Plitvice Lakes National Park was one of the “must-go” destinations on our road trip, and we had decided at home that we would definitely go there. We had done some research beforehand, such as the best time to visit and what to bring along. Plitvice Lakes National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its popularity reflects that.
Choosing the Entrance and Tickets
Plitvice Lakes national park has two entrances, Entrance 1 and Entrance 2. We had read that it’s best to choose Entrance 1 because from there, you walk directly towards the waterfalls, and they don’t stay behind you as you walk, requiring you to turn constantly to see the best views. We definitely recommend choosing Entrance 1.
Since the park is one of Europe’s most famous national parks, we expected crowds, especially during the holiday season. This motivated us to find out from others what time would be best to arrive. Two times stood out: either right when the park opens at 8:00 a.m. or in the afternoon after 2:00 p.m. We chose the afternoon option, and it was a great decision! While there were others in the park, there was only a bit of congestion at one point near the beginning of the trail. Otherwise, we didn’t feel that there were exceptionally large crowds, and the park emptied out almost completely in the evening. This allowed us to take photos and enjoy the scenery almost by ourselves.
We naturally arrived at Plitvice by car, and there is plenty of parking available, with a few larger parking lots and smaller roadside areas along the forest road. We had to drive a bit into the woods, where we parked, and from there, it was about a 500-meter walk to the park entrance. Parking was paid, costing 1.5 โฌ/ hour for cars, payable upon exit, so we didn’t need to know in advance how long we would stay in the park. If you reserve tickets in advance for a specific time slot, it’s worth considering the time needed for parking and walking.
The entry system works such that a limited number of people are allowed in during specific time slots. If you buy tickets on-site, you’ll get an entry for the next available time slot. We bought our tickets on-site, and luckily there were tickets available. However, if you want to ensure availability, it’s wise to buy tickets in advance. The ticket price was just under 40 โฌ per person. At Entrance 1, there was a burger restaurant, a souvenir shop, and restrooms. We bought a souvenir magnet while waiting for our entry time.
For shoes, regular sneakers are sufficient for the national park; hiking boots are not necessary. The trails consist mainly of clean and easy-to-walk paths or wooden walkways, so sneakers work well. There are only a few restaurants in the national park, so it’s essential to bring your own snacks and enough water. And what could be better than having a picnic in such scenery!
Plitvice Lakes National Park Trails and Progress
And then it was time to enter. When entering from Entrance 1, we were immediately greeted by the park’s most beautiful and iconic scenery, with stunning panoramic views of waterfalls and small lakes from above. We couldn’t have hoped for a better start to our visit.
The park offers several different route options, including shorter and longer ones from which you can choose the most suitable. The staff at the ticket counter were happy to recommend a suitable route, and we ended up choosing their suggestion of Route C (estimated time 5-6 hours). We also received a map at the ticket counter, showing the route options. It took us about 4-5 hours to complete Route C, even though we took many photos and made frequent stops; time flew by in these surroundings, surrounded by waterfalls and turquoise lakes. If you don’t want to walk a long loop, you can also see the “main attractions” relatively close to this entrance.
Overall, Plitvice Lakes National Park has 16 lakes and countless waterfalls of various sizes.
The trails in Plitvice are well-marked, and with the map we received, it’s easy to follow the progress of the route, so you won’t get lost. You’re also not allowed to leave the trails to prevent damage to the environment, and swimming in the waters, no matter how tempting the clear water may be on a hot day, is not allowed.
A larger picnic area is found near the point where you can cross the lake by boat. There was also a restaurant here if you didn’t bring your own food or have already eaten your snacks. The picnic area has many tables that are free to use, so this was a great place to enjoy our snacks and take a short break.
From here, we continued our journey by boat to the other side of the lake. One boat trip across the lake is included in the admission ticket, so remember to keep your ticket handy, as it will be scanned when you board the boat. The boats here are electric for environmental protection.
You could also paddle or row on the lake yourself by renting a boat or canoe. However, we still had some planned route ahead of us, so we continued on foot.
From the perspective of Entrance 1, at the furthest point of the route is the Shuttle bus stop (St 3), where there was some kind of kiosk (which was closed when we arrived) and restrooms. From here, you could catch the bus back to the main entrance. There were no bus schedules posted, and it was a bit unclear how often they run, but after waiting a while, the bus arrived, and we got on. The bus stops at Entrance 2 (St 2) and closer to Entrance 1 (St 1).
We then continued downhill to the trails from here, as we wanted to enjoy the place a bit more and walk the beginning of the route again. This turned out to be a good decision because the crowds had already disappeared by this time of the evening, and we were almost alone here. We spent time until it started to get dark, and the park was already closing, so we briskly walked towards the exit.
There’s nothing more to say than strongly recommending Plitvice Lakes National Park โ it’s truly a stunning and unique place and an absolute must-visit destination in Croatia!
Accommodation at Plitvice Lakes National Park
We found excellent accommodation for our visit to Plitvice. It was B&B Plitvice Lacus, about a 10-minute drive from Plitvice Lakes National Park.
The building was brand new and beautiful, and the room was very clean and spacious, with a large balcony. When choosing the room, there were different interior options, and our room matched exactly what we had chosen.
There was a private parking lot on the property, where we could park our car, and the area felt very safe. Check-in to the room was self-guided, which was good because we arrived late in the evening. The keys were in a key box, and we received the code by message. The accommodation cost 99 โฌ per night.
Originally, we had planned to head towards Slovenia from here, but the desire for the coast and the turquoise water hit us, so we decided to drive towards the coast before heading to Slovenia and its mountainous landscapes.
