When visiting Bled, somewhere on your list of places you must see and do is Vintgar Gorge. Situated in the nearby village of Gorje, you can access Vintgar in several ways from Bled, by foot, by bike or by car. Gorje lies at the foot of the Pokljuka and Mezakla plateaus. Thirteen settlements with typical rural architecture surrounding by hills and forest and lying at the entrance to Triglav National Park.

The Radovna river carved the Vintgar Gorge which was discovered in 1891 by Mr Jakob Zumer, the then Mayor of Gorje, and Mr Benedikt Lergetporer, a cartographer and photographer from Bled. Both were amazed by the beauty of the natural attraction and in 1893 the gorge was opened to the public.

The construction of a secure tourist trail through the gorge was a demanding and extremely dangerous task along the 1,600 metre long gorge which was full of small waterfalls, rapids and potholes. The current walkway and bridges now lead visitors to the end of the gorge which is marked by the 13 metre high Sum waterfall – the highest fluvial waterfall in Slovenia.

However you decide to visit Vintgar, there is a small entrance charge payable at the kiosk for entry to the gorge. Refreshments are also available here. Now get your camera ready and follow the mile-long boardwalk along the length of the gorge.

On reaching the end, there is another small café for refreshments. If you are travelling by bike or car you will need to return by the same route. For those on foot, you can leave the gorge by the alternative route which is signed back to Bled. A gentle climb through forest land will return you to Sv. Katarina and you can then follow your out-route back to Bled.

Vintgar Gorge is open daily throughout the summer but it closed to the public during the winter.

Written by  Adele Gray.

Add comment

Comments, reviews and questions