Venice or Trieste to Lake Bled for €23
There's a cunning, cheap and scenic way to travel from Venice or Trieste to Lake Bled in northern Slovenia, via the border town of Gorizia where Italian and Slovenian railway stations are just a few kilometres apart. It requires no pre-planning or reservation, it cannot sell out, just turn up and go. It's cheap, safe and comfortable, and avoids long journeys in cramped buses.
Venice or Trieste ► Lake Bled
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Step 1 from Venice, travel from Venice Santa Lucia to Gorizia Centrale by direct regional train.
Trains run every hour or two, journey time around 2h16, fare €17.10 in 2nd class. No reservation necessary or possible, just turn up and buy tickets on the day. You can check times buy tickets at www.trenitalia.com.
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Step 1 from Trieste, regional trains link Trieste with Gorizia Centrale every hour or half-hour, journey time 43-52 minutes, fare €5.55 in 2nd class, check times & buy tickets at www.trenitalia.com.
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Step 2, walk or take a bus from Gorizia Centrale to Nova Gorica station, 3.5 km (2.2 miles), a 48-minute walk, see walking map.
Gorizia (Italian) or Gorica (Slovenian) is one large town split in two by the Italian-Slovenian border, which runs right through the Piazza Transalpina. During the Cold War, a heavily-guarded barbed wire fence ran across this square, where now there's free movement. A plaque in the centre marks the border crossing and a small but moving display of pictures recalls the day the last piece of Iron Curtain came down.
To go by bus, take local bus number 1 from outside Gorizia Centrale station (see map showing bus stop) to the bus terminus at Piazza Transalpina, known as Trg Evrope in Slovenian, see map showing bus stop.
Buses run every 10-15 minutes, fare around €1.60, buy a ticket from the machine outside the station or or using the TPL FVG app.
Walk across the border into Slovenia, Nova Gorica station is just 100 metres from where bus 1 terminates. Bus information for this Gorizia town bus 1 is at www.aptgorizia.it (select Servizi then Urbano Gorizia).
Alternatively, there's a direct international bus from Gorizia Centrale to Nova Gorica station (final destination Gorizia bus station, beyond the rail station) leaving every hour from 08:35 until 19:35. Buy tickets for this at local shops, or on the bus for €1.30. Bus information for this international bus is at www.aptgorizia.it (select Servizi then Urbano Gorizia).
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Step 3, take a Slovenian train from Nova Gorica to Lake Bled.
Trains leave Nova Gorica direct to Bled Jezero every couple of hours, journey time 1h50, fare €6.90.
You can check train times at either int.bahn.de or potniski.sz.si, the latter will also confirm the price. Don't worry if you end up with time to kill at Nova Gorica, there's a bar on the platform for a beer while waiting the next train.
Lake Bled ► Trieste or Venice
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Step 1, take a Slovenian train from Bled Jezero to Nova Gorica.
Trains leave Bled Jezero for Nova Gorica every couple of hours, journey time 1h50, fare €6.90.
You can check train times at int.bahn.de or potniski.sz.si, the latter will also confirm the price.
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Step 2, walk or take a bus from Nova Goriza station to Goriza Centrale, it's a 3.5 km 2.2 mile 49-minute walk, see walking map.
Gorizia (Italian) or Gorica (Slovenian) is essentially one large town split in two by the Italian-Slovenian border, which runs right through the Piazza Transalpina. During the Cold War, a heavily-guarded barbed wire fence ran across the middle of the Trg Evrope, where now there's free movement. A plaque in the centre marks the border crossing and a small but moving display of pictures recalls the day the Iron Curtain came down.
To go by bus, walk 100 metres across the border into Italy on the Piazza Transalpina, known as Trg Evrope in Slovenian, and take bus number 1 to Gorizia Centrale station, see map showing bus stop at via Foscolo 32.
Buses run every 10-15 minutes, fare €1.60, see www.aptgorizia.it (select Servizi then Urbano Gorizia).
You buy a bus ticket from a ticket machine or using the TPL FVG app.
Alternatively, there's a direct international bus from Nova Gorica station to Gorizia Centrale station leaving every hour from 08:16 until 17:16 then 19:01. To catch this bus (which starts at the bus station, but stops outside the rail station), cross the square outside the station and go to the bus stop on the right side of the road - the small hotel/bar opposite the bus stop sells bus tickets, or buy on the bus for €1.30. Bus information for this hourly international bus is at www.aptgorizia.it (select Servizi then Urbano Gorizia).
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Step 3 for Venice: Travel from Gorizia Centrale to Venice Santa Lucia by direct regional train.
Trains run every 2 hours, journey time around 2h16, fare €17.10 in 2nd class. No reservation necessary or possible, just turn up and buy tickets at the station. You can check times & fares at www.trenitalia.com.
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Step 3 for Trieste: Regional trains link Gorizia Centrale with Trieste every hour or half-hour, journey time 43-52 minutes, fare €5.55 in 2nd class, check times and fares at www.trenitalia.com.
Route map
The trains & journey
In Bled
Bled Jezero is a local station right next to the lake, 2.5km from Bled Castle, 3.5km from the centre of Bled old town.
Lesce-Bled is the station on the mainline between Ljubljana, Salzburg & Munich, 3.7km from the centre of old Bled, 5.8km from Bled Castle.
You can travel from Bled Jezero to Ljubljana in 1h40 with a change of train at Jesenice, or from Lesce-Bled to Ljubljana by direct train in 55 minutes. Several daily trains link Lesce-Bled with Salzburg, Munich & Zagreb too. Just use int.bahn.de to find train times.
For train travel from Lesce Bled to Salzburg, Munich, Zagreb, Belgrade and so on see the trains from Ljubljana page.