Plitvice Lakes National Park is a nature gift to Croatia, where people like us can make travel journeys in a more nature centric and scenic one. National Park is often home to the country’s best stunning series of cascading waterfalls and lakes, making it one of the spectacular places to watch a series of waterfalls with lush forest surroundings.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Plitvice National Park’s waterfalls and lakes are major attractions here. These lakes shine with brilliant blues and greens, connected by a series of waterfalls and rapids, offering incredible views to watch.
The park’s unique landscapes occurred around thousands years ago through continuous erosion and water on the region’s limestone and dolomite terrain, resulting in today parks 16 connected lakes and networks.
As a backpacker, surely you’ll be surprised by its crazy waterfalls and color of lakes, perhaps you’d be equally fortunate to spot regions with diverse wildlife, rich biodiversity and curious crystal clear waters.
How to Get to Plitvice Lakes National Park?
Visiting National Park is easy and straightforward, but we recommend 3 major options that will make your entry to the national park even more easier.
1.By Car
As usual, entering Plitvice Lakes National Park by car is an ideal option. Plitvice lakes approximately 2 hours from the major city of Zagreb and just 1.5 hours from Zadar, so car transportation is a renowned option to catch up with surrounding areas and nearby attractions along with your park journey. The park is well and easily accessible via major highways such as A 1 motorway and even cars are available from Zagreb Airport to Plitivice National Park.
2. By Bus
If you are budget conscious or planning to make a trip more economical then a bus is an ideal option for you. This public transportation runs daily from the country’s major cities like Zagreb, Split, and Zadar directly to the entry point of the park. Usually you need to spend 2 to 2.5 hours on a bus to reach the national park.
3. Guided Tours
Guided Tour normally preferred by the international travelers for briefer introduction about the park and guided experiences. Many operators offer day trips from nearby cities, and they offer both transportations and guided tours. It includes transportations, hotel services and shuttle services to their guests.
What is the Best Time to Visit?
1. Winter Season
Winter season starts from November to March, during this season backpackers can indulge in snow covered parks, enjoy magical snow landscapes, snow covered trees and landscapes. Since winter is more cold and freezing, most of the parks, trails, and restaurants are closed. If you are planning to visit during the winter season we recommend you bring some winter friendly stuff like warm clothes, a hat, scarf, gloves and winter friendly shoes.
2. Late Spring (Most Recommended Season to Visit)
If you are confused which season I should visit or in what season I will get more breathtaking beauty of Plitivice Lakes National Park, then Late Spring is for you. Spring starts from April, but late spring is around May and June. Late spring is a time when park try to exhibit their fullest beauty, bloom with wildflowers, emerging floras, waterfalls from melting snow, less travel crowds and mild temperatures for hiking.
3. Early Autumn (Recommended One)
During autumn, the park is an ideal location to get the most picturesque beauty of nature. It draws the attention of photographers from its misty morning, vibrant foliage and tranquil waters that create an ideal backdrop. The season starts from September to October, despite being a scenic season, early autumn is an ideal season for cooler temperatures, ideal for hikers and enjoy the beauty of foliage color changes.
4. Summer
Summer starts from June to August, is a kind of season when we can witness more tourist traffic, hot weather conditions, and peak tourist season in Plitivice Lakes National Park. However, if you wish to take swimming or water activities in the park, then summer is a great season for you.
Plitvice Lakes National Park Ticket Price
All visitors who are visiting Plitvice Lakes National Park are required to purchase an entrance ticket. It is not cheap, usually entry fees are issued on the basis of the season. If you plan to visit during peak season from June to September, then you need to keep €40 per person and € 14 for children (age 7 to 18).
If you are too concerned about travel cost and make budget friendly trips, then winter is an ideal season to skip your heavy ticket price. Fees are heavily discounted during off season (November to March), when cost would be as low as €10 and for children €5.
Getting tickets here in Plitvice Lakes National Park online through its official park website is always a good idea, since limited numbers of tickets are available at the entrance. If you are going during peak season then the probability of getting a ticket is low.
Organised guided tours like Tour Radar and Head Out always include your entrance tickets, so you won’t have to worry about purchasing online tickets either from its official website or entrance of the national park.
Plitvice Lakes National Park during winter
Winter is the most ideal season in Plitvice Lakes National Park. It is difficult to explain in one point what are the things that make winter is a prime season to visit. Let us discuss in a more precise manner;
1. Winter Offer Scenic Views
As a backpacker when you step into this national park during winter slowly you’ll realise that the park is filled by the snow blanketing and snow covered landscapes. The park is transformed into a winter wonderland, during which most lakes and waterfalls may freeze and frosted sculptures of ice. All these scenarios offer us more breathtaking views and serene atmospheres to enjoy.
2. Winter Witnessing Less Tourist Traffic
Fewer Crowds is another core reason why winter season is a great time to indulge epic beauty of Plitvice Lakes National Park. Winter is less popular than the fall and spring months for tourism, therefore it is a fortunate thing to catch up with the more beautiful nature of the park.
3. Wildlife Viewing
The winter season helps us to spot some rear birds and it is quite difficult to find flora species. Bird species like woodpeckers, owls, hawks, chickens and Eurasian jays are likely to be seen. Deer, wild boar and snow foxes roaming inside the park, if you are really fortunate you will find them.
4. Frozen Waterfalls
One of the iconic features in Plitvice Lakes National Park during winter. Most of the waterfalls often freeze during winter, creating unique formations of ice that are visually great things to enjoy. Snow and ice formations turn lakes and waterfalls into freeze even including trees, and large swathes.
5. Enjoy Winter Sports
Heaven for winter sports lovers, backpackers could expect cross country skiing, sledging, snowshoeing and cosying up. Despite that, visitors even try boat rides, lower lakes trails and panoramic train journeys during winter. Choose snow covered lower lakes trails for hiking, visit Veliki Slap and take a boat ride across Koxjak Lake. Visit Mukinje Ski Resort is a popular option to know more about winter activities and accessibility here in Plitvice Lakes National Park.
6. Its Photographic Opportunities
All these above reasons help us to bring our cameras to capture the beauty of parks exclusively in winter. Blue waters against the white snow and ice coverages help photographers capture more stunning visuals.
How Much Time Should We Can Spend in Plitvice Lakes?
Perhaps people might think visiting Plitivice Lakes National Park is just a few hours of travel activity. But it is not true, visitors even can explore the whole park for a full day or they can take day tours that arrive on a bus. The park contains 8+ hours hiking trails, scenic picnic spots, waterfalls, and crazy water activities to help us stay even one full day.
Taking a full day tour has some advantages, it helps us to delve into parks more beauty, activities and social opportunities. If you are not comfortable with a full day tour, choose a half day tour ranging from 4 to 6 hours.