Plitvice - the paradise of lakes and waterfalls

PLITVICE LAKES NATIONAL PARK - THE BEST ROUTES AND OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION

Plitvice Lakes National Park is certainly one of the most beautiful places in Europe, being one of those very popular tourist destinations that deserves its popularity.

The crystal clear lakes, the spectacular waterfalls that can be admired at every step, the wooden bridges and the lush nature create the perfect natural setting, both for relaxation and for enjoying some of the most beautiful landscapes.

Without further ado, let's get to what we're interested in, namely, how to enjoy the best of Plitvice Lakes National Park has to offer without feeling overwhelmed by the crowds and, if necessary, the heat. We've gathered all the information you need to plan a day in this wonderful location, put it together, and you can find it below.

HOW DO YOU GET TO PLITVICE LAKES?

Plitvice Lakes National Park is located approximately 130 km from Zadar and Zagreb and 240 km from Split. The most common route is Zadar - Plitvice. So we have the following options:

• rental car; to find the best deal, I recommend doing price simulations on search engines such as Skyscanner, or any other. Read the guide to renting a car. The advantage of this kind of transport is that you do not depend on public transport schedules and you can reach the location before large groups of tourists. It is also good to know that most of the road is on the highway, which is tolled, so there will be additional costs.

• bus; it runs only from April to October, between 8:00 and 23:00. The ticket costs €25/person round trip, and departs from the main bus station in Zadar.

• within an organized day trip, or by a private transfer;

There is the possibility of organized excursions departing from: Zagreb, Trogir, or Split.

USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT VISITING PLITVICE LAKES NATIONAL PARK

The part of the park open to the public for visiting is divided into two areas, called “Lower lakes” and “Upper lakes”. For each of these areas there is an official parking lot and also an access point (entrance 1 and entrance 2). Between the two entrances there is a bus included in the ticket price. Also, for visiting, there are several routes/paths, marked with letters from A to K.

When purchasing the access ticket, there is the possibility of choosing the entrance to the park, but this aspect does not limit visitors to choosing a single route, so that either two short routes (one from each area) or a long route can be taken, covering both the lower and upper lakes.

The access point at entrance 1 is better suited for routes: A, B, C and K. The parking lot for entrance 1 is very close to the trails.

The access point at entrance 2 is better suited for routes: E, F and H. The parking lot for this entrance is located approximately 800 m from the start of the routes. Also, some trails on this route, such as H, open an hour later than the rest.

Other useful information about Plitvice Lakes:

• parking is paid separately from the price of the entrance ticket. It can be paid both by the hour and for a whole day. The price for the whole day is €18. There are also free parking spaces near entrance 2, but they are unmaintained and you park at your own risk;

• the park is open for visits all year round, but during winter, most routes are closed;

• to avoid standing in line, I recommend purchasing the tickets online;

• swimming is prohibited in any of the park's locations;

• during the summer it can get extremely crowded, especially at the intersections of the trails. If you want to avoid the crowds, book your ticket as early in the morning as possible. At 09:00 the tourist buses start to arrive;

• the best time to visit is during May-June, when the weather is perfect for exploring, and the waterfalls have a fairly high flow rate, compared to the summer months, when they can be quite small, in some places even completely dried;

• the park has restaurants, shops and toilets, strategically placed at certain intersections of the trails, or at the park entrances. Below are some prices (as of 2024) from two of the food locations. You can click on them to enlarge them;

  
  

• unlike other similar areas in Europe, there is no requirement to wear a certain type of footwear, and access is also accepted in slippers or sandals. However, I recommend wearing sports shoes;

• there is a possibility to rent boats for a trip on the lake. Such a place can be found at P1 (entrance 2);

ROUTES/TRAILS AT PLITVICE LAKES NATIONAL PARK

Route A is 3.5 km long and takes about 2-3 hours to complete. It starts at entrance 1, and the main attraction is the largest waterfall in Croatia.

