About Vintgar Gorge

Bled is undoubtedly considered one of the most attractive and most visited places in Slovenia. It is well known that Bled is the champion of Slovenian tourism, with Bled Castle, Lake Bled and the famous romantic island in the middle of the lake. Those sights are also placed on many lists of the most popular tourist spots in all of the Europe. Among the most beautiful points in Bled there is also included the Famous Bled Vintgar, on which we will focus more on, as it deserves special attention for its breathtaking beauty. The Bled Vintgar gorge is located in the immediate vicinity of Gorje between the Hom and Boršt hills and is about four kilometers northwest away from the center of Bled. It was carved by the river Radovna and has been passable only since 1891, when it was ceremoniously discovered by the then mayor Jakob Žumer and photographer Benedikt Lergetporer.

The Vintgar gorge is 1600 meters long and up to 250 meters deep gorge on the eastern part of the Triglav National Park. The gorge is characterized by very steep and vertical walls, which are on average between 50 and 100 meters high. The slopes in some places reach another 100 meters higher, so that in some places the canyon gorge is surrounded by walls that reach a height of almost a quarter of a kilometer. The trail ends with the famous Šum waterfall. About 15 meters high waterfall is one of the few Slovenian river waterfalls. 

Interesting fact: Based od some information the name Vintgar supposedly originates from the German word Weingarden (Wine garden), because there used to be vineyards nearby. Vintgar Gorge Bled has also given the name to many other gorges all over Slovenia.

WALKING REGIME:

Vintgar gorge has a bit different visiting rules from season 2020. It the past years return back to the entrance on the same way was permitted but this is not the case anymore. Returning back on the same path is permitted which means you need to exit the gorge at the last waterfalls and hike back to the start or use a shuttle service instead.  This new regulation gives every visitor a great chance to experience the Alpine beauty without that much crowds. It eliminates close encounters at the narrow sections of the route making it safer and more enjoyable. The entrance is at the wooden cabin in the village Podhom, and the exit is at the big waterfall Šum. Bellow you can find a map with the main hiking trail and return trail to get back to the entrance. The whole hiking round trip will take you from around 3 hours in total. If you are not willing to hike for so long we activated Vingar gorge shuttle starting from Bled that will save you more than 2h of walking and make your visit of the gorge much easier.