If you’re planing your visit to Plitvice lakes, it would be smart idea to find some basic idea about the park, so let’s do that together.
When to visit Plitvice? Well, i wouldn’t be objective if I tell you that, but every part of the year has it’s own pros and cons. One thing is sure – Plitvice are most visited during the summer period. While one maybe love to spend hot summer days in the middle of National park, surrounded by nature in it’s richest shape, some prefer comming here during the spring or fall, even during winter. Every season is so much different that it is really hard to choose only one, the best would be if you could see them all. The park is open to visitors all year round. You can go by yourself or you can find a guide, it depends which you prefer better. There are many hiking trails and two educational trails. What you will see mostly depends about weather conditions which means if you come during the winter and if there is lots of snow, some trails might be closed. The opening times and entrances available vary accordingly to period of the year. The best would be that you check it out on the official web of the park when you decide for the dat of visit.
There are 2 entrances to the park. Entrance 1 and Entrance 2.
If you are comming by bus, the bus stops at Entrance 1 and 2, from there you can enter the park, or if you are comming to Etno Garden you can take a taxi which you shouldn’t have problem finding.
If you are going by car, simply follow to signs of the road, and you can park on the parking of Entrance 1 and 2 (which are charged).
It doesn’t matter where you will enter the park, believe me, you will see everything.
(For more details go to –> About us – directions <– on our web page).
You can visit the park in one day or two days, depending on your preferences. Due to that there are one-day and two-day tickets. One ticket include entrance, boat ride and panoramic train drive. For seeing the whole par you vould need aproxim. 5-6hours (including boat and train). Most of the routes you take will lead you in the „circle“, so you will end up in the same place you’ve started. In case of snow or ice, the train ride will be cancelled. Between November and mid-April, only Entrance 1 and the Lower Lakes are open to visitors. Acess is more or less limited to walking, but trust me, it is magical!
Price of a ticket also depends on period of the year you’re comming, but for children under 7 years old it is always free. Booking ticket is recommended only for groups. You can buy the ticket at every entrance the whole day for the day of entering the park. You can pay the ticket by kunas or credit card (Ticket office is the only place in the area of Plitvica selo which accepts credit cards, so I would reccomend you to carry some cash with you).
If you have a pet, they are allowed to enter the park, but they must always be kept on a leash. Fishing is forbitten in the park. Swimming is, unfortunately, also forbidden, but as always there is an alternative for that. There is a river called „Korana“ which is about 10 minutes of driving distanced from Etno Garden. People usually go swim there. The water is clean and fresh and you can park your car there.
You can acess Plitvice from „state road D1 Zagreb-Split“. If you are going by highway A1, you can exit it at „Karlovac“, „Otočac“ or „Udbina“, it depends from which direction you are comming“. The closest airports are Zadar, Zagreb and Rijeka (even Split isn’t that far).
In Croatia, almost everything is written on Croatian. Croatian is read as it is written (that fact will maybe help you with pronuncination), but almost everybody speaks English so you shouldn’t have any problems. Currency in Croatia is „Kuna“.