Route B is 4 km long and takes approximately 3-4 hours to complete. It starts at entrance 1, and the first part is common with route A. In addition to what can be admired on route A, this trail also includes several waterfalls and lakes. A boat ride is also included.

Route C is 8 km long and takes approximately 4-5 hours to complete. This route includes both the lower and upper lakes. It starts at entrance 1, and the return to the starting point can be done with the bus provided by the park administration. The boat ride is also included for this route.

Route E is 5 km long and takes approximately 2-3 hours to complete. It starts at entrance 2 and only includes a visit to the upper lakes. On this route you can admire what I have classified as the most beautiful waterfall in the park. The boat ride is not included on this route. We chose to combine this route with route B.

Route F is 4.6 km long and takes approximately 3-4 hours to complete. It is very similar to route B, except that it starts at entrance 2.

Route H is 8.9 km long and takes around 4-5 hours to complete. It is one of the most complex routes and includes the upper lakes, the lower lakes, a boat ride and transport back to entrance 2, which is also the starting point of the route.

Route K is the longest route you can take at Plitvice Lakes and can be started from either of the two entrances. It is 17.5 km long from entrance 2, or 16.5 km from entrance 1. This route does not include the boat ride.

THE ROUTE I TOOK TO PLITVICE LAKES: E+B

Because we were planning to take route H, we booked tickets with access to entrance 2, at 07:00 in the morning, to save at least two hours of crowding and heat. Since we had not seen the information anywhere, we found out on the spot that route H opens at 08:00. We did not want to wait an hour, so the staff who scanned our ticket recommended us to take routes E + B, which are approximately the same thing.

The route started with the transition from P1 to P2, which is done by boat. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait too long in the boat, so we quickly reached the part we were waiting for the most, namely the exploration. After marveling at the beauty of the water and how crystal clear it is, we started to see the first waterfalls.

Not long after, we spotted the most beautiful waterfall in the park, Veliki Prštavac, in the distance, which would be even more beautiful seen up close. It was the waterfall we liked the most, although we saw a few more later, very spectacular ones too.

After seeing all the lakes and waterfalls on the route, we couldn't miss a short hike, about 30 minutes, to a viewpoint.

Once back at P1, we took the bus to entrance 1 to start route B, which turned out to be much more spectacular. If I were to change anything about our day in Plitvice, it would be the order in which we did the trails. I would have started with route B, which is mostly in the sun and the light would have been perfect for morning photos, and continued with route E, which is much more shaded and has more seating areas and benches.

On route B you can enjoy some of the most beautiful views of the lakes and waterfalls. Also here you can admire the Veliki Splap Waterfall, the largest waterfall in the park.

To get back to the starting point of the route, we went by boat, thus enjoying the ride, which lasted about 15 minutes.

WHERE TO STAY NEAR PLITVICE?

Another option to plan your visit to Plitvice Lakes is to book a night's accommodation in the area, so as to save you from a long drive. Among the options listed on Booking, I leave below the ones that caught my attention and had positive reviews:

• Plitvice Ethno House - accommodation unit, which offers tourists single, double, triple or quadruple rooms. It has parking, restaurant, bar and outdoor swimming pool;

• Grand Lakes 2 - accommodation unit that has double rooms. It has its own parking and is included in the booking price;

• B&B Plitvica Creek - accommodation unit, which has double rooms, and upon request, additional beds for children can be brought. It has its own parking and is included in the booking price;

CONCLUSIONS ABOUT PLITVICE

I don't think I need to tell you that Plitvice is a wonderful place. It is definitely one of those unique places in the world, and the fact that it is almost always very crowded, in my opinion, does not make the experience there any less special. Of all the places I have seen in Europe, Plitvice Lakes is at the top of the list, so I can only recommend visiting them if you have the chance.

Read also about other locations in Croatia: Omis, Zadar or Split.

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