The Rabelj Lake

I think that almost each country in Europe has a lake or two, which are very interesting to see. For example, the Bled lake in Slovenia, the Melide lake in Switzerland, Balaton lake in Hungary and the Rabelj lake in Italy. I have personally visited all those lakes in the last few years, and I must say that the Rabelj lake is definitely the most beautiful of them all. And this is the main reason I decided to write something about it.

Also, not many tourists know about it, so maybe somebody will decide to see it after reading all the interesting things, that I wrote about it! But, on the other hand, mass tourism should stay far away from this place, because not many people there is one of the things that make this place so special.

Where is the Rabelj lake situated?

You will find this amazing lake in Italy, shortly after the border with Slovenia. As always, the directions to the lake depend on where you are coming from, but none of the two possible ways of getting there is particularly difficult.

First one of the ways is the one, when you are already in Italy. Mostly everywhere in this region, you will find road signs, indicating the way to Slovenia. And this is where you have to go. Here, everything is well marked, and you will, in most cases, see the road signs even much before the junctions, and then again at the actual junction, so you can definitely take the right turn. I wonder why it is so well marked, since tourism is not very developed in this region.

Honestly, in Italy, the touristic regions have far less road signs and it is much easier to get lost there. Anyway, the last village before you reach the Rabeljsko lake, is called Rabelj (and the lake got its name after this village). The town is small, but very interesting, and in the past, it was known as the mining town. After you reach the end of the Rabelj town, you have to drive for approximately five more minutes until you reach the lake. It will be just in front of you, and there is also the entrance to the parking space.

The second way is the right one for you in case you are coming from Slovenia. You have to cross the border in Predil. Well, not really cross it with showing your passport. Until Slovenia signed the Schengen agreement, this was an official border crossing to get to Italy, but nowadays, all that is left, are the buildings, but no one is there. What follows now, is a scenic drive through a green forest (and a few tunnels). Right after you cross the border, you can see the lake below you, and admire it all the way down.

But please, keep your eyes on the road if you are driving, because there are some very difficult road parts on the way to the lake. When you reach the bottom of the hill, you will cross a small bridge. The entrance to the parking space is just after the bridge, where you have to turn left. Or, if you want, you can keep driving and find another parking spot along the lake, because there is plenty of them. But I would still advise you to use the official parking space.

A legend about the Rabelj lake

In the past, people often used legends and folk stories to explain some of the unusual things, mostly the natural wonders. And the Rabelj lake (or Rabeljsko lake) is not an exception here. The legend about it is pretty interesting, so I briefly wrote it down:

In the past, there was a small village at the exact same place where the lake nowadays is. The inhabitants of the village were mostly rich and arrogant. Once, on a very cold evening, a woman with a small baby came to this town. It was getting dark and she was looking for a place to sleep. But no one of the inhabitants wanted to accept her.

She even had to listen to very rude words. The woman almost gave up and decided to sleep on the ground, and then she saw a cottage at the very end of the village. She decided to try her luck there, although she had almost lost all hopes. There was an old man, living in the house, and as soon as he saw the woman with a baby, he already offered her food and a place to sleep.

During the night, there was a big downpour, which did not stop for several days after. When the old man woke up in the morning, there was no sight of a woman with a baby. But no sign of the village either. It was raining so heavily that all the water formed a Rabeljsko lake. The old man's cottage was surrounded by water, but he was safe and dry – he figured out that he is on an island now. After some time, he realized that the woman with a baby must have been Virgin Mary with Jesus.

Believe it or not, you can still see the cottage on a small island in the middle of the Rabeljsko lake. I went there once, but the cottage is, of course, empty. You can even swim there and take a look if you want. I wonder if there is some truth in this old legend, or the hut was built just to attract tourists there.

Rabelj lake in summer

This lake is a perfect place to spend a summer day, mainly for two reasons:

1. It has everything you might need. It is also a good starting point for walking or cycling. Since there is nature all around it, you will definitely find a good place to go. Believe me, even walking on the main road can be interesting here! Ad this way, you also avoid the rish of getting lost in the woods.
2. There is not many other people at the lake, so the place itself is really calm. Really an oasis in the middle of the forest.

So, what can you do there in summer?

The most obvious choice is, of course, swimming. Well, but not for very sensitive people, since the water is quite cold even on hot summer days. But believe me, even if you do just a quick dip in the water, you can then stay on the sun for a long time before starting to feel the heat. The lake is shallow, but in the middle of it, its depth is a few meters, so even very tall people can swim there without a problem. I tried to take some pictures just of the lake, but this couple obviously thought that I am taking photos of them, and was posing for the camera... and then, another girl joined!

Watersports. Well, when I say watersports, please do not imagine jet skiing and windsurfing at the Rabeljsko lake. What they offer, is water chairs, water bikes and a water slide. But it is something.

A restaurant. Next to the parking space, and just above the Rabeljsko lake, there is a big restaurant, that can accept bigger groups even without reserving the place in advance. Their food is good, although not superb, but since this is the only restaurant next to the lake, you should not be too picky about the food.

Walk all around the lake. There is a trail that will take you all around the lake. The Rabeljsko lake might seem big from above, but in reality, you can walk all around it in about half an hour. The stroll is nice, and it will reveal many nice spots for jumping in the water. Just make sure it is deep enough before you jump, since there are some spaces with big rocks almost just below the surface. This is how the path around the lake looks most of the time. But do not worry, you will not get lost, just keep close to the water!

Just enjoy in the nature. You can, besides walking around the lake, walk along any road nearby. You will be surprised, how awesome nature is here. Or, if you have a bicycle with you, this is an even better option. For true relaxation, sit down in the middle of the forest and read a book, surrounded by the sounds of nature. I saw three people doing that at the time, when I was there!

Believe it or not, there is no parking fee, and the water chairs are also free of charge. The only catch here is that they are almost always occupied. The only thing you have to pay for, are the slides and the water bikes. To use the water slide three times, you have to pay five Euros (which is really not much, considering how fun it actually is), and half an hour of using a water bike will cost you six Euros. I am not a big fan of water bikes, but if you ask me, the price is surprisingly low.

Rabelj lake in winter

As unbelievable it might sound, the Rabeljsko lake completely freezes every winter, and it forms a giant place for ice skating. This sport is extremely popular there in winter, and although the ice might be thin at some points, there are no warnings about it. I guess the reason is because it is not even legal, but as I said, it is extremely popular to go ice skating there. And, as far as I know, there were no accidents there in the past. But I must admit that, even if I love ice skating I do not dare to do it on Rabelj lake.

If you are not a big fan of ice skating, you can still visit the Rabeljsko lake in winter. Believe me, you will feel like you have landed in some winter – themed fairy tale. Frozen fans, a perfect place for you!

What to do nearby

The place is situated in the middle of nowhere, and the closest village is Rabelj. But if you feel like exploring the forests, or just walking around, there are several directions that you can head to. Just be careful to remember where you are coming from, because in case you get lost, there is not many other people wandering around there.

A few words for the end…

If you are willing to relax at a place that the mass tourism has not spoiled yet, then the Rabeljsko lake is the perfect place. Whether you want to swim, have fun with water sports, or just getting some tan on the sun, this is really a great place. Everything is nearby – you have the facilities and the restaurant just above the lake. Perfect combination for a day, full of relaxing.

However, on hot summers, the lake gets smaller and smaller, but at that time, it also reveals another secret – a rock in the middle of it. What is awesome about this rock, is that if you take a picture on it, you will look like a mermaid. You can see the rock on the picture with the couple above. It looks cool, I know. So, pack your bags and see you at Rabelj lake!