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• 01- Best ways to get to Plitvice Lakes
• 02- Best time to visit
• 03- Best hiking route + how to find the postcard view
• 04- Entrance 1 vs. 2
• 05- Day trip vs. overnight
• 06- Best hotels near Plitvice Lakes
• 07- Lunch options in the park
• 08- Book tickets in advance
• 09- What to bring
• Final thoughts

Most people will access Plitvice Lakes National Park through the cities of Zagreb, Zadar, or Split in Croatia. We chose to make Zagreb our base and did the park as a day trip. If you choose not to drive, there are several options by bus and tour group from all three of these cities. However, Zagreb has the most buses running to the park.

Here is the time it will take from these 3 cities if you are self-driving to the park:

Zagreb: 2 hours (130 km or 80.7 miles)

Zadar: 1.5 hours (119 km or 73.9 miles)

Split: 2.5 hours (243 km or 150.1 miles)

If you are doing a road trip through Croatia, driving from Dubrovnik will take you 5 hours to get to the park. Obviously, you cannot do this as a day trip if coming from Dubrovnik.

If we were not on such a tight schedule, we would have considered renting a car.

Why does this matter?

Because you can make sure you are there right at opening time. This is critical because the crowds will continue to increase the later you arrive. Plus, you then have flexibility if you want to stay longer, leave early, or even spend the night if you break up visiting the park into two days.

Arrive early because I heard the parking lots do fill up quickly, especially during high season.

The cost of parking is 5 -10 Croatian Kuna/hour depending on the season.

Alright, I admit I try to pack in way too much on our vacations. I do have a fear of missing out, so I try to do “all the things.” After a full day of travel from the United States, we arrived in Zagreb at 11:15 pm. We booked a bus ride out at 6:45 am the following day to Plitvice Lakes National Park. The bus ride from Zagreb took us 2.5 hours. 

There was no way I would have been able to drive on a few hours of sleep, so letting someone else drive was imperative. Plus, then I could sleep more on the bus and try to shake off some of that jet lag.

We went to Plitvice Lakes National Park in May, when the opening time is 8 am. We arrived at 9 am, and the crowds were already starting to flow in. By the time we left the park around 2 pm, it was near impossible to squeeze past the large tour groups on the walkways.

There was an earlier bus that left at 5:45 am and arrived at opening time. We would have taken that bus, but since we got in so late the night before, sleep > earlier arrival.

Overall, we enjoyed taking the bus because you could relax and let someone else do the driving.

We bought bus tickets here.

There are tours to Plitvice Lakes National Park. From what I researched, it appeared the group tours arrive well past opening time (9:30/10 am). Later you arrive = more crowds.

Get Your Guide offers many group tours that will transport you to Plitvice Lakes National Park from Zagreb, Zadar, or Split.

In my opinion though, a group tour is not needed. This is definitely a DIY destination.

Each season has its pros. We went in the spring (May) when the waterfalls were at their fullest. If you go in the winter, the park transforms into an enchanting snowy wonderland. Expect lush forests in the summer and beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows in the fall.

Summer months especially July and August will be the busiest, so plan accordingly and find your Inner Zen if you go during this time. You will need it!

Spring (April/May) and fall (September/October) are considered the best though because the temperatures are still pleasant but with fewer crowds.

The park is open year-round. Check the website for current hours. 

Ah, so many choices. A, B, C, D, E, F, H, or  K? Your route (aka program as the park labels it) will be dictated by:

1) How much time you have, and

2) Your fitness level.

We chose route C for 2 reasons:

1) It included both the Upper and Lower Lakes and started from Entrance 1.

2) It was just the right amount of time and distance since we were visiting Plitvice Lakes National Park as a day trip.

Here are the highlights from this incredible hiking route: 

We arrived at Entrance 1 at 9 am, 1 hour after the park opened. In May, the park opens at 8 am. I would HIGHLY advise getting there right at opening time. We had already purchased the tickets online, so we avoided the queue at the ticket booth.

Plitvice Lakes National Park is divided into 12 Upper and 4 Lower Lakes. These two lake systems are separated by Lake Kozjak.

We went on a day where we had intermittent rain, but that still did not detract from our experience. It created this mysterious, misty vibe.

We zigzagged our way from Entrance 1 at the top down to the Lower Lakes. Shortly into the walk, we were blown away by this incredibly breathtaking view! Great first impression.

When you reach the bottom of the zigzag path, the boardwalk trail starts. The park is super easy to navigate along the wooden walkways and really can be enjoyed by people of all fitness levels.

Sastavci Waterfalls are one of the famous set of waterfalls in Plitvice Lakes National Park, probably second to Veliki Slap. You can view them best during the walk along the zigzag path from Entrance 1 before you hit the first boardwalk. They are in the foreground in the quintessential photo you get right at the beginning of the walk through the park. Veliki Slap is in the background. 

We continued on the first boardwalk to cross the Korana River. At the end of the boardwalk, take the first detour to the right. You will be witness to one of the biggest showstoppers, Veliki Slap aka the Great Waterfall! This is the highest waterfall in Croatia! If you go in the winter, it almost completely freezes over. 

After you take the small detour to see the Great Waterfall, there are 3 route options to choose from here. See the map below. 

After doing the Veliki Slap detour, continue following the signs for Route C and head past Velike Kaskade Waterfall towards Supljara Cave. To get a birds-eye view of Velike Kaskade Waterfall, you can take another detour into the Supljara Cave. 

This detour involves walking up some slippery steps into the cave and taking a trail out on the cliffs to get a great view at the top. Unfortunately, it was closed while we were there. I did include a courtesy Getty Image below to show that spectacular view you can expect.

We were planning on doing Option 1 (and doing Options 2 and 3 on our way back), but the crowds were already getting too crazy. Again, I cannot emphasize enough arriving right at opening time!

To bypass the crowds, we decided to take what I call the “Cliff Walk,” where we came across some great viewpoints of the lakes and waterfalls below.

To access the Cliff Walk, we took the steep staircase that is located left of Velike Slap (Great Waterfall) if you are facing the waterfall. When we reached the top, we turned left and hiked along the cliff until we reached the pier for Kozjak Lake. See my map again for orientation.

We tried to find this viewpoint but got a little turned around and then gave up. I’m not sure how I missed it, but here are the directions:

Once you reach the top of the steep staircase next to Velike Slap, instead of turning left to go along the Cliff Walk, turn right back towards the road and cross a small bridge. Refer back to my map earlier to get oriented.

Once you cross the wooden bridge, you will see a signpost for Restaurant Kozjak pointing you towards the left. Take the trailhead to the right, which is located right in front of that signpost.

The “Postcard View” view also known as “Vidikova Sightseeing Point” is only a few minute’s walk on that trail. Here is a courtesy image from Getty to show what you can expect from this spectacular viewpoint. Ah, so sad I missed it! Next time.

Alternatively, you can drive to the little side trail that leads to the viewpoint. GPS coordinates: 44°54’09.1″N 15°36’26.4″E

Towards the end of our Cliff Walk, we saw another gorgeous waterfall, Milanovacki Slap. It is created from Kozjak Lake (part of the Upper Lakes system) spilling over into the Milanovacki Lake (part of the Lower Lakes system). 

Once we ended our Cliff Walk, we arrived at Kozjak Lake. We took the electric boat ride from Pier P3 to Pier P2 to start our journey of discovering the Upper Lakes.

This boat ride runs every 60 minutes, so if a boat just left, you may be waiting for a while. By the time we got on the boat, the line was really starting to back up!

Although not as grand as the Lower Lakes, the Upper Lakes section still offers some spectacular waterfalls and gorgeous emerald green pools. The color of the water was similar in appearance to what we witnessed at Vintgar Gorge and Kozjak Waterfall in neighboring Slovenia.

Navigating the Upper Lakes was incredibly easy and straight forward. Just follow the boardwalks for Route C.

This was one of my favorite waterfalls in the Upper Lakes section. It is the second highest waterfall in the park.

Yet another gorgeous waterfall! The emerald green water was mesmerizing and so clear!

As we continued to navigate the wooden walkways, we were awarded with more gorgeous views of the cascading waterfalls and lakes.

Eventually, we saw signs for the St3 station. Continue to follow those signs until you reach the St3 station to take the shuttle via St2 to St1 station.

The shuttle runs every 30 minutes. Once we arrived back at the St1 station, we walked along the eastern side of the Lower Lakes canyon back to Entrance 1.

It took us 5 hours to complete Route C. Even with the rain and crowds, I am super happy we experienced the Plitvice Lakes National Park! It is certainly worth the effort.

Ok, now it is time to go through all the questions you are going to come across as you plan out your trip to Plitvice Lakes National Park.

First question: Start at Entrance 1 or 2? Does it matter?

There are two main entrances to access the park. Entrance 1 is next to the Lower Lakes and is open year-round. Entrance 2 is next to the Upper Lakes and is closed from November – March.

Some say Entrance 2 is a little less congested. What I did observe is the Lower Lakes (near Entrance 1) were by far busier than the Upper Lakes (near Entrance 2). Crowds will continue to build throughout the day.

We chose Entrance 1 and got there early in the morning, so we could experience the Lower Lakes before the bulk of the crowds arrived. Also, if you start from Entrance 1, you will be facing the Lower Lakes waterfalls as you walk versus having them at your back if you go in the opposite direction.

It depends.

If you are short on time, do a day trip. This is what we did since we only had a few days in Croatia before taking a train to Ljubljana, Slovenia.

If you arrive right at the park’s opening time, you can easily hike the trails as a day trip from Zagreb, Zadar, or Split.

If you have several leisure days, then consider overnighting near the park. Drive down the day before and visit the Upper Lakes in the mid to late afternoon. Then wake up early the next day to visit the Lower Lakes right at the opening time.

You can stay in the park, but from what I understand the accommodations are average at best.

There are, however, 3 highly-rated accommodations right outside the park that we were considering when we were trying to figure out whether we should overnight or not.

Hotel Degenija is located only 2 minutes from the park by car, or you can use the rental bicycles. It also has a pool for those hot summer months.

Booking.com: 9.3 

TripAdvisor: 4.5 

This charming accommodation has a rating of 9.9 with verified users on booking.com, which is hard to come by! Zrinka House is only a 6-minute drive from the entrance of the park.

Booking.com: An incredible 10

TripAdvisor: 5

The adorable B&B Villa Irene is located only 4 minutes from the park. Great views from the rooms!

Booking.com: 9.7

TripAdvisor: 5

The other option is to stay in Zagreb and do a day trip to the park. Due to our tight schedule, this is what we did. We stayed at Hotel Capital, which is gorgeous!

It is located in the heart of Zagreb with elegant Art Deco and Art Nouveau architecture and a beautiful modern interior. The hotel used to be a bank, and it still has the original vault in the basement. The warm, friendly staff truly made our experience exceptional.

Booking.com: 9.3

TripAdvisor: 4.5 

There are restaurants in the park, but I had heard the food was not very good and overpriced. We ate a big breakfast in the morning and then packed a few protein bars and fruit in our daypack to carry us over.

We were also saving our appetites for dinner. We had booked dinner reservations for the 1 Michelin-starred restaurant Noel in Zagreb, which was amazing by the way!

Buy your tickets online in advance, and then you can avoid the queue at the ticket booth.

Ticket costs are based on the time of the year you go. Check the official website for current prices for 2023.

When we purchased our tickets, we did not have to specify a certain time we would be entering the park. They have changed that. You now must select a time slot when you purchase your tickets online (8 am, 9 am, 10 am, etc. ) and arrive at that designated time.

They are limiting the number of daily visitors (max of 10,000 per day!), so only a certain number of tickets are sold per time slot. If you only have one day to visit the Plitvice Lakes National Park and you want a specific time slot, BOOK IN ADVANCE! Once the tickets are sold, you are out of luck and must try for another day.

Once you click on your desired time slot, it will show how many tickets are left at each entrance for your time slot. See the screenshot below.

The official website states that if the tickets online are sold out, check this link for the current number of tickets available. You can then purchase them in-person at Entrance 1 or 2 assuming they do not suddenly sell out by people also buying them on the spot.

Here are my final thoughts on making the most out of your time at this incredible park! 

1. Get there at opening time.

2. Use the restroom at the beginning of your hike because there are not many bathrooms throughout the park.

3. Buy tickets online in advance and pick the first time slot.

4. Plan your route ahead of time. My suggestion is to start at Entrance 1 and pick Route C to enjoy both the Upper and Lower Lakes.

5. Take the optional detours for the “Money Viewpoint,” “Cliff Walk,” and the “Viewpoint above the Supljara Cave.”

6. Bring a positive attitude. Expect crowds at some point during your hike. Just realize everyone is here to enjoy the same experience as you are. Enjoy!

Questions about our Plitvice Lakes experience?

Let me know in the comments below!