Visiting Plitvice Lakes in Croatia

Do you like roaring waterfalls, breathtaking views, and brilliant blue waters? Then visiting Plitvice Lakes in Croatia is the place for you.

With today’s current climate of global travel, many countries are closed to the average traveler. Then you have other countries that are open but make you jump through hoops to get there.

Croatia, known as the jewel of the Adriatic, is open. In fact, Croatia has been open throughout most of the pandemic, standing in stark defiance of the European Union.

When Europe slammed their doors on the world, Croatia kept theirs open. 

As of the date this is posted, testing is required to enter (72 hours prior), with exemptions for the fully vaccinated or those who have recently recovered from COVID. No quarantine is currently required.

Interested? Good.

One of Croatia’s most popular tourist destinations, Plitvice Lakes National Park, is a UNESCO heritage site made up of sixteen lakes of varying colors that cascade into each other through a series of waterfalls.

Interested yet? You should be. This park is as beautiful as it is serene.

WHERE TO FIND IT

Plitvice Lakes, also known as Plitvička Jezera National Park, is located in the middle of Croatia. It’s one hour and forty minutes from Zadar, two hours from Zagreb, and three hours from Pula.

Or, if I’m driving, five hours from Pula. Still worth it though!

EXPLORING

When you’re visiting Plitvice Lakes, the name of the game is walking. The lakes here are spread just close enough that you’re always getting a great view. But at the same time, you’re going to need to move from lake to lake in order to see all of the waterfalls that connect them.

So after a full day, if you walk the entire park, you can expect to have some tired feet. I know mine were.

THE TRAILS

If you look at these official maps you should be able to follow me, even if for some mind boggling reason they don’t have a master map with all of the trails shown and labeled together. This map does exist in the park…just not on the official website.

There are eight different trails you can “hike” while visiting Plitvice Lakes. I use the term hike lightly because many of these trails have a manmade walkway. On top of that, none of the trails are particularly challenging.

The seven main trails are as follows:

• Trail A 2.2 miles –  starts/ends at Entrance 1
• Trail B 2.5 miles – starts/ends at Entrance 1
• Trail C 5 miles – starts/ends at Entrance 2
• Trail E 3.2 miles – starts/ends at Entrance 2
• Trail F 2.9 miles – starts/ends at Entrance 2
• Trail H 5.6 miles – starts/ends at Entrance 1
• Trail K 11.5 miles – starts/ends at Entrance 1

Yes, I know I said there are eight but for some reason they don’t like to provide much information about the eighth. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s haunted? I didn’t quite get a supernatural vibe from it, but the sun hadn’t set yet so who knows.

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So what’s best?

If you’re looking to get the best bang for your buck, Trails C and H will be your best bet, as they will each take you to both the upper and lower sections of the park.

As you can see from the maps, these two trails (C and H) are quite thorough.

The main difference between the two is that with Trail C you are primarily walking uphill and taking the shuttle bus downhill. Trail H is the opposite. On Trail H you walk downhill and take the shuttle bus uphill.

I started at Entrance 2 as it was the easiest to reach based on what my GPS showed me. From here, what I did, and what was suggested by the man at the ticketing window, was to walk Trail H, starting in the middle. Upon reaching the end, I took the shuttle down to Entrance 1 and then finished the rest of H.

Don’t be afraid to combine trails!

I did divert from H occasionally, but not by much, and I was always headed in the same direction.

Do make sure that you pay attention to the signs though because it is easy to get sidetracked with how often the trails intersect each other. Note where I said my path occasionally diverted? Well, it wasn’t intentional. It wasn’t a big deal though because there’s always something to see.

If you’re worried about missing anything, just be sure to find Veliki Slap. This is the big waterfall. There will be signs to help lead you there. Unfortunately, its size will be determined by the time of year. I went in September around the end of the dry season so it wasn’t exactly firing at full speed.

If you’re coming for multiple days, you may want to choose separate upper and lower trails and take your time but I’m not a fan of this.

HOW LONG TO STAY

So how much time do you need? I’ve seen a few opinions on this. I personally think that one full day is ideal.

Some others may tell you two days, but as I said, I’m not a fan. In my opinion, two days is overkill. That’s because unless you’re a slow mover, you can easily make it from end to end and then take the shuttle bus back to your gate.

Okay, even if you aren’t able to make it all the way because five miles is a lot of walking, how do you prioritize your time? Don’t get me wrong, it’s absolutely beautiful. But the lakes, while each is slightly different, they’re just not different enough for me personally to justify a second day there.

Then of course you run into the classic “What am I going to do until the following day?” dilemma too. The area is quite rural so depending on your choice you may be wasting valuable time.

Again, this is just my opinion on the matter, but if you’ve been following my travels, then you know that I don’t like wasting time.

COST

Ticket prices vary depending on when you go. This carries over to crowds as well.

• Jan, Feb, March & Nov, December: 80 HRK ($11.85)
• May & October: 180 HRK ($26.50)
• June, July, August, September: 300 HRK ($44.50)

Even though it was empty due to COVID, I went at the end of what’s considered high season so I had to pay the full amount. Budget be damned though! This isn’t a natural wonder that I’d have been happy with missing.

If you’re planning on visiting for two days there is a discount offered.  There are also discounts for those with disabilities.

Yes! You can visit if you have a disability. It might not be the easiest, and some things may be a bit more complex while others, like trying to go down the stairs and into the cave might be an impossibility. But I did come across a post on the Handi’n’Happy blog detailing how these lakes can be enjoyed by all. You can find that post HERE.

CROWDS

Now this one is tricky. I went to Plitvice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yes, yes… I know. I’ve heard it countless times now. But putting that aside, I was presented with a unique opportunity. And that was being able to see the normally heavily tourist trafficked Croatia without the tourists.

The park wasn’t completely empty while I was there, but it was close enough. There were times where there would be nobody nearby and times when there would be only four or five others.

I’ve seen pictures where the walkways are packed with tourists. Depending on your views, this may or may not have an effect on your enjoyment of the park. I know that had I been in that mess I’d have dealt with it, but I wouldn’t have been able to fully enjoy myself. I also  wouldn’t have been able to capture any of the long exposures that I managed to take (the walkways bounce when people walk on them).

Would I have let this stop me from going? Not at all. Like I said, I’d have dealt with it.

Now do you have the ability to do something about it? Absolutely! You could opt to go in the shoulder season of May or October. I hear it’s beautiful with the fall leaves changing color.

Is it worth visiting in the low season just to avoid crowds? Probably not!

I would advise against visiting Croatia in the winter. Even if you’re trying to avoid the crowds.

Aside from the obvious of the lakes potentially being frozen, I spoke to many locals who said that along the coast and on the islands especially, the winds get so bitterly cold that the Croatian islands largely get shut down.

Yes, I know that we’re talking about visiting Plitvice Lakes National Park, which is well inland, but would you be okay with visiting Croatia and not enjoying the coast or heading out to an island?

The islands are as beautiful as can be. But that’s a story for another day.

GETTING TO PLITVICE LAKES

So how do you get to Plitvice Lakes, and why did it take me five hours instead of the normal three? Well, I have the attention span of a bug. And when I’m driving in areas that use kilometers, I occasionally treat the distance the same as miles, which may kinda sorta get me to drive past my exit without noticing. Oops.

Now for those actually paying attention to the roads, driving is still your best bet.

Due to this, my advice is to rent a car for the duration of your time in Croatia, as it will open up more possibilities, including driving to Plitvice.

Visiting Plitvice Lakes National Park by car is easy with how close it is to the major cities such as Zadar (hour and forty), Zagreb (two hours), Split (two and a half hours), and Pula (three hours) so driving yourself shouldn’t be too big of a deal.

In your GPS, just enter, “National Park Plitvicka Jezera Entrance 1” or “Parking Plitvice Entrance 2” and you’re golden.

Rent a car, but do your research on prices!

Normally, I’m a firm proponent of taking the train when traveling in Europe. But in Croatia, their train network isn’t nearly as extensive as in other parts of the continent. I didn’t see a single train while I was there! Do they even have trains? Yeah, they do exist, but you’re going to have a much more difficult time getting around, especially along the coast.

Renting a car isn’t always the most budget friendly option so make sure that you shop around, and book it in advance. If you do your homework, you can find one for as little as $6 per day.

Personally, I ran into a bit of trouble with my rental. I had planned on renting one in Pula but when my final flight was canceled, I found myself sitting in Zadar at 11PM with precious few options. In the end, including the “drop-off at a different location” option, the rental ended up costing almost three times the amount it should have.

To say that I was less than thrilled is a bit of an understatement, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, and wasting almost twenty-four hours waiting on the next available flight wasn’t an option.

Other options

The bus is always a great option for those not wishing to rent a car. You’ll be able to find the schedule for your specific date on buscroatia.com. Prices will vary depending on when you’re going so expect to pay anywhere from $14 to $25 for a one-way trip. Just be aware that the return schedule is much more sparse so getting back may be an issue depending on how much time you want to spend there.

Any questions about visiting Plitvice Lakes? Ask me in the comments below! Also don’t forget to like and share if you enjoyed reading this or found it helpful!

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