Our optional tour was amazing and I not only recommend but insist! that if you are visiting Lake Bled that you join this tour. We stocked up on a hearty breakfast at the hotel before getting picked up for our day of adventure in the magnificent Slovenian alps – Triglav National Park. With a tour start of 8:00 am, I jumped in the front seat as the tour guide advised anyone who gets car sick to do so! First stop was beautiful Jasna Lake in Kranjska Gora, where we met the golden horn monument for some touristy photos. Soon finding out why people prone to car sickness needed the front seat, we navigated our way up along windy roads through the Julian Alps reaching the Vrsic Mountain Pass for a easy hike around.
The day was planned out perfectly, with plenty of adventure around each corner as we hiked to the source of the Emerald River known as Izvir Soce before winding along the Soca river and the scenic Trenta Valley. We stopped in Bovec for lunch and some free time – delicious kebabs were bought from a takeaway shop before buying fresh blueberries from a stand on the streets!
Optional to this tour was White Water Rafting on the Soca river, for €35 which I absolutely recommend doing!! Adrenaline was pumping as we put on our thick wetsuits and helmets. Watching the most beautiful and clearest blue water I have ever seen in my life, I was scared at first but once the group was on the raft fun took over. We made our way down the river, flying down rapids from all directions, learning how to steer left to right before stopping for a rock jump into the water. The water was icy cold but after our hard work of navigating it was refreshing to jump in. We explored a waterfall down the river, using our hands to shovel fresh water into our mouths before our guide yelled out for us to come back as bears frequent the area – still not sure to this day if that’s true! This optional extra made our day but the fun was certainly not over yet!
We crossed a swaying suspension bridge over the Soca river before a short walk through the forest to the beautiful Kozjak waterfall ! With freezing water temperatures, we stripped down to our swimsuits and slowly (somehow) crawled in – The water didn’t get any warmer but it was too beautiful to resist!
We were next presented with the opportunity, if you were brave enough, to jump of a 10 metre high bridge into the water below in the town of Most na Soči. Most of the boys were brave enough but I’m sure all of us girls opted out! The next part of the tour led us to a train station, where we would make our journey back to Lake Bled with a shortcut through the mountain.. on a car train! With celebratory beers and singing in the car, we made it through the total darkness of a tunnel that took 7 minutes – the longest railway tunnel in Slovenia!
We stopped at Lake Bohinj where we were greeted by a beautiful sunset which truly completed the day! Arriving back in Lake Bled by 8:00 pm, the group arranged to order pizza for a quick and easy dinner before letting our heads hit the pillow.
Lake Bohinj
In the morning we explored lake bled with the group, jumping on a row boat that took us out to the church perched on an island in the middle of the lake. It’s such a peaceful location and we were sad to leave!
Lake Bled Island
We were headed to Bratislava, the Slovak capital; made famous to some people by the movie Eurotrip. We had two nights on a boatel – a hotel on a boat! We met out guide and group at reception for an orientation walk of the beautiful new and old towns and it appeared nothing like the movie had portrayed. We head for some meaty treats and tasty beer at a Bratislava beer palace.
Our tour guide and driver had arranged a day of sightseeing, an optional tour called the Bratislava bucket list which covered the must see sights of the capital. First stop was Devin Castle where you can see the Danube and Morava rivers meet before heading to the Kamzik TV tower for lunch and views over most of the city.
We crossed the border from Slovakia into Austria and back, visited the Slavin monument and Bratislava castle before making our way to experience what it was like inside a real World War II bunker !
The day was finished with wine tasting and a traditional Slovak meal in the Carpathian wine region; some of the best wines I have ever had!
We arrived in the cute little town of Mikulov for lunch and a walk around the quaint cobblestone streets and Mikulov castle before arriving back in Prague, the Bohemian capital.
Tour: Busabout – Bohemian Trek – 7 Days
Price: $779.00 including accommodation
ONLY HAPPY WHEN I TRAVEL 