When I booked my trip to Croatia, I knew that a visit to Plitvice Lakes would be one of the highlights of my trip. For years I had dreamed of going there, to see with my own eyes what is probably one of the most beautiful places in Croatia.

The Plitvice Lakes are part of the Plitvice Lakes National Park, which has an area of about 300 km2. The Park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979 and is mainly divided into two parts: the upper lakes and the lower lakes, totalling 16 lakes.

However, if you really want to enjoy it even more calmly, I suggest spending a night inside the park (or in the various accommodations available nearby). This way, you can let yourself be enchanted a bit longer by the beautiful landscapes of the Plitvice Lakes National Park.

However, the only real recommendation is this: you should at least try spending one full day in the park. Spending half a day or less at the park will seem like nothing.

If summers are known to be hot and less likely to rain, on the other hand the number of visitors is much higher and so is the ticket price. In winter, don’t be surprised to find many parts of the park covered in snow.

Every season brings a different kind of beauty to the Plitivice Lakes, that’s for sure! However, if I had to recommend a time to visit the Plitivice Lakes I would suggest May, June, September and October. These months are less crowded and in May and October, you’ll also be able to save on the ticket price 😉

There are several timetables available, so you can choose the one that interests you most 😊

💡 EXTRA TIP: Most buses stop at both entrances of the park! However, I recommend that you confirm before booking your trip whether the two stops actually exist!

Although it is a campsite with space for caravans and even for those who travel only with a tent, Camping Plitvice has other options available, such as their mobile homes. And that’s exactly where I stayed 😊

The mobile homes are very comfortable and can accommodate up to 6 people. They have two bedrooms, two bathrooms and, if you wish, there is a third removable bed that can accommodate two additional people. The houses also have a very pleasant outdoor space for sunnier days and a fully equipped kitchen.

Regarding the restaurant, besides the normal meal service during the day, you can also choose to include breakfast in your room rate. We tried this option and found the service very complete and with quality products! In addition, the service at reception was exceptional 🥰

It may seem like a high price in high season (and indeed it is!), but the park is truly amazing and this price already includes the use of the shuttle and the boat crossing inside the park.

💡 EXTRA TIP: From June to September, there is a slightly cheaper option (around 200 kn), but it involves entering the park only from 4 pm (or from 3 pm in September). Considering that the price difference is not that significant and that you would be limiting the time of your visit quite a bit, I would not recommend this option.

There is also the possibility to buy a two-day ticket, and the price for the second day is much cheaper 😉 By the way, if you stay in some of the accommodations inside the park (for example, the Hotel Jezero or the Hotel Plitvice), the 2nd day entrance fee is offered.

Again, I recommend you check the most up-to-date information about the parking prices here.

💡 EXTRA TIP: In some cases, it may be worth staying in one of the accommodations inside the park in order to save the park fee. However, in my case, the price of the accommodations clearly would not compensate for a full day of parking. So assess well before deciding 😊

Although there is not necessarily a correct answer I would recommend starting near entrance 1. Entrance 1 is closest to the Lower Lakes and the most famous waterfall in the park (Veliki waterfall). If you have limited time available to visit the Plitvice Lakes, this might be the best option.

Also, this way you will walk most of the time with the waterfalls in front of you and not the other way around, as happens in some parts of the trail if you start at entrance 2.

In my case, I opted for a combination of several trails so I could visit the Lower Lakes, the Upper Lakes, ride the boat and the shuttle, as well as enjoy incredible views over the lakes in some viewpoints already outside the “official” park area. And now I’ll explain you how to walk that trail 😊

I arrived in Plitvice at 9:00 a.m. and started the trail at the entrance 1. From there I followed all directions to the most majestic waterfall – Veliki Slap. Right at the start of the trail, you immediately have good opportunities to photograph the waterfall in all its splendour.

After the Veliki waterfall, I continued to follow the A/B/C/K trails (properly marked throughout the park). At one point we took a diversion to visit the Šupljara Cave. 

You only have to climb a few steps to visit this rather dark cave and at the top they have interesting views over the lakes!

After this short diversion, we continued towards Kozjak Lake until we found a bridge over the lake. There we turned left towards the panoramic bus station (look for signs indicating the station – ST1). We took the opportunity to rest a bit while waiting for the bus!

From there we continued to ST3 station (note that although it does not indicate ST1 station, the bus goes to ST3, stopping first at ST2). 

💡 EXTRA TIP: The panoramic bus connects 3 different points of the park (St1, St2 and St3) and runs every 30 minutes. I remind you that the trip is already included in the price of the ticket! You can check its working hours here.

When we got out at the ST3 station, we started looking for the signs indicating route H towards Lake Kozjak. Here we were already in the part of the Upper Lakes.

The walk to the lake is still a bit long, so somewhere along the way it can be a great idea to stop for lunch (if you bring a snack, of course!). It’s hard to find a restaurant with a more beautiful view than this 😉 There are a few benches along the way where you can sit and have lunch.

We then continued to the station, where we took the boat to pier P3. The ride is almost idyllic and you could barely hear the people on the boat despite it being full. It seemed like everyone was there simply enjoying the moment 🥰

Next to pier P3 they have one of the biggest restaurant areas, with several tables and chairs. We took the opportunity to have a coffee while we rested a bit more!

And now it was time to make a short diversions “outside the park” to go visit the best viewpoints of the Plitvice Lakes. With the pier in front of you, basically you have to walk left towards entrance 1.

You will come to a paved street and at some point there is a junction. Again, we turn left following the sign indicating “Selo Plitvica”. A few meters ahead, we reached a part of the road where cars pass and as soon as we saw an opening in the vegetation, we entered. 

The route through the vegetation runs parallel to the asphalt road and there are several viewpoints along the way. It is not very difficult to find them as you just have to follow the openings through the vegetation.

At the last viewpoint there are some steep stairs up to the Veliki waterfall. However, when I visited in June 2022, the stairs were closed, which meant we had to turn back and walk a significant part of the way back to entrance 1. Anyway, I recommend a walk through these viewpoints. In total we covered about 12 km and it was a very pleasant walk (difficulty level: easy).

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