Driving to Plitvice Lakes from Sibenik Croatia
We left Sibenik around 8am and drove to Plitvice via E71. The drive took us about 2 hours and 30 minutes. We tried to check into the guest house, but the owner told us the check in time is 2pm. Hence, we left our luggages at the guest house and drove to the park.
Plitvice lakes is just a 4 minutes drive away from the guest house. You can also walk if you are up for it. It will take about 15-20 minutes on foot. We arrived at entrance 2 car park slightly before noon and it turned out to be a bad timing. Keep reading and you will know why I say that. Parking is 7Kn/hour.
Ticket buying was a breeze as the crowd wasn’t there yet. The ticket cost 110kn per adult. Prices are much more expensive during peak summer period. Price list is shown here.
We entered Plitvice lakes from Entrance 2 and took the Sightseeing Train to start our hike or walk.
Unesco Heritage Site
Plitvice Lakes National Park, registered in the UNESCO world heritage site since 1979, is one of the oldest and largest park in Croatia.
Having just visited the Krka National Park in Sibenik the day before coming here, I was curious as to what this park has to offer that 1 million visitors come here each year.
Background information
Founded in 1949, Plitvice lakes is situated in the mountainous Karst area of central Croatia, at the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The protected area extends over 296.85 square kilometres (73,350 acres). The main attraction of this park is the 16 lakes interconnected by cascades and waterfalls. The 16 lakes are divided into two parts – Gornja jezera (Upper lakes) and Donja Jezera (Lower Lakes). There are altogether 12 upper lakes and 4 lower lakes.
The lakes have distinctive colours, ranging from azure to green, grey or blue. And, the colours change constantly as they are influenced by the quantity of minerals or organisms in the water and the angle of sunlight.
The park is also said to be populated by variety of animals including bears, wolves, otters, wild boars, skunks, squirrels, rabbits, foxes and numerous bird species. Too bad we did not get to see all these animals when we were there. I guess, the crowds scared them off. That being said, I was glad that the bears, wolves and wild boars weren’t out to greet us. I would be scared out of my wits if they did.
Map of the park
It is best to visit Plitvice lakes early in the morning or later part of the day to avoid the massive crowds. And, as crowds like to gather at Veliki Slap, the biggest waterfall in the park, it is best to do this area first if you want to take photo of the waterfall without heads showing everywhere in the photo.
And, doing the upper lake area first is also a good way to avoid the crowds. The crowds are mostly concentrated at the lower lake area because it is an easier walk and they tend not to hike too far due to time constraints.
4 walking trials ( 8 programs)
There are altogether 4 walking trails you can choose to explore this big national park.
Photo credit: https://www.plitvice-lakes.info
Entrance 1 is the starting point for program A, B, C and K (which is the largest tour).
- A (2-3h) is lower parts of national park, only walking
- B (3-4h) is lower part of national park including sailing on lake Kozjak
- C (4-6h) Walking, bus to upper parts of national park and sailing on lake Kozjak
- K (6-8h) Walking around Whole national park.
Entrance 2 is the starting point for program E, H, F and K.
- E (2-3h) Upper parts of national park, only walking
- F (3-4h) Like B tour. Only different starting point
- H (4-6h) Like C tour. Only different starting point
- K (6-8h) Walking around Whole national park.
We entered the park from entrance 2 and did program H (C if starting from entrance 1). The walk was not strenuous, but long. Moreover, as the weather then was really hot, I became tired very fast. Do bring bottled water, a hat and wear very comfortable shoes before exploring this park. No seating areas along the walking trails, so choose a trail which is easier to do if you are not physically fit.
I would not recommend doing the trail if you have young kids in pram, sitting in a wheel chair or you can’t walk for long hours. This is because most of the trails do not have guarding rails, and some paths are uneven. When there are crowds, you might find yourself walking very close to the edge of the path. Rather dangerous if the waterfall or water flow is very rapid.
In addition, do clear your bladder before doing the trials because toilets are only available at entrances, boat docking area and shuttle bus stations. You will not find toilets along the walking trials.
Panoramic Trains and Electric Boats
Take the sightseeing trains / boat when tired, which are included in the park ticket. The Panoramic Train is an electronic train / shuttle bus which ferries travellers around the park. There are 3 stops within the park, St1 at Entrance 1, St2 near Entrance 2 (there is a distance between the train stop and the entrance) and St3 at Prošćansko Lake (south-est point of the park).
There are also electric boats which ferry travellers on Kozjak Lake, the largest lake in Plitvice Lakes National Park.
Time Table for the Train and Boats
Electric boat
Short route (P1 – P2) 07:00 – 20:00 /every 30 min.
Long route (P2 – P3) 08:00 – 18:00 /every 30 min.
Long route (P3 – P2) 08:30 – 18:30 /every 30 min.
Panorama train
St2 – St1 08:00 – 19:30 (every 30 min.)
St1 – St2 08:30 – 19:30 (every 30 min.)
St2 – St3 08:00 – 18:30 (every 30 min.)
St3 – St2 08:30 – 19:00 (every 30 min.)
Best time to visit Plitvice Lakes
Plitvice Lake is beautiful whole year round, according to the hostess of the guest house we were staying in. In winter, you can have snow. Leaves changing colours from green to orange, red or yellow in the falls. The water volume is at its highest during spring and summer. The park becomes very crowded during the peak summer holiday season. You can expect about 10,000 visitors per day during that period. Waiting line for the bus and boat rides will be long. The walk will take longer than usual. If you like the energy, you can visit during July / August. If not, avoid at all cost. You will not be able to enjoy the park in peace.
Do not recommend to eat at Poljana Restoran
When we finally finished the hike, it was nearly 7pm. We did not want to search for other places to have our dinner because of hunger and tireness. Without any hesitation, we entered the very restaurant which is near entrance 2, called Poljana Restoran. We went in and regretted it big time.
The restaurant is very spacious and there were many people there. I was sure they were there not because of the food. They were like us, hungry and tired. Not only is the food terrible, the waitress who served us was also rude. I did not take any photo of the food because not recommended to eat there at all.
Rada Guest House
After the most horrible dinner, we returned to the guest house for a good night rest. I really needed the rest after the 4 hours turned 6 hours hike in the park.
This is a very beautiful and cute guest house near to the 2 entrance of Plitvice park. If you like to warm up before the actual The room is very clean, bed is comfortable and they even have a beautiful garden outside. The only minus point is that kettle is not provided.
Room price does not include breakfast. If you want, it cost Eur7.5 per person. The local bus stop is just 300 m from Guest House Rada, and a grocery shop is 500 m away.
For reservation, you can click here
Next stop
After a good night rest at the guest house, we headed to our next destination Slunj, before our final Croatia destination Zagreb.
