Plitvice Lakes National Park — Attraction in Općina Plitvička Jezera

Detailed review of the Plitvice Lakes National Park. (Program C)

Very beautiful lakes and absolutely amazing waterfalls. The water is so clear. You can easily see five meters deep. Also not just one big waterfall but a couple along the trails. Tons of smaller ones too. 🔟 / 🔟

No traffic jams or anything on the trails. Maybe a little crowded at the start and at the biggest waterfall. We went the C program, started at 14.30 and ended around 19.30 on a Friday. The last third of the trail was really empty. 9️⃣ / 🔟

Transport on the trail was awesome. They sent two boats instead of one at a time and we all fit nicely in those. The ride took 20 min. We had to take another boat right next to where we arrived to continue the C program. It was only to get to the other side of the lake (2 min). Also the train/bus back was great. It took 30 min for us. 9️⃣ / 🔟

There were toilets at the start and twice during the trail. There could've maybe been once more. 8️⃣ / 🔟

Fauna: Lots and lots of fish in every lake. We liked to look at them. Some really tiny, some really big (50cm). Also some sort of crabs. Outside of water some ducks, smaller birds and dragonflies/butterflies. 9️⃣ / 🔟

The trails are easy, marked clearly and usually on flat soil ground or on wide duckboards. They're usually without fences and the water might be deep so be careful. 9️⃣ / 🔟

Restaurants: At the entrance 1 where the C program begins, there is a pretty expensive restaurant with pretty small portions (Lička kuća) There's also another one with burgers and sandwhiches type stuff (Buffet Slap) I think there was one at the pier where the boat ride starts and probably one where the train/bus ride starts too. I don't know about entrance 2 though. Taking some of your own snacks shouldn't be a bad idea. 8️⃣ / 🔟

The ticket prices... i know, they poke a hole in your wallet, but cmon, it is just so beautiful. 40€ for 18+ and 15€ for under 18. Plus the parking fee of 2€/h. That comes to a big total number, but it is worth it. Just make sure you buy tickets in advance and to the correct entrance 7️⃣ / 🔟

Parking overall was easy, there was some space. The big parking was 200m from the restaurants and the ticket office. 9️⃣ / 🔟

Misc: Dogs are allowed on leash. Swimming is prohibited. Colder weather than near the sea, which is better. They have a mobile app, where you can follow your trail with gps and a map (Plitvice Mobile). 9️⃣ / 🔟

We came from Makarska by car. It was a long ride (3,5 h one way) but definitely worth it. The upper lakes were in my opinion more interesting, but you should definitely see the lower lakes also, that's where the biggest waterfall is located. That's why I chose the C program. You should look at the programs on their website and then see which one suits your timetable. I only showed the big waterfall, two lakes and some fish because I want you to explore it with your own eyes ;)

Total when valuing the things based on importance: 8,85 / 10, which is a five star rating from...

We were at Plitvice Waterfalls during a weekday and enjoyed it a lot.

PARKING The parking situation is solved quite well however my recommendation is that arrive there early morning, latest at 9am. The reason is that you will find a parking lot closer to the entrance and later in the park you do not queue for more than 2 hours. We were there like 9h20 and I already had the feeling that we were late but it was okay. But when we were on our way back we passed at queues that were over 200 meters and theae people were waiting to get on a boat. It might be stressful standing in bare sun for 2 hours.

TICKETS At the entrance there is a counter where you can get your entrance ticket but we used the self service machine right next to the counter. It is slef explaining and easy to use. You can pay contactless or with cash. We took the entrance for which adults pay 40 EUR each and kids until 17 pay 15 EUR. This ticket included bus ride until the nearest waters, a hiking tour for the whole day, a boat trip over the lake and the bus ride back to the entrance.

PARK On older pictures you might see people sitting or swimming in the waterfalls. This is not the case today. You can only hike on the designated paths but you cannot swim. Which is good otherwise in a few years you wouldn't have such a park anymore with this amount of tourists.

FOOD AND DRINKS At the entrance but also inside the park there are a few food stalls available however they are more likely near the entrance. Have enough water and maybe something to eat with you. The tour that we booked for 40 EUR is long (3 hours hiking) and we completely forgot to have water or snacks with us.

EQUIPMENT We had good hiking shoes but we saw also a lot of instagram beauties who thought this is New York Central Park and they can come with flip flops, high heels or other fancy shoes. Don't! Put on proper shoes and you will be thankful. It is bare nature, partly you cross wooden bridges, you hike on forest soil or some areas are wet and alippery due to the splashing waterfalls.

TIME As I mentioned in the beginning, be there early. While we were going back to the car around 1pm there were still people coming not knowing what long queues they will face further...

Beautiful Park! Absolutly must see! From Zadar we drove 1h40. We did the H route, 8km, in mid may at 09h. It's a 15 min walk from the parking to the starting point ( front of the first parking, green zone, 1€/h). We ordered tickets in advance but there was no line at the ticketoffice. At the park zone there are toilets, 1 food take out, souvenir shop and a little store. At the start we waited 10 min untill the train/bus to bring us to the upper lakes. It's a 10 min drive all the way up. We started our walk at 9h30.You go down from the upper lakes to the lower lakes. All the walking paths are beautiful wooden deckings. With al lot of steps! The views are amazing and the waterfalls were lush in May. When you go to the lower lakes there is a boat to bring you to the other side of the lake. We had to wait 30 min for the next boat. You have to scan your tickets for the train and boat. When you arrive at the other side there are toilets. Food and drink amenities, souvenir shop and lots of space to take a break. Here are the only toilets in the park itself. The upper lakes was not crowded at our time but the lower lakes was a big difference. We did about 2,5h for the upperlakes( Inc. The waiting time boat , boat ride and many stops to enjoy the gorgeous views.) The first part was mainly going down. The second part is mostly going up, also with a lot of steps. This part was already very crowded at noon, because the most people do the reverse route. At the end (toilet and info stand) you take the train/bus back to the starting point. I would recommend the H route because the reverse route is very crowdy. We had perfect weather 20° with shining sun. There's been a lot of rain so the falls we're very big. The water was so beautiful and so many colors and clear. If you have any disabilities I would not recommend this route.I saw a lot of people struggling with knees, back, condition. ..It has so many steps and the walking path is not for anything on wheels. You can take your dog but only the leash. During the walk there are benches to take a rest. From parking ,hike, back to parking we spend 5 hours in total with an average walking pace of 3,6km/h. There are a lot of signs for all the hikes. You...