2 nights in Plitvice Lakes National Park

Plitvice Lakes is a stunning UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Croatia and is a photographer’s paradise!  When you visit this area, make sure your phone and camera batteries are fully charged because you will be taking a LOT of photos!

This magnificent area is probably the most beautiful place we have ever been.  A big statement, I know, but I can’t really think of anywhere that I’ve been to that beats it.  Particularly as it has so much within such a limited area.  It’s not just the lakes, waterfalls and cascades but all the surrounding area is just idyllic – an adult wonderland perfectly describes the area.

Comprising 16 lakes on various levels split into upper lakes and lower lakes, there is a plethora of waterfalls and cascades feeding from one lake to another.  The surrounding forest is also very beautiful, and the water colour in the lakes is an exquisite but changeable colour, depending on the minerals in the water and the sunlight.  The water is also very, very clear.  All the paths and boardwalks are well signposted and make walking easy.  And there is something beautiful to see everywhere you walk – a visual feast!

Unlike the Krka Waterfalls, also in Croatia, you cannot swim here.  Keeps the water pure I guess!  And it would probably be too cold for swimming anyway. The climate here is not as warm as some of the well-known coastal areas of Croatia although they can have hot days in summer.  And as you would expect, it is more elevated than the coastal areas and has more rainfall.  Usually most rainfall there occurs in Spring and Autumn and during winter it can snow and the lakes may freeze over!

We went in the latter half of September and the weather was not great.  Cold, very overcast and a bit wet and foggy in the morning.  Thunderstorms the night before too!  So, some of you may consider staying for two full days to allow for dodgy weather and to more thoroughly cover the area.

Getting to Plitvice Lakes

The nearest airport is Zagreb, Croatia’s capital.  From there you can drive or catch a bus which seems to be how most tourists travel there.  Some just do a day tour but this doesn’t give you as much time and you’d be there at the busiest times of the day with lots of other day trippers.  I would really recommend doing what we did – spend two nights at the Lakes so that you get a full day there!  Buses also travel from Split (where we travelled from) and from Zadar.  We used the Rio2Rome website for booking our buses which was great.  And I would definitely book ahead as our bus was totally full.

We were warned that the buses are not always very prompt in Croatia.  However, we found our buses to and from the Lakes left on time although the arrival times were about half an hour late.  We were also advised to “get to the bus stop a little early in case the bus leaves early, although it probably won’t and will more than likely leave late”!  So when we were leaving the lakes, we did arrive at the bus stop quite a bit before it was due to leave and we had a great chat with some Hong Kong and South African tourists.  Another reason to arrive at the bus stop early!

Where to stay

There are two entrances to the park – Entrance 1 and Entrance 2.  So if you don’t have your own car, you will probably want to stay within walking distance from one of the two entrances (which is where the bus stops are located). 

Reconstruction of visitor facilities at Entrance 1 has recently started on 11 October, 2019.  I don’t know how long this work will go on for, but check the Park’s website and in the meantime you may want to stay near Entrance 2. 

There are a few hotels near Entrance 2 and private accommodation around both entrances too.  Campgrounds are available some kilometres away.  If you have a car you may prefer to stay in better priced accommodation in the villages on the way to the park.

Getting in and around the lakes

Firstly, make sure you book your tickets in advance.  It gets very busy and you may not get in when you want to otherwise.  When you book online, you will nominate the hour you want to enter the park and which entrance you want.  The two entrances are a bit spread out (if you are walking) so you will want to know where you are staying first.  The park opens at 7am and I would advise going early to miss the crowds. We bought our tickets for 8am and found there weren’t too many people around till around 11:30am/noon.  Also, the route we took helped us to have a few hours without the big crowds.  For more info on tickets and prices click here.

There are various routes available, ranging from 3 kms to 18 kms, and you will receive a map when you enter the park to help you decide which path to take.  For some more detailed information, click here.  There are various toilet and café locations within the park and there are small boats and buses to take you around also.  All boat and bus transfers are included in the cost of your ticket. 

Suggested Route

Our suggested route which worked well for us is to:

• Enter at Entrance 2 and catch the bus up to Station 3 at the very top of the lakes.
• Then walk down through the upper lakes to P2 boat station and take the longer boat ride to P3 boat station. 
• Continue walking through the lower lakes (make sure you take the path to the ‘big waterfall’) and eventually you will walk around to Station 1, via several lookouts, and catch the bus back to your starting point.

Allowing for a couple of coffee/lunch breaks and the time spent taking heaps of photos you will spend most of the day here.  And it will be one of your best holiday days ever!

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Hope you’ve enjoyed this Travel Inspiration from an Empty Nester!