Plitvice Lakes - experience the Plitvice National Park

Updated 2023 - Plitvice Lakes in Croatia is a national park and nature reserve with dramatic waterfalls, beautiful lakes and vast green forests. We visited Plitvice National Park in October in the autumn, and there was so much water that the waterfalls almost overflowed their banks. Regardless of the season, this is an extraordinary nature experience.

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Plitvice Lakes in Croatia

The Plitvice Lakes in Croatia are located in Lika-Senjs and Karlovac counties, roughly in the centre of the country. There are a total of eight national parks in Croatia and Plitvice National Park (Plitvice Lakes) is one of the most famous. It's no wonder - this has to be one of Europe's most beautiful natural areas, and the lakes and waterfalls are fantastic to wander around.

16 large lakes in the national park

The Plitvice Lakes in Croatia have been created by the Korana River forming 16 lakes, all surrounded by dense green vegetation. The lakes are divided into two groups, the upper and lower groups. The larger lakes in the upper group are called Prošćansko, Ciginovac, Okrugljak veliko, Galovac and Gradinsko. The two largest lakes in the lower group are Kozjak and Milanovac.

Plitvicesjöarna - Plitvice National Park

The oldest forests in Croatia

The natural area around the lakes is home to the oldest forests in Croatia and contains over 1460 different species or subspecies of plants. The park is also notable for its many species of butterflies, moths, dragonflies and various bird species. Birds of prey such as eagles and falcons can be seen, and bears, wolves and lynxes roam deep in the forests.

Unesco World Heritage

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, the national park is a popular destination for tourists from all over the world. Many Europeans are seen here, but also many Asian tourists. Plitvice Lakes is the oldest and largest national park in Croatia, located in the mountainous region between the Mala Kapela mountain range to the west and northwest, and the Lička Plješivica mountain range to the southeast.

Visiting the Plitvice Lakes

Plitvice National Park is a large area and you can enter the park via two different entrances: "Entrance 1" (the northern entrance) or "Entrance 2" (the southern entrance). We entered at "Entrance 1" one day in October and the price included boat rides and shuttle buses in the area. You can also book a 2-day ticket. The park is big, so it is not difficult to spend two days here if you want to.

Highest waterfall Veliki Slap

Entering via "Entrance 1", you quickly reach the large waterfall "Veliki Slap". This waterfall is the highest in the national park, with a drop of more than 78 metres. The view here is truly breathtaking and you can stand and watch for hours.

Four different trails in Plitvice Lakes

There are four different trails in the park, of varying lengths. The trails are marked with signs in different colours, so that you can continue to follow the right trail. Some parts of the trails are on wooden walkways that run over the water, past rippling water and countless small beautiful waterfalls.

Boats, rowing boats and shuttle buses

You don't just have to get around the park on foot. If you want, you can combine the walk with shuttle buses, rowing boats or silent electric boats. We walked a short distance, and then took a trip across one of the lakes in an electric boat. What a great day!

Due to heavy rain and flooding, parts of the park were closed, so one day seemed to be just right. If the whole park had been open, we would probably have bought a 2-day pass and spent a little more time here.

Caves on the Plitvice Lakes

There is a cave system, Baraćeve špilje, located just outside the national park. Here you can book a guided tour of around 40 minutes if you want. We never did that, but were content to look around the cave-like area just inside the entrance.

Plitvice National Park in October

When we were here, it had rained a lot so there was an unusual amount of water flowing everywhere ... Considering the amount of tourists we met in the national park in October (busload after busload of Chinese), we guess that it must be crowded in August. In that sense, October was just the right month to visit the Plitvice Lakes. It was also a pleasant climate for long walks today.

On the other hand, it had rained a lot, so it was really wet. Large parts of the park were flooded and some parts were even closed off. It was an occasionally exciting and wet walk in the stunningly beautiful national park.

Plitvice national park - en magisk pärla i Kroatien — It was "quite" wet on the nice walking paths in Plitvice ...

Hiking trails around Plitvice National Park

Because of its dense, impenetrable forests, this unexplored area was once called 'the devil's gardens'. Tales of the Black Queen, sea elves, icy winters, mountain giants and wild forest animals. Today you will find top-class hiking trails around peaks and mountains like Medevak with its three peaks, offering panoramic views of the Plitvice Lakes and idyllic villages. Information boards are set up along the trails to provide interesting facts about the ecosystem.

Oštri Medveđak (899 metres above sea level)

The first elevation and trail represents the highest Medveđak peak, overlooking Lička Plješivica, Una River Valley (Bihać), Korana River Valley and the towns and villages of Drežnik Grad, Selište Drežničko, Rakovica, Vaganac and Ličko Petrovo Selo.

Tupi Medveđak (868 metres above sea level)

The second hiking trail is an impressive peak that offers a magnificent view of 6 lakes (Prošćansko Lake, Ciginovac, Okrugljak, Galovac, Gradinsko Lake and Kozjak), Lička Plješivica and Mala Kapela.

Turčić (801 metres above sea level)

From Turčić, the third trail and the lowest peak of the Medveđak trio, you can admire the view of Lake Kozjak, the Great Falls and its surroundings, the Jezero Hotel and the villages of Poljana and Plitvica. If the weather is good, there are unobstructed views of Bjelolasica, the largest mountain in the Velika Kapela massif.

Čorkova bay hiking trail 21 km long

The start of this trail is at Labudovac and you seek out the trail called Plitvica, to Čorkova Uvala Village and back over Mt Preka Kosa where it joins the Plitvica trail again and leads on to the ship dock at Kozjačka draga. Maps are available at the entrances

Plitvica trail (hiking trail) 9 km long

The beginning of this trail is also at Labudovac where it branches off from the "Čorkova uvala" trail where it reconnects with the "Čorkova Uvala" trail which continues downstream along the Plitvica stream to the large waterfall and the Kozjačka draga jetty. Maps are available at the entrances

Camping Bear camp

We visited the Plitvice Lakes by motorhome and first checked in at the slightly nicer (and slightly more expensive) campsite. Camp Tourist Grabovac - only to discover that the promised WiFi didn't work at all... We checked out again after half an hour and moved to the small place. Bear Camp, which is a simple little campsite in an uncle's garden. This place was simple, but the WiFi worked like a charm!

Bear Camp vid Plitvice National Park — Bear Camp at Plitvice National Park, where we stood with the motorhome in the pouring rain.

Winter around Plitvice Lakes

Skiing has been a part of winter tourism offered by the Plitvice Lakes National Park since the 1980s. The Mukinje ski resort and the village of Mukinje located about 5 kilometres from entrance 1.

The resort has a ski lift up to 700 metres above sea level with several ski trails. In addition to skiing and snowboarding, sledding, snow barrels and sledges can be hired on site. On weekends, when the slopes are full of snow, night skiing under floodlights is also organised.

More national parks in Croatia

There are seven more national parks in Croatia. We have visited two of them, and can highly recommend visits to both. Click on the links to read more!

Krka National Park
Brijuni National Park
Kornati Islands
Mljet
Paklenica National Park
Risnjak
Northern Velebit

More things to see and do in the neighbourhood of Plitvicejöarma

There is of course much more to see in the vicinity of the Plitvice Lakes. For example, you can visit cities such as Opatija, Zagreb or Zadar, or perhaps make an excursion to Island of Pag. Below you will find even more tips.

Facts about Plitvice Lakes in Croatia

Country: Croatia
County: Lika-Senj County and Karlovac County
Name: Plitvice Lakes or Plitvice National Park (Croatian: Nacionalni park Plitvička jezera)
Established: Year 1949
Historical events: In the spring of 1991, during the break-up of Yugoslavia and the Croatian war of independence, the "Bloody Easter of Plitvice" took place, an armed confrontation with several deaths.
World Heritage: UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. In 2000 it was extended by 10,020 hectares and now a total of 29,482 hectares are covered.
Enter: Entrance 1 (Rastovača car park with 1000 spaces), Entrance 2 (Hladovina car park with 1200 spaces) and Flora (no parking).

Lakes, rivers and waterfalls

Lakes: The park consists of 16 lakes named Prošćansko Lake, Lake Ciginovac, Lake Okrugljak, Lake Batinovac, Veliko jezero, Malo jezero, Lake Vir, Lake Galovac, Milino Lake, Gradinsko Lake, Lake Veliki Burget, Lake Kozjak, Lake Milanovac, Gavanovac, Kaluđerovac and Novakovića Brod.
Rivers: Korana, Plitvica, Bijela Rijeka (white river) and Crna Rijeka (black river).
Vattenfall: Veliki Slap, Sastavci Slap (at Novakovica bridge), Veliki Prštavac (at Lake Gradinsko), Slapovi Milke Trnine (between Lakes Milanovac and Gavanovac), Milanovački Slap (between Lakes Kozjak and Milanovacko) and Galovački Buk (at the upper lakes).

Animals and nature

Caves: Baraćeve špilje and Gajina pećina (both caves are just outside the park).
Flora: The park contains over 1460 different species or subspecies of plants.
Fauna: These include 321 species of butterflies and moths. There are also 80 species of moths and 163 species of birds. The 58 species of mammals include bears, wolves, lynx and otters.

Things to do in the National Park

Activities: Hiking, caving, boat trips, boat hire, guided tours, cycling, climbing and educational trails.
Hiking trails: Medvjeđak (10.1 km, easy), Čorkova Uvala (21 km, medium), Plitvica trail (9 km, easy), Gola Plješevica (13.6 km) and Mrsinj-grad (4.5 km).
Cycle tracks: Oko Mrsinja (36 km), Obroncima Plješevice (36.5 km), Gola Plješevica (44.9 km), Popolju (16.8 km) and The trial (20.9 km).

Opening hours Plitvice Lakes

Plitvice National Park is open 365 days a year, but opening hours may vary. Tickets are sold until 15:00. Please note that opening hours are subject to change - for current opening hours see national park website.
Winter (from the last Sunday of October): Open 8-16 (last entry 14:00)
Our (from the last Sunday in March): Open 08-19 (last entry 17:00)
Summer (1 June - 20 August): Open 07-20 (last entry 18:00).
Autumn (21 August - last Saturday in October): Open 07-19 until 30 September (last entry 17:00), then 08-18 (last entry 16:00).

Prices in the National Park

Prices vary depending on the season, age and number of people, and on whether you buy a one-day or two-day ticket. Please note that prices are subject to change and that Croatia will switch to euros in 2023 - for current prices see national park website.
Adults pay between €30 for a one-day ticket and around €50 for a 2-day ticket in the high season.
Children 7-18 years old pay about €12 for a one-day ticket and about €26 for a 2-day ticket.
Children up to 7 year and people with disabilities (at least 50 %) enter free of charge.

Services at Plitvice Lakes

Food establishments can be found mainly at the entrances to Plitvice National Park. There are also some simple catering facilities inside the national park, at boat and bus stops.
Restaurants include Lička kuća (opposite entrance 1), restaurant Poljana (at Velika poljana) and restaurant Borje (D-1 state road, 15 km from Plitvice Lakes).
Bistros and buffet restaurants include Kozjačka draga (by Lake Kozjak), Hladovina bistro (at entrance 2), Buffet Labudovac (by Lake Prošćansko and station 3), Bistro Vučnica (in the village of Mukinje, 2 km from entrance 2), Buffet Kupalište (by Lake Kozjak) and Buffet Slap (at entrance 1).
Cafés include Rapajinka café (at station 1) and Flora café (at station 2).
Picnic areas with benches can be found here and there along the hiking trails.

Accommodation at Plitvice Lakes

Hotel: There are various hotels nearby, including Hotel Grabovac, Hotel Plitvice, Hotel Bellevue and Hotel Jezero.
Guesthouses: It is also possible to stay in guesthouses, for example in the village of Jezerce.
Camping: There are several campsites in the area, including Kamp Korana, Kamp Borje, Kamp Turist Grabovac and Bear Camp.

Travelling to Plitvice Lakes in Croatia

Car: You can easily reach Plitvice National Park with your own car or a rented car. Driving time from Zagreb is about 2 hours, from Rijeka about 2 hours, from Split about 2.5 hours and from Dubrovnik almost 5 hours.
Bus: You can also travel by bus and buses leave from many different locations in Croatia, such as Zagreb, Zadar, Rijeka, Split and Dubrovnik. Find out more at BussCroatia.com.
Trains: The nearest train station is in Vrhovine, 5 kilometres from Plitvice Lakes, but there is no further transport from there.

Helena

16 October 2015 17:24

Croatia

Motorhome holiday Croatia, nature, attraction, UNESCO heritage, unique nature europe

Helena

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31 Comments

Add yours →

Linnea says:

We considered going there from Krk last summer but felt that it was a bit far and that we would probably be crowded a lot :/ How lucky that you went there instead so I got to see some nice pictures as a consolation 🙂 .
Greetings Linnea

16 October 2015 - 17:40

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Åsa says:

Looks great!

16 October 2015 - 17:49

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BP says:

Absolutely marvellous views! Oh the weather seems to have had your excursion in mind. Yes, I do not mean that parts of the park were closed but that the sun shone on you today:-)

16 October 2015 - 18:22

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Jan Svensson says:

Absolutely beautiful pictures, looks amazing!

16 October 2015 - 18:48

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Rolle o Carina says:

Oooh so beautiful, luckily we follow your Blog 🙂 .

Have fun and enjoy....:-)

16 October 2015 - 18:51

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Comment by post author

admin says:

Linnea, I can understand your reasoning, although I highly recommend a visit to Plitvice! Very beautiful, but probably very crowded in the summer.

Åsa, absolutely fantastic actually! 🙂

BP, a bit of "skill" was involved, or planning you should call it. haha. It is raining a lot now so we have followed the forecast closely and aimed for the day that looked best 😉.

Jan Svensson, the nature here is really amazing!

Rolle and Carina, from time to time we find extra nice places! 🙂

16 October 2015 - 19:12

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Marianne - Glimt av verden says:

Plitvice is a place I hope to visit one day, it looks very nice! The picture with the text "Beautiful walking paths through Plitvice National Park" was absolutely beautiful!

16 October 2015 - 19:24

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s p i n d e l t j e j e n says:

Isn't it amazing!!! 🙂

16 October 2015 - 19:44

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Lennart says:

So beautiful!

16 October 2015 - 20:19

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Comment by post author

admin says:

Marianne, glad you like the picture! We can definitely recommend a visit to Plitvice if you get the chance!

Spider girl, great to see your pictures! Very nice! We recognise ourselves in them, while it looks a little different in the summer heat. A fantastic place!

Lennart, sometimes you are amazed that nature can be so beautiful!

16 October 2015 - 20:46

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Maria says:

Wow, so incredibly beautiful place! 🙂

17 October 2015 - 9:10

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Steve says:

Fantastic! Dizzying just to look at the pictures.

17 October 2015 - 9:31

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Ama de casa says:

Gosh, how beautiful! Maybe a bonus after all that it has rained so much - great!
🙂

17 October 2015 - 12:49

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Ditte says:

So beautiful! Realise more and more that Croatia should get more visits from us. Very nice pictures!
But avoiding a European peak season is probably a big plus.

17 October 2015 - 15:22

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Kors och Tvärs says:

Incredibly beautiful. Cool with all the water masses rushing forward, luckily you didn't slip in 🙂 .

17 October 2015 - 17:03

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Comment by post author

admin says:

Maria, incredibly beautiful! One of the highlights of the trip! 🙂

Steve, really staggering on location too! 🙂

Ama de casa, the water masses were probably much cooler, which was great! 🙂

Ditte, we can definitely recommend a visit to Croatia! And yes, as usual, it is more pleasant if you avoid the worst high season 😉.

Across and across, yes you had to look around in a few places 😉 .

17 October 2015 - 17:41

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Helena says:

Such beautiful pictures! So fun to read about your experience there and see your beautiful pictures!

18 October 2015 - 16:24

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Comment by post author

admin says:

Helena, thank you and glad you enjoyed reading about our visit! A fantastic national park!

18 October 2015 - 16:31

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Casa Annika says:

What incredible places you visit, places I never knew existed! I am reading and enjoying!

19 October 2015 - 0:29

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Hamaca Reiseblogg says:

Oh, Plitvice is really beautiful! I was there at the end of May last year and there were also some tourists, but still not full since it was still early in the season. Looks like you got great autumn colours there now! The landscape looks even more adventurous than when we were there!

19 October 2015 - 20:40

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Comment by post author

admin says:

Casa Annika, we also discover many places we haven't heard of before. Plitvice was amazing!

Hamaca Reiseblog, glad you also visited this amazing place! May is surely a good month as well, a bit before the biggest tourist flow 😉.

20 October 2015 - 7:53

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Deciree says:

Thank you very much Helena for all the nice pictures:) I have gone back and looked at everything you have posted on the blog, regarding Croatia. We talked about this park right now at home. Knew that I read with you about it... so it was great 🙂 Thanks again.

20 January 2016 - 17:24

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Caroline King says:

What beautiful pictures!

25 February 2016 - 21:22

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- Comment by post author
  
  admin says:
  
  Caroline, thank you! Plitvice National Park is a grateful motif because it is so beautiful 🙂 .
  
  26 February 2016 - 8:52
  
  Reply
Catharina Fundin says:

Lovely repotage in Allt om Resor, perfect for us who are going to Zadar now at the end of May, thought to go and stay in Sibenik first 3 nights and then visit Krka national park, then stay last 4 nights in Zadar. Thinking about doing a canoe safari in Kastel Segarski, or Plitvice national park. But a little tight to do everything. Which park do you recommend most, or what do you think about canoe safaris?
Is it bad to stay in both places? Better to stay in Zadar? Tips are gladly received!

04 May 2016 - 9:15

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Glad you liked our report! We thought that Plitvice was most worth visiting and then Krka, it is probably the most talked about too. We haven't tried a canoe safari ... but it sounds nice.
  
  09 May 2017 - 19:21
  
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Linda, 155cm.se says:

All your posts about the Balkans are fab! Just what I need to get an overview of where to prioritise going this summer!

19 February 2017 - 23:06

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  It's great to hear that you appreciate our posts! 🙂
  
  09 May 2017 - 19:21
  
  Reply
Nina says:

Hello!
Do you know if you can take a dog with you?

08 May 2017 - 13:47

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- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  We didn't think about the dog thing when we were in Plitvice, but I have talked to a woman who checked it out, and she wrote that you can have a leashed dog in the park. It might be worth checking out the park's website as well: http://www.np-plitvicka-jezera.hr/en/
  
  09 May 2017 - 19:24
  
  Reply
Linda, resamedvetet.se says:

Nice post and good info for me who is thinking about whether to go there. Thank you very much!

20 July 2017 - 9:24

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Plitvice Lakes - experience the Plitvice National Park

Plitvice Lakes in Croatia

16 large lakes in the national park

The oldest forests in Croatia

Unesco World Heritage

Visiting the Plitvice Lakes

Highest waterfall Veliki Slap

Four different trails in Plitvice Lakes

Boats, rowing boats and shuttle buses

Caves on the Plitvice Lakes

Plitvice National Park in October

Hiking trails around Plitvice National Park

Oštri Medveđak (899 metres above sea level)

Tupi Medveđak (868 metres above sea level)

Turčić (801 metres above sea level)

Čorkova bay hiking trail 21 km long

Plitvica trail (hiking trail) 9 km long

Camping Bear camp

Winter around Plitvice Lakes

More national parks in Croatia

More things to see and do in the neighbourhood of Plitvicejöarma

Facts about Plitvice Lakes in Croatia

Lakes, rivers and waterfalls

Animals and nature

Things to do in the National Park

Opening hours Plitvice Lakes

Prices in the National Park

Services at Plitvice Lakes

Accommodation at Plitvice Lakes

Travelling to Plitvice Lakes in Croatia

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31 Comments

Linnea says:

Åsa says:

BP says:

Jan Svensson says:

Rolle o Carina says:

admin says:

Marianne - Glimt av verden says:

s p i n d e l t j e j e n says:

Lennart says:

admin says:

Maria says:

Steve says:

Ama de casa says:

Ditte says:

Kors och Tvärs says:

admin says:

Helena says:

admin says:

Casa Annika says:

Hamaca Reiseblogg says:

admin says:

Deciree says:

Caroline King says:

admin says:

Catharina Fundin says:

Helena says:

Linda, 155cm.se says:

Helena says:

Nina says:

Helena says:

Linda, resamedvetet.se says:

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